Family Fun on The Sunshine Coast

Before children, we had only dipped our toe into the waters along the Queensland stretch of The Sunshine Coast. This trip we booked into Caloundra Waterfront Holiday Park so we could really set up our camp and enjoy some family time. Along with my brother and sister-in-law and their two kids, my parents have also joined our crew for a week of fun in the sun and beautiful Caloundra has proved the perfect place for it! 

                                            

Caloundra is the southern-most community on the Sunshine Coast and after almost a week enjoying the sights, it has proved to be a perfect holiday destination to unwind and enjoy all that the area has to offer. Endless bike tracks line the waterways - in fact, there are over 350km worth of quality bike tracks that connect the beaches, nature reserves and parks, and seeing flocks of people of all ages riding all day long is inspiring! Why don't all towns incorporate these amazing bike paths into their town planning which encourage health and fitness, community togetherness as well as environmental responsibility? And the kids certainly did their time hitting the pavement on scooters and bikes each day, wearing out their little legs, in the hope that sleep would come more easily and I'm happy to report that the kids seem to be getting used to their new home away from home and are sleeping much better!

But it's the waterways that are the real main attraction on the Sunshine Coast and Caloundra boasts several beautiful beaches, one after the other, right up the coast to Noosa, making residents and holiday-makers both spoilt for choice when it comes to a morning dip, an easy surf or a float in the warm current in the waters of the ocean inlet that overlooks Bribie Island. The water temperature has hovered around the 25 degree mark all week and has turned our three littlies into little fish, alternating between the ocean and the caravan park pool all day!     

 

The benefits of travelling with a crew are many - free kids entertainment as the cousins amused themselves pushing sand pit trucks in the dirt and building roads near our caravan sight, endless bike riding and scootering up and down past our vans, watching an 'outdoor movie' when the kids couldn't swim or ride any longer, racing in and out of each other's caravans, collecting bits and pieces and making up funny games that "aren't for adults." These are memories in the making and ones I hope help build the foundations of solid friendships between siblings and cousins alike. 

(Special note to other parents of young kids: Be warned, our holiday so far hasn't been all smiles and ice-creams!! We've had plenty of tears and tantrums- having to remind our tired toddler to share, our preschooler to find her manners and our school boy that he isn't a teenager yet and can't simply ride his bike whenever and wherever he likes or visit the toilet block on his own...! And often having a ready-made caravan park audience whilst working out the boundaries and rules is tough, but it's also a nice little reminder to be present with our kids and really be in the moment with them, no matter how hard that sometimes is!