Out and About: Albury Botanical Gardens

Mr H and I are rather fond of a weekend away. There are few times when we decline a weekend adventure so when he suggested the whole family takes off for the weekend to Howlong (yes, that is the name of the town) I said a firm yes.

Howlong is well known for its golf course and that is where we stayed.

It seems the target audience of the Howlong Golf Club is 109 years old. Now, there is nothing wrong with this being the demographic, especially for Mr H, he went off and played golf - twice, but I was left to entertain the girls in a place that wasn't really that keen to have little kids around.

Lucky for me I have some rellies in Albury so I landed on their doorstep to be fed and entertained and was very happy I did.

My cousin invited us to take a walk down at the Albury Botanical Gardens after lunch and as I was in no hurry to return to the land of the gentry I said yes.

We walked through the main section of the botanical gardens with little Millie running ahead to show us the way, when we walked through the child proof gate and into the children's garden, I wish I had of known what to expect.

I would have had a blanket a bottle and a couple of glasses for wine. In the centre of the gardens is an open grass section perfect for picnics, the rest of the gardens provides ample spots for the kids to just run around. I followed the girls to see what they found, but if we were to return I would loudly state "The rules are you are not allowed outside the gate." Then I would retreat to my picnic rug and not expect to see them for at least an hour or so.

Here is what they would be getting up to.

The rotunda:

While the little ones did concerts, the bigger one found a fireman's pole and monkey bars.

There are actually two bamboo cubbies, this one with older, stronger thicker bamboo and another much younger growth one (that can't yet be climbed).

The main attraction is certainly the giant dinosaur, importantly for Immy, he wasn't a scary one, he was very friendly. He also includes some hidden treasures such as the interactive talking tube thingos. The little boy laying on the ground has found one.

The wise old owl is head of the circle that I can see being used by local community groups, there are lots of little wooden carved seats in the shapes of animals for little bottoms to sit on, while a grown up could sit at the owl and tell a story. Or lounge like Immy for a bit of a rest.

Dinosaurs hatched from eggs - big ones, and you can hide in one too.

Mille found this lizard and decided to bake in the sun a little herself too.

There are rocks for climbing on,

And places to be the king, don't miss the detailed rocks on the way up, apparently a giant lost his foot in the rocks there.

Before you leave, give the trees a big hug. Say thank you.

The children's botanical garden is in Albury Botancial Gardens. They are free to visit and open most days, except Wednesdays - unless it's school holidays, or not at all in term 3 when the gardens need to recover from the kids and take a rest. The Albury City Council looks after them, so check there if you are planning a visit and want to make sure they are open.

Have you seen a great children's garden in your travels?