This week we were able to steal away on a mid-term road trip from Brisbane to Sydney and back, without the school holiday traffic or crowds. Woohoo! Being as quirky as we are, we actually tried camping in our Toyota Estima for part of the trip. It was such a refreshing time! One of the best things about being a homeschool family is the freedom. It’s one of the major reasons we choose to homeschool. If you are interested in what led us to homeschool, you can find more reasons here – https://joyfuljourney123.com/5-reasons-we-choose-to-homeschool-2024/
If you have a week available and are looking for a manageable trip, Brisbane to Sydney is nice and easy, with so many things to see and do! Here’s what our week looked like.
Day One -Straight to Sydney
We started driving in the middle of the night and drove directly to Sydney. We wanted to come home slowly on the way back, so we did a long drive on the first day.
Day Two – Exploring Sydney
Once in Sydney we checked into the Stamford Hotel for two nights. You couldn’t believe how happy I was that the room came with a buffet breakfast. A mum’s dream! Wake up, get dressed and head downstairs to a fully laid out banquet of pastries, pancakes, fruit, bacon and eggs, smoothies, and more. Then walk away doing a little dance because Mum doesn’t have to do the dishes. Soooooo good.
After filling up on breakfast, it was time to take the train into the Museum. The kids were so excited to be on a double decker train. We were thrilled to see the massive bird exhibition at the museum because we are studying them now in Apologia’s Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day curriculum.
Next, of course, was the Sydney Opera House and a meander around the Harbour. We took a ferry and disembarked at the Rose Bay stop, so the kids could enjoy playing on the new playground. We did get some rain in the morning but it didn’t ruin the day.
Day Three – Last Day in Sydney and Moving On
The next morning, after another bumper breakfast, we visited the famous Bondi Beach and took a free tour of the heritage building, Vaucluse House. The wonderful volunteers there gave us so much information about the old building, and the family that once lived there. It was excellent.
In the afternoon, we departed for the first leg of our trip back. Stop number one, Maitland showgrounds. The first time camping in our lovely Toyota Estima. Just how did we camp in our vehicle? It is common for people to transform this car into a camping car. Usually, people remove 2 of the Estima’s 7 seats, making a large, open space to camp in. We kept our 3 rear seats tucked into their space in the boot. We then reclined all of the remaining chairs, making 4 “camping” beds. As well as this, we used a tent that attaches to the back of the car. Here we were able to store all of the items from our vehicle and hang out there after dinner. The tent would have been great to sleep in too of course, but August was still a bit too cold! We had loads of fun, but I think the car “beds” needed a bit more padding for this aging back.
Day Four – Port Macquarie
The following day, we moved on to Port Macquarie, setting up camp at the beautiful NRMA camp ground right next to the beach. What a magnificent place! The weather was perfect and we were happy to bump into a local at lunchtime who gave us itinerary ideas for our afternoon. The koala hospital was a very interesting place where we could see these famous furry creatures up close, and learn about the dangers they face. Afterwards, we visited the picturesque lighthouse. According to another tourist, we had just missed some dolphins playing close by. It was still beautiful to visit.
Day Five – On to Grafton
The following day, Jinho and the children got up to see the sunrise, while I decided to stay and guard the tent. Heehee. A little too early for me. After worshipping with some lovely local Christians at a nearby church, we headed off to stay in a cabin at Grafton.
The Tall Trees Retreat cabin in Grafton was very rustic, and we had a marvelous time roasting marshmallows in the fire, playing games and listening to the kookaburras laugh.
Day Six – Homeward Bound
All that was left to do after our bush cabin stay, was to head home. On the way we stopped off at Byron Bay and toured the lighthouse museum. The information staff informed us that whales had just passed by. Missed out again! Maybe we’ll have more chance of seeing wild sea life next time.
Do you get away for breaks in the midst of homeschooling? I hope you are able to. What’s your favourite destination for family breaks? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
