Thursday was Australia Day, so I'm taking a small break from holiday postings to blog about that.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. From what I had heard, it was similar to our Fourth of July. Mostly I knew that Brian was off work and we would we be having something off the barbie at some point that day. I was happy when our local paper had a section devoted to what was happening around the area for Australia Day.
The closest celebration to us was at Fly Point, which is the same place the Christmas on the Bay was at. It's a nice park right on the water and just a few blocks from the marina. It is also supposed to have some of the best snorkeling around. When the boys get a bit better at swimming I'd like to find out for myself.
There were lots of booths and carnival type rides set up. Entrance was free, but of course all the rides were at a cost. No big deal, the boys had a great time. It reminded me a lot of a county fair. There were lots of demonstrations happening - line dancing, the surf club put on an exhibition, and a few local bands played. There was even a breakfast with a Bush Poet - which we skipped since none of us are big poetry people.
The boys saw the child sized Jeeps and that was all they wanted to do. Nath quickly informed me that he had a "child's license" and was therefore able to drive. He never could tell me where he got said license from, but we let him drive anyway. Brian had to cram in a car with Will, since Will couldn't reach the pedal. It was hysterical to see all these dads with their knees up to their chins helping their children.
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| See what I mean |
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| Nath was very serious, but not very fast |
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| The almost wreck |
The boys also enjoyed watching the sheep shearing demonstration as well. They were going to shear an Alpaca later in the day. I'm pretty sure the Alpacas were aware of this.
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| "Hey! That's what he's going to do to me?" |
The local fire and police departments had vehicles on hand for kids to see. The boys always love climbing into these big trucks and driving.
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| I told them this was the only way I better see them in a police car |
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| And a car for me |
At this point there was an announcement to gather around the flag pole. A local boy scout raised the flag as a family sang "Advance, Australia Fair." The boys waved their flags. Nathan told me he liked being an Aussie. We promptly had a discussion that he isn't an official Aussie, even while we're here. He's decided to be an unofficial one, which is fine with us.
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| He was singing along with the Anthem |
After singing the anthem, the family immediately yelled "Aussie Aussie Aussie" to which the crowd responded "Oi Oi Oi!". Now, Brian had told me about this cheer and I thought it was silly. I still think it's a bit silly, but it was fun being in a crowd of Aussies while it was happening.
We decided to partake in good old Aussie cuisine while we were there. Bri, Nath, and I had meat pies while Wills ate a sausage. As a side note, while I do enjoy a meat pie, it always makes me think of Sweeney Todd. Hopefully the Rotary Club (they provided the food) isn't up to anything sinister!
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| Yum! |
After our time spent there, we decided to head to the Inner Lighthouse. The boys have been wanting to see it, and it seemed like a good time. It is still functional and the Marine Rescue works out of there as well. There was a small museum dedicated to maritime history - well done, but not that interesting to the boys. However, the view was beautiful.
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| Lighthouse from the parking lot |
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Old Lanterns |
As you can see, the sky was greying up, so we headed back to our house. The kids had a rest time and then we spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool. Bri was disappointed to miss the Hornet flyover, but he didn't miss a thing since they flew over our house on the way to Fly Point.
It was fun to be apart of the celebration. This was our first real holiday while in Australia. And, much to Nathan's delight, there were no fireworks like on the Fourth. All was well at our house.
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