You’ll have to excuse the picture overload in this post.  The kids had so much fun here!  The Emerald Bank Adventure Park is such a great value.  So much to do!  We stopped here on our way out of town and spent a few hours trying out all of the activities.  First we did the paddle boats… Then the rock climbing wall… Skeeterbug made it to the top! TurboBug insisted on having a go on the go-carts! Watch out for pedestrians! We wandered around back of the go-cart area and had a look at some of the animals.  This horse was beautiful.  We were told she was five years old. Our little guy loves horses! Pony rides…doesn’t every kid want a pony ride? This one wasn’t too sure! Cold ice cream on a hot day. Yum! Thank goodness I had extra wipes! Archery, so fun!  They even let mum and dad have a go! TurboBug waited in hopes that the miniature train would be working. Back for more rock climbing.  I think they all liked this the best. This little girl was awesome at it once she figured it out.  In fact, she may have done better than her older brothers.  Shhhh!   Never fear, they all reached the top! There was this odd ring around the sun that day, not sure I’ve ever noticed something like this before.  Hard to get a good picture of it. They got the train running, so TurboBug got his wish!  It’s funny how toddlers can be so intently enjoying something that their face shows no emotion- just concentration.  There was also a jumping castle, a hayride, and a small carousel.  Such a good value and so much fun for the kids.

While we were in Shepparton we had to visit Belstack Strawberry Farm to do some picking.  They also have a nice little shop and tearoom, and even miniature golf (which we didn’t do). {Please pardon some of the picture effects I used in this post, I like to play around with them sometimes.} Picking strawberries was pure bliss for this little guy.  There was no stopping him from eating them straight off the plant. It was a hot day.  The strawberries were actually pretty sparse because they’d had a lot of visitors lately.  They told us that in about three or four weeks’ time a different patch would be ready for picking and the strawberries would be abundant. It was more like a treasure hunt and the kids were off to see who could find the biggest strawberry. Nearby was a shed with garlic hanging from the roof.  We ducked in for some shade. We had such fun here, definitely worth a stop if you are in Shepparton!

More cows in Shepparton.  They have a Mooving Art exhibition that has local artists painting fiberglass cows that are placed around town.  To celebrate the town’s dairy industry, I believe.  We had a second visit to Shepparton and I can attest that the cows did move (or mooove) locations. The day we were having our van serviced we had a picnic lunch in a quite visible park.  It’s on the way into town and is surrounded by constant traffic.  I’m sure we were quite entertaining to those driving by as we took pictures of the painted cows.  Not to mention the crew removing the gigantic Christmas decorations from the park’s trees. The kids wanted pictures with their ‘babies’.  It was all quite hilarious.  This rainbow cow was gorgeous. This cow has the Australian flag on it. I made the kids sit next to it in hopes of a better shot of the flag. Meanwhile, at the car.  TurboBug was asleep so somebody had to stay there.  See the traffic?  It was a busy spot. I was amused to see Australia’s spot near the…um, tail. Who wouldn’t love a construction cow? Parting shot… LadyBug wanted me to take a picture of this spot in the grass because it’s shaped a bit like Australia.  🙂 We saw other cows around town, I wish I’d gotten a picture of the strawberries & cream cow, and the soccer cow, and the bananas in pyjamas cows. 

These posts are going to be a bit out of order while I get caught up on some blogging. After the holidays we headed to Shepparton because we needed to get our caravan serviced and made an appointment at a place there.  We have been having a problem with our gas heater (we have central heating in the van).  We dropped the van off and headed into town to explore. I’ve heard about this big playground in Shepparton with huge slides and multiple play areas.  They ask for a gold coin donation as an entrance fee.  We were excited to finally check it out.  There was a huge donation bin near the entrance and we all dutifully put coins in.  (Why are kids always so happy to put coins in these things?) We headed straight for the big slides.  I love that these metal slides are under shade. Then we started exploring.  I had to get a picture of the kids in front of the giant cow.  Cows are quite the theme in Shepparton. This kid is the cutest thing ever. Giant sand pit with digger.  Check. Toddler area with cars to sit in.  A big hit with the little guy, as long as he was the one driving.  No one else was allowed to touch the steering wheel. Doesn’t this remind you of a Fred Flintstone car? This guy is ever the clown.  Cute picture. Not so sure about the purple dinosaur. But loved the slide. This one loved the monkey bars, of which there are many at varying heights. The little guy got a turn on the slide too, with some help. And how could we miss the miniature train? Huge flying fox.  I don’t know how she stayed on so long! Cows, more cows. And the painted cows…there are many, many painted cows in Shepparton.   We didn’t know it at the time, but this wouldn’t be our only visit to Kidstown!