Your Spring Break List with Kids

Spring is a great time to pack up the car and head out to the country for a farm stay as a family. Kids will love feeding chickens, feeding the animals and playing catch with farm dogs. Roam the wide-open paddocks or enjoy a morning sunrise from a farmhouse verandah. A few of our BunGeo favourite farm stays to explore with your farmers-in training include Ferguson Farmstay (Ferguson Valley), Bluehills Farmstay (Harvey), Kirup Kabins (Kirup), Balingup Heights (Balingup), Allington Family Farm (Harvey), Lewana Cottages (Balingup), Roswa Park Farmstay (Benger), Big Apple Farmstay (Donnybrook) and Harvey Hills Farmstay Cottages (Harvey).

Entertain the kids for hours at BunGeo’s three new playgrounds. Start at Karragarup Play Space at the Ridley Place Foreshore, Australind. Karragarup in Noongar language is ‘place of the crabs’ and you can’t miss the crab in this playground! Kids can scramble over a balancing rope course, a crustacean discovery area, a mangrove tree maze and more. Next, venture to Bunbury for two great kids adventure zones. Designed by Active Discovery, Sykes Foreshore is a nautical-themed playground features a pirate ship, flying fox, jetty and giant whale tail – just to name a few of the fun features. Across the inlet at Queens Gardens, you find another nautically-themed playspace. Afterwards, let the kids discovery the new Queen’s Gardens Labyrinth.

Other highly notable mentions include the Koombana Foreshore Playground (kids will love the free zip line), Donnybrook Apple Fun Park (it’s the largest free playground in WA), the Bunbury Wetlands Big Swamp Playground, the Collie Water Park, the Capel Playground and Skate Park (Capel Civic Precinct), and the Binningup Beach Playground.  You should also check out the play area at The Crooked Carrot!

The new fun activity in BunGeo for kids big and small is the recently opened Wonder of Western Australia 18-hole mini-golf course at Old Coast Road Brewery. Discover 18 of Western Australia’s most loved natural icons with a round of minigolf like no other. Take a tour of Wave Rock, Rottnest Island, the Pinnacles, and Mount Augustus and if your lucky score a hole in one. Each hole features a different attraction giving you the opportunity to learn more about some of WA’s best features as you play your way through the course. Adults – $20, Children – $10, Family Groups – $50 (includes 2 adults and up to 3 children). The family-friendly brewery, cidery & distillery located halfway between Mandurah and Bunbury.

Get up and close to nature in Bunbury – the City of 3 Waters. Start with breakfast (from 7am) at Australia’s premier wild dolphin experience; the $12Million Dolphin Discovery Centre. The Interpretive Centre is a must-do for kids with themed fish and coral aquariums and an amazing 360-degree Digital Dolphinarium, as well as an interpretation of the Koombana Bay environment and its history. It is an immersive experience, with activity centres, interactive displays, feeding programs and tours that appeal to all age groups.

Take advantage of the warm weather to go on a family bicycle ride. Hire a bike from Melo Velo (Bunbury) or Crank N Cycle (Collie) and start peddling. Bunbury, Eaton and Australind offer endless cycleways for you to explore, most with stunning water views. A BunGeo family favourite is the 5 km Lescheanult Inlet trail. Family MTB riders should check out Arklow Forest near Collie. A further 12 kilometres of new trails now winds its way through the forest, giving mountain bike riders a view of the stunning environment at Collie’s doorstep. Another family favourite is the Collie Wagyl Biddi Trails in the heart of Collie. Starting from Soldiers Park, the 9-kilometre trail consists of connecting loops, ranging from handcycle, beginner to intermediate. Experienced riders should also book in a day at Balingup’s Linga Longa Bike Park offering WA’s best Enduro course.

Visit a National or State park! BunGeo is home to a whopping four national parks and a conservation park, including the Wellington National Park, Greater Preston National Park, Tuart Forest National Park, and Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park. Whether you go camping or just for a day trip, our parks and awesome outdoor spaces have much to offer. Go bushwalking, kayaking, beach 4WD and much more. Plus, food always tastes better if it is eaten outdoors – hold a family barbeque, toast marshmallows on a campfire (in season), or a pack a picnic jam-packed with BunGeo produce.  For more inspiration click here.

Whether you live in the country or city, every kid loves animals. The best place to get wildlife is the Bunbury Wildlife Park. Buy a bag of seed and let your little one’s hand feed them. You’ll hear squeals of delight from both the children and the animals. Don’t miss the daily keeper talk at 11.30am!  Admission: Adults – $14.50, Children – $8.50, Concession – $10.50, Family – $39.00 (2 adults and 2 children), Children 2 years old and under – FREE, Carers with a companion card – FREE.

Pitstop at Ha Ve Harvey Cheese for award-winning cheeses  – think feta, halloumi, camembert and much more. Let your kids discover the joy of savouring food made from the region’s amazing produce with a Cheese Cellar Tasting. Alternatively, treat the kids to milkshakes to sip and slurp too. As you drive through Harvey, keep an eye out for roadside stalls selling oranges, mandarins and other local produce (in season).

Hit new heights this spring by tackling our lookout towers. Start with the Big Orange in Harvey (open again from 1 October). Next head to Bunbury and climb the trifactor – the new Koombana Park Lookout, Marlston Hill Lookout and tackle the steps to Boutlers Heights.  At Peppermint Grove Beach head up the lookout tower for the best sunset views.