Oz Bubs @ Wizard of Oz

Help celebrate Playgroup NSW's 40th birthday at Wizard of Oz Funland in Hollylea Road, Leumeah on Wednesday the 1st of August from 10am to noon. Entry is FREE for existing Playgroup members. This event is being held in conjunction with Campbelltown Zone playgroups.

Burragorang Lookout

25km from Camden, just past Oakdale, is the Burragorang Lookout in the Burragorang Stage Conservation Area. This well planned picnic area has two barbecue areas with coin operated barbecues and plenty of other picnic tables. There is ample parking, flushing toilets and a small playground all within a short stroll from the car park. The lookout provides views over the Burragorang valley and lake. We paid a brief visit mid-morning on a Winter's day so the valley was filled with clouds that were just beginning to thin as we left. In clearer weather you would be able to see Lake Burragorang at the bottom of the valley.

It would be a fantastic spot for a picnic lunch in summer. The drive is an easy one with views across Camden and The Oaks on the way back. Why not stop at a farmhouse stall for some fresh farm eggs and local honey?

For more information on opening hours check out: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0624

Entry fee: I'm still trying to work this out. The National Parks and Wildlife site above site says that it costs $3 per vehicle and that there are pay and display parking machines but I couldn't see any. This site says entry is $7.00 http://www.stonequarry.com.au/nature/burragorang.html Other sites state that entry is free. (http://au.totaltravel.yahoo.com/listing/641736/australia/nsw/sydneyarea/innersouthsydney/burragorang-lookout/)  A sign at the entrance says that PUF (Park User Fees) apply but there were no specifications. Possibly you need to get a PUF pass from the National Parks and Wildlife Office in Picton... but they are not open on weekends! I rang Wollondilly Visitor Centre who advised me there used to be a pay and display machine before the upgrades but it has not been reinstated, that they are unable to provide PUF passes and that as far as they know entry is free. If anyone knows for sure, please enlighten me and I'll update this post. Apart from a couple of motorcylists that left shortly after we arrived, we were the only ones there. It's a shame this beautiful - and recently upgraded - area isn't being more utilised perhaps due to either the fee (particularly given the cost of fuel to drive out there!) or lack of transparency around entry costs.

How to get there: Turn on to Burragorang Road from the Camden bypass and drive, drive, drive all the way to the end.

Casula Powerhouse is an easy 20 minute drive from Campbelltown. It started life as a power station but is now an arts centre. If you're interested in architecture it's worth visiting to see the way the art gallery, theatre and artists' residence has been integrated into the original building.

If you're interested in something beyond art and architecture, consider doing a ghost tour of the powerhouse. These are held monthly and conducted by the Australian Paranormal Phenomenon Investigators (APPI). Tours last two hours and include a light supper. Recommended for people aged over 14. For more info check out the Casula Powerhouse website,  the APPI website or Family Fun in Sydney.

Library open day

This Saturday, 26th May, the H J Daley library (the main library in Campbelltown, opposite Koshigaya Park) is holding an open day. This is a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with all the services the library has to offer and learn about things like Storytime for Kids, digital book borrowing (ebooks) and the Bookalicious reading program for primary kids.

For more info check out the main library page on the Campbelltown Council website (http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/Library) or the Campbelltown City Library blog. The Open Day is between 10am to 3pm. There will be a book sale, live music performances, face painting and giveaways.

Campbelltown Library also has a dedicated blog just for kids: http://campbelltownchildrensblog.blogspot.com.au/

Australia Day

Last year for Australia Day we went down to Bulli and I got badly sunburnt. Even if the weather had been conducive to a beach visit, I wasn't keen to repeat the experience so we decided to visit somewhere we've never been before - Macarthur Park in Camden.

It's hard to believe we've lived in the area for 12 years but not visited this well-known park previously. Macarthur Park is a great place for taking photos with lots of different settings from the rose garden to the wisteria-covered pergola and 'fern walk'.

The park and especially the playground area were clean and well maintained but there were some broken beer bottles in the bandstands. There are a few steps but the park can largely be covered with a stroller although some sections are quite steep. At the top of the park and in Menangle Road there are some fantastic views across the region.

Afterwards we drove down to the new and somewhat controversial McDonalds (there was initially a lot of resistance to having a Maccas in Camden) for a 50c cone then walked a little way up Argyle Street to watch the parade. I have never seen so many fire engines in one place! There were lots of vintage cars and where else but in Camden would you find a float with a real cow on the back?

Squash Spectacular

If the kids have had too much screen time during these summer school holidays and you want to get them moving, how about a game of squash? Ambarvale Recreation Squash (ARC) have $8 squash or racquetball hire throughout January. $8 gets you an hour of court time and if you don't have your own racquets, equipment is available to hire.

The ARC is open 9am to 9:30pm until 24th Jan and thereafter from 5pm to 9:30pm. Closed on Australia day. Bookings after 8pm are essential.

The centre also offers squash training for juniors. Give them a call on 02 4626 3033 for more info.

Review: Christmas Carols at Mt Annan Botanic Gardens

I know, I'm not supposed to call it Mount Annan Botanic Gardens anymore. It's now the Australian Botanic Garden. Why the name change, I really don't know but anyway it's been a favourite venue of ours for many years, even before the entry fee was abolished.
However, we hadn't attended the annual Landcom Carols in the Garden event before this year due to clashes with other events. Our calendar was free last Saturday night, and the rain promised to hold off for the evening, so we packed up the picnic rug and headed down. We arrived at around 5.15 ready for the show kick-off advertised to start at 5.30. The garden was already packed - you have to get there early to get a spot in front of the stage - and people continued to arrive for the next couple of hours.
We took a picnic dinner but there were plenty of stalls available selling food and drink. The older kids took off for a game of soccer. The younger kids were entertained by dancers from Commotion , a local performing arts school, and the Smurfs Christmas Show. Following that were many talented singers supported by a 4-piece band. The night culminated in a spectacular fireworks show.
Despite the huge number of people - apparently the biggest ever, according to host Monica Trapaga - getting out at the end of the evening wasn't too big of a challenge, helped by the new entrance/exit on Narellan Road.
We'll no doubt be visiting the gardens again over these school hols and we'll definitely be making room in our calendar for the carols next year.