by Loreena Walsh | NSW Destinations & Activities, Slider Features
If you’ve been following our hunt for the best family activities in Sydney, you’ll know we had a great time exploring Sydney things to do with kids, and experience things we’d never had the chance to do before. Something we hadn’t considered doing before was bike riding in Sydney with kids. We were really excited to visit the awesome people at Manly Bike Tours who provided us with the perfect bike setup, so every family member could have a great time.
I’ll be truthful, I don’t think I’d really ridden a bike since school and I felt pretty wobbly when we started out. Matt and the kids were really confident, and Byron was tucked nicely behind Matt’s bike on a tag-along bike so that he could enjoy the ride, but not get too tired or have an accident. He enjoyed being on the tag-along, but something tells me he would have been a better rider than his poor mum :).
Anyway, wobbles were soon forgotten and we headed off along the Manly Esplanade, and WOW! It was gorgeous! I soon forgot that it had been years since I’d enjoyed the freedom of bike riding and started to navigate my way amongst the walkers, joggers, couples and children scattered along the esplanade enjoying the warm, sunny afternoon. I was really surprised at how relaxing the experience was, and to be honest got totally disappointed when the couple of hours we’d allocated to spending here was coming to an end.
We chose to stick to the Esplanade, which is a safer option with the kids, rather than navigating streets and crossings. When you pick your bike up from Manly Bike Tours, it’s a short walk through the corso over to the esplanade. It’s important to note that you need to walk your bikes through the corso as no bikes are allowed to be ridden in there. Helmets are provided, and you can see by our photos that little carry packs are located on the front of the bikes that allow you to carry items such as your mobile phone etc.
The Where and How of Bike Riding with Kids in Manly
Our bikes were provided by Manly Bike Tours. They offer a huge range of bikes for adults and kids including tag-alongs and bike trailers for littlies. The team provide maps and will give you a run down on where is the best track to take based on how challenging you’d like your ride to be and the ages of your kids.
Enjoy Manly with Kids
While this wasn’t something I’d considered doing before, hiring a bike and exploring Manly was a really special way to experience the Manly Esplanade, and show the kids another side to Sydney. I totally fell in love with Manly while we were there, as it had been years since we’d visited. We stayed there the night and enjoyed an evening wander through the corso, had dinner down on the wharf and despite being exhausted by a morning at Taronga Zoo, we took the time to soak up the warm, salt filled evening, and finished up with a treat of Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream when we wandered home to our hotel and then relaxed in the spa!
Next time your looking for Sydney things to do with kids, then be sure to head over to Manly, hire a bike and explore the amazing area, we promise you won’t be disappointed, even if you start out a bit wobbly on the bike like me 🙂
by Loreena Walsh | NSW Destinations & Activities, Slider Features
If you’re looking for the best family attractions in Sydney so you can have a great day out with the kids, then we absolutely must recommend Taronga Zoo. We recently visited Taronga as part of our 2 day holiday exploring the best family activities in Sydney and wow did we have fun!
Our Family Day Out at Taronga Zoo.
The day started with excitement and suspense with an early morning start and drive down the highway to Sydney. As we approached the grand entrance, the kids couldn’t control their excitement, trying their hardest to guess what animals they might see inside. The kids spotted the sky-lift first up just outside the main gate, so we jumped aboard and did the round trip “WOW” the view was breathtaking and gave us a good idea of where we wanted to go first, with views over the harbour and over the zoo. The sky-lift is used for ferry access too and from the zoo.
After taking in the view, we headed straight for the seal show which was amazing!
Here’s an insider tip, if you’re going to sit down in the front row, you might want to bring a towel with you 🙂
The keepers are really great with these amazing animals. The seals showed off their amazing speed and acrobatic abilities whilst simulating their hunting techniques and teaching us about the man-made threats they encounter in the wild, with one of the biggest threats being ocean pollution.
Next on the list was the mountain Gorillas, who were active, especially the babies, as feed time was approaching. The overwhelming size of the male demanded respect and the way they interacted with each other was humorous and cheeky.
The keeper gave an informative talk about their natural habits and environmental dangers affecting them which shocked us when we heard that the biggest threat to these amazing animals is coltan mining, a substance that is used in all mobile phones!
This information left us with a great message to recycle our old mobiles, something we all need to remember.
A short stroll up the hill was the Giraffes exhibit where they enjoy one of the greatest views of the harbour ,the kids spotted the reptile section which was amazing then we headed down to grab some lunch at the food court which had a great variety of food and over looked the majestic elephants . After lunch we headed down to see the penguins and leopard seals , another amazing exhibit with under water viewing .
There’s just way too many animals to list but it was an a day we won’t forget .
How to Get to Taronga Zoo Sydney
Taronga Zoo is located in Mosman on the North Shore of Sydney. To add some fun to your day out, you can consider taking a ferry from the city which is a super exciting family experience, and a great way to see the harbour. Buses are also available, but will take longer, and if you prefer, there’s plenty of parking and finding your way there via car is pretty easy, using either your own GPS or maps on your phone which is what we did. The car park is an easy walk to the entrance, there is a parking fee, so remember to take your ticket with you so you can pay on your way out back to the car park.
Tips for Visiting Taronga Zoo Sydney with Kids.
- Spending the day out at the zoo with kids is a HUGE day, and we mean HUGE!! There is so much to see, that you’ll be kept busy for an entire day. Here’s our tips for making sure you have a great day out.
- Good, comfortable walking shoes are essential
- Be sure to pack a hat and sunscreen
- Pack plenty of bottled water, there are cafe’s there if you forget, but you’ll need to keep hydrated.
- Pack your own lunch and snacks if you’re on a budget. Again, there is food available, and there’s a good variety of choices for what to eat, but as any parent will know, eating out with kids can be expensive and packing your own will save money.
- For young children a stroller would be a good idea (The zoo offers them for hire if you need to borrow one).
- Download the free iphone app for a bit of extra fun.
- Buy your tickets online before you arrive to save time.
- Plan your day, but be flexible, The map provided is a great resource and the show times will all be provided, plan accordingly so not to miss the informative keeper talks.
- Allow yourselves plenty of time so you have time to stop, relax and enjoy.
Do Something for the Benefit of the Planet.
Remember, that by visiting the zoo, you’re doing great things to contribute toward research and breeding programs that support endangered animals worldwide. If you’re feeling generous and want to do something unique, think about adopting an animal. We adopted the Bilbies, and it was great to see them up close knowing our donation had helped even if just a little toward helping the zoo do great things for Bilbies.
So if you’re looking for the best family fun in Sydney, consider heading to the zoo, you won’t be disappointed.
Have you been to Taronga Zoo Sydney? What was your favourite animal?
