Big 4 Apollo Bay

When there's an invitation for a weekend away, we're the first people to say yes.

Which is why we found ourselves having a long visit to We've headed that way ourselves but always stopped a few towns before Apollo Bay.
Apollo Bay last weekend. It's three hours drive from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. But it's three hours that most people find that bit too far.

If you don't make that extra effort, you're really missing out on some beautiful scenery. The ocean, the trees. So fabulous.

We booked into the Big 4 Holiday Park because we are kind of groupies to the Big 4 park. Our cabin was looking straight at the beach, we could walk from our door to the beach in seconds.

The cabin was spacious, with plenty of room for friends and family to join us for meals, for all the kids to lay out and watch a DVD or a movie on Foxtel. We had three bedrooms and the cabin could sleep 7 very comfortably. The spa bath was a very welcome addition and the perfect place to sit and relax and read my book while the kids were out playing in the park area.

The weather was freezing. It was cold and wet and not so spring-like conditions. But the kids still made it into the heated pool. It was heated well, but it is an outdoor pool so be prepared for warm showers straight afterwards if the weather is arctic, like we had.

We did manage a small amount of time walking along the beach, but the wind was working hard to discourage us. Instead, we headed out in the car and found the beautiful Otways to walk through. With trees hundreds of years old sheltering us we had a break from the wind and enjoyed the lush green ferns. There is nothing bad to say about spending time in the trees.

Apollo Bay has plenty of places to eat, parks to run around in and we tried out two of the local pubs. My favourite was the Apollo Bay Hotel - because I had the Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Pizza, and let's be honest, I've never met a blue cheese I didn't love.







This is not a sponsored post. We visited, paid, checked things out and researched what to do all by ourselves.

A sneaky snow day - Lake Mountain

It's no secret I never cope with winter.

Around the corner from us is a street that we have renamed Blossom Street. Each spring time, the trees in the street blossom a few weeks before every other. They are the indication that I have nearly got through winter. But this is Melbourne. So Blossom Street has already turned to leaves but the snow fall is also continuing. 

Mr H loves the snow. LOVES IT. In this, we are not a match. I find very little about snow lifts, bulky clothing, wet socks and frost bite to be fun. He sees nothing but happiness. 

Last week when the snow was just too good to resist, Mr H got up early and told the girls he was cancelling school and they were going to the snow. 

They were dressed in minutes and on the road to Lake Mountain. 

If you're in Melbourne, Lake Mountain is a very easy trip to take. Leave at 7.30 am and you'll be on the mountain for morning tea. 

They made one quick stop for some snow boots for the girls and grabbed some extra ski goggles.

Lake Mountain did not disappoint. They spent six hours playing in the snow, tobogganing, making a snowman and exploring the bush. 

They had snowflakes that stayed on their nose and eyelashes. 

For lunch, Mr H had packed a thermos with hot dogs and thrown a bag of bread rolls in the car, that's his version of packing a picnic. 

We had some toboggans they took with them, but because Mr H can't share, he also hired an extra one for himself. You can get whatever you need on the mountain, but we've always found the best service is in the towns before the mountain - like Marysville. These are usually small businesses with excellent service and information, on the mountain customer service doesn't seem to be a KPI for most job descriptions - they'd probably prefer to be out in the snow rather than serving you. Don't let this stop you from getting your kids up to the land of the white fluffy stuff. They are going to really love it. 

 HOT TIP - Teach your kids to stop before they take their first trip down the slope.