Tuesday, 4 December 2012

NSW School Holiday Guide

Here's just a sample of what's in store these school holidays:

Sydney School Holiday Activities

- The Entertainment Quarter will be home to Waterworld, Australia's largest inflatable water park. Popular attractions are set to include the Dragon Twin Slide, Shark pool and 10-metre high Colossal Dino slide.

   - Discover Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasure at Australian Museum. Kids can play on the free Pack'n Plunder game which is available for download on smartphone or tablet at the exhibition.

   - Sydney Festival
is bursting with family friendly activities from 5-28 January 2013. Welcome the arrival of Florentijn Hofman's giant bobbing artwork Rubber Duck at Darling Harbour with music, dance and a floating party, or make yourself heard in Parramatta where 25 bright red megaphones will create a fun audio playground for young and old.

   - Get up close to dinosaurs at Taronga Zoo with new exhibition, Dinosaurs in the Wild, which features 16 life sized dinosaurs including a Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Australia's own dinosaur, the Muttaburrasaurus.

   - Bennelong Point is the perfect destination these school holidays with Sydney Opera House promising a fairground atmosphere with entertainment, great food and free activities for children on offer. Don't miss The Cat in The Hat, Charlie and Lola, the popular free Creative Play area, live music, and pop-up food stalls.

   - From 15 December step into the home of Wallace & Gromit at The Powerhouse Museumto play with incredible inventions like the Blend-o-matic and Tellyscope II.

   - The Kids in the Park program at Sydney Olympic Park offers over 50 activities including BMX Racing, swimming classes and writing workshops. There's also a range of walking tracks, bike tracks, BBQ areas, playgrounds and fountains to explore. 


    - Farewell Sydney Monorail after 25 years as one of the city's iconic tourist attractions. Just $24 is all you pay for a family of four and you'll receive a Monorail Family Day Pass, including unlimited travel and discounts at Sydney best attractions, plus a Monorail souvenir 25-Things-to-Eye-Spyactivity sheet for the kids.



Regional NSW School Holidays Activities

The action isn't just in Sydney this summer - Regional NSW is bursting with ways to keep the kids busy from camps in NSW Sport and Recreation Centres to indigenous dance and NSW's largest hedge maze.

   - Board the PS Pevensey paddlesteamer in The Murray this January for activities like face painting, kids bush tucker themed cooking cruises, storytelling and arts and craft.

   - For a fun, healthy and affordable school holiday activity book a Kids' Camp at one of 11 Sport and Recreation Centres across NSW. The packages are for children aged from seven to 16 and include accommodation, meals, 24-hour supervision and all activities like horseriding, surfing, fishing and cooking.

   - Waradah Aboriginal Centre
in the Blue Mountains will teach kids about Australia's Aboriginal culture through live performances, art and cultural discussions.

   - On 2 December the largest hedge maze in NSW will open in Port Macquarie. With 2,000 metres of pathways covering 10,000 square metres the Bago Maze will feature lookout towers, bridges, boardwalks and musical instruments.

   - Mudgee
has lots on these school holidays including kids cooking classes at the monthly Farmer's Market and art classes at the Mud Factory, to develop skills in painting, ceramics, photography and candlemaking.

Events:

There are plenty of events this December and January from musicals to Elvis impersonators and everything in between. Here are just a few snippets of what's on offer:

   - Legally Blonde - the award winning musical continues to play at The Lyric Theatre with a star-studded Australian cast including Young Talent Time Host Rob Mills, Cameron Daddo and Erica Heynatz, and directed by the Broadway production's Jerry Mitchell. Saturday matinees are the perfect day out for all ages.

   - Carols in the Domain, 22 December -
Australia's largest free Christmas concert in Sydney's Domain is an unmissable event for families.

   - Rolex Sydney Hobart, 26 December
- On Boxing Day, Sydneysiders flock to the harbour to witness the start of Australia's most thrilling and nail-biting yacht race.

   - Lawrence Twilight Rodeo, Maclean, 29 December
- The Lawrence Twilight Rodeo is an annual rodeo that is a great family event with lots of attractions for the kids

New Year's Eve
, 31 December - Bring in the New Year with celebrations across the State. Family friendly highlights include:

o New Year's Eve at Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin: Amusement rides to keep the kids and youngadults alike occupied and a fantastic fireworks display to bring in the New Year.

o Balranald New Year's Eve Celebration: A family celebration at Greenham Park. Come and join the localsand enjoy entertainment, kids activities, raffles, spinning wheel, refreshments and lots of fun.

o New Year's Celebrations in Wollongong 2012: Stilt walkers, jugglers, face painting, tattoos, rovingcharacters, clowns, balloon sculptors, buskers, amusement rides and fireworks.

o Summer Festival New Year's Eve Fireworks, Taree: Bring a picnic rug along to Queen Elizabeth Parkand enjoy the family fun of the New Year's Eve celebrations. The live entertainment includes local bands andperformers for all to enjoy and, of course, don't forget the fireworks!

o New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour: celebrate the New Year at a Sydney Harbour National Park withticketed events taking place on Clark Island, Bradleys Head, Shark Island, Goat Island, North Head and FortDenison.


  - Apia International Sydney, 6-12 January- take the whole family out to Sydney Olympic Park to see tennis superstars including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Bernard Tomic, Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki.

   - Commonwealth Bank Series - One Day Internationals, Sydney Cricket Ground, 8 & 20 January
- Australia takes on Sri Lanka and the big hitting West Indians at Sydney's iconic SCG.

   - CountryLink Parkes Elvis Festival, Parkes, 9-13 January- a dazzling 150 events including the family favourite, Elvis Street Parade

   - Australian Youth Olympic Festival,
Sydney, 16-20 January- over 1,700 athletes are expected to travel from 30 nations to participate in this multi-sport event which takes place in many of the Sydney 2000 Olympic venues.

   - The Big Issue Street Football Festival, Darling Harbour, 18-28 January
- this annual event unites players and fans from across the community for 11 days of soccer action played on a floating pitch.

   - Australia Day, 26 January
- NSW parties in style to celebrate Australia Day with a packed programme of special events. Highlights in Sydney include the Ferrython, when harbour ferries race for honours past the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House; street parades, fireworks and an RAAF flyover.

   - Yabun, Sydney, 26 January
- Australia's largest single-day Indigenous festival attracts up to 15,000 people and features music, panels and speeches.


   - Body Science Great Australian Swim Series, Sydney, 26 January - swim alongside Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens this Australia Day. There are several races on offer including the Junior Kids 300m event where entrants swim along-side some of open waters best swimmers and sports stars.

 


 For more information go to www.sydney.com or www.visitnsw.com and the School Holidays website www.nsw.gov.au/school-holidays. For ideas on the go, download the practical GoPlay! app on your iPhone http://goplay.nsw.gov.au/

Images: http://images.destinationnsw.com.au/

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