Whitehaven with Maggie

Today was father’s day and it was quite special as we got to got to Whitehaven. I definitely think it’s one of the best beaches in the world.

She was very excited about the boat that had “Tiny Tim the Turtle” on it but she got quite motion sick. We got to see a whale and her calf which was very fun. Apparently the calf is always trying to check the boat out, and the mother herds her away. It has been a ritual for the last three weeks.

As soon as she got to the beach she became herself again. Maggie had an absolute ball, and just loved being able to swim and play in the sand. She was building things and going for a swim and just generally having a ball. What made things ever better was the muffin that she was given (and refused to eat on the boat – a definite sign of motion sickness) that she called “chocolate cake”.

Even funnier was when it was time to go back everyone got a squirt with a blue hose to wash the sand off. Maggie thought this was the highlight of the trip. Of course.

 

Maggie having a swim

 

One of the professional photos

Hamilton Island

Claire and I have a connection to the Whitsundays, and Hamilton Island with its airport is the most convenient.

We went there from 30 August to 3 September. Maggie was with us and just loved it all – beaches and pools, her two favourite things.

Our view was great, as was our nightly ritual of having a picnic and watching the sun go down around the Islands.

View from our balcony

 

Maggie and I during our picnic and sunset ritual

Paradise Valley 2019

Easter for another year. Maggie is now a bit over 2, so we were a bit uncertain how camping would go. Once again, the hardest part is to get a decent nap given the temperature on a mild day is blazing hot inside a tent.

However, we went down for two nights which proved to be a great success. It wasn’t long enough for her to get too tired, but it was long enough that she really had a good time.

She played really well with Olive and Paddy, she loved driving Pa’s truck, loved the river, loved sleeping in the tent… loved it all, but especially the Easter Bunny came and gave her some chocolate, which she thought was the best thing ever.


The Campsite
 


The best part of camping

Lorne for Maggie’s Birthday

We are very close at getting back into the camping lifestyle, at least with Maggie, however this was another outdoorsy holiday on the luxurious side of things. We stayed at the nicest house I’ve been in, certainly the most expensive. Maggie was completely in her element, with all the grandparents there, and her two favourite things in the world: a swimming pool and the beach. We even made it to a waterfall but she wasn’t that fussed as she couldn’t swim in it.

 

Cape Schanck

For my birthday Claire and I went down to Cape Schanck. It is a new resort and I think the RACV have done a great job with it. I hadn’t been to Point Nepean either, so that was a nice walk, not overly rustic though. That was a bit of a theme of the holiday. We went to some natural hot springs. Unlike what you might find up north, they had been completely tiled and resembled more of a swimming pool. They were very hot though. We went to Bushrangers Bay, again a very nice place. It’s not exactly the true outdoors that I had in mind, but things have changed quite a bit now we are parents. It was a great escape for a night though, and I guess I am now 36!