A slice of country - Myuna Farm

 

I'd had a few days in hospital with Bebe, there was the settling back into home life, then we had three days of rain.  By the end of the week we were all ready to escape the house.  Thank goodness Sunday was sunny and BWB was off work, so together we packed up our week old baby, our 19 month old hurricane, squished my Mum in between the car seats, (thank goodness for the station waggon) and headed out to Myuna farm.

This little slice of country in Melbourne suburbia is home to donkeys, pigs, ducks, geese, cows, turkeys, horses, ponies, goats, rabbits, guinnie-pigs and a range of reptiles and birds. Bug loves feeding animals of almost any description so when the cashier handed over a bag of mouldy bread she was in her element (however a lot of the animals they ask you not to feed which was a tough sell to an over enthusiastic mini). However she loved getting to pat rabbits and goats, to ride the sweet, stout Shetland pony and was a big fan of the 'train', which loops around the grounds, down to the wetlands and back. 

 My 6 foot 4 husbands would not have fitted in the train, and was left holding the baby (who decided the Baby Bjorn was not for her).  Not really a hardship apparently he was mobbed by woman the moment he was left on his own. (Note to single uncles, holding a baby is an easy way to meet girls!). 

 

The farm is only a minutes drive from Dandenong Markets (open Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) so its worth doing both in one trip if your in need of fresh vegetables, meat and fish.  

the food court there has a good range of options from kebabs and jam doughnuts to dim-sums and freshly squeezed juices so maybe a better place to have lunch than the farm itself which really only offers junk food.

The facts and figures:

 

Open every day 10am - 4pm, located approx 40mins from the city. See here for public transport directions

 

Entry is $6 per person, $20 for a family of four.  $2.50 tickets purchased from the front counter can be used for both the train and the pony rides, very convenient when BWB decided he wouldn't fit on the train as we then used his train ticket for the pony ride.

 

There is no cafe, but there is a kiosk with pies, chips, drinks, ice creams etc available. There are also several rooms, and picnic areas with BBQ's and fridge access that can be reserved/hired for parties, picnics and gatherings.

 

The grounds are pram and wheelchair friendly. I didn't use the bathrooms but they looked pretty basic, so I'm not sure if change tables are available (oops)

 

For other reviews see here.

 

 

Getting our Art On at McClelland Gallery

When I first moved to Melbourne I got a job at the Cafe at the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park in Langwarrin. As a uni major in Art history and anthropology it was both a beautiful and inspiring place to work. 
 

Funnily enough Bug and I visit the Gallery now far more than I ever went before my mini mite came along. taking Bug gives me a completely different appreciation for the sculpture park. She loves the colours and reflective services of many of the sculptures, that I previously may have barely considered. 

She can interact with a lot of them too, walking around them, touching the surfaces and feeling the different textures.  This week the abstract Red Yellow and Black, 2002, Peter D Cole, (above), and the flock of silver sheep (below) (Sheep Miracle, 2005, Yvonne Kendall) were particular favourites of hers.

Whereas I have a soft spot for the white stone balls (which I didn't get the details for, oh dear! shocking for an arts graduate!!). When the girls are older I imagine them having a ball (haha) playing throughout this brilliantly, but simply, interactive sculpture. I think you could get some amazing black and white photos taken too. 

(Reflective Simulations, 2012, Gregor Kreger)

I love how she reminds me that Art can be engaging, playful, fun as well as inspiring, thought provoking and beautiful (not always in the classical sense of attractive).  I love seeing her little imagination develop the the way she approaches, reacts, and interacts with various sculptures. I love that she will run excitedly towards works that capture her attention. Even in the inside galleries she is often quite engaged by the works.  

And if your mini isn't that enamoured by the swirly stone labyrinth or apocalyptic street corner (complete with functioning traffic lights) emerging from native bush, and can't be distracted by the icy figurative sculptures photographed inside (Martin Hills Watershed exhibition is currently on, breathtaking!), you can always just turn your visit into a leaf collecting, stone clambering, stick doodling nature walk, or you can take a break by the lake and hangout with the ducks! 

Facts and Figures

About 50mins drive from Melbourne central.

Open Tuesday till Sunday

Free entry unless there's a specific event or exhibit on (donations appreciated, and bug loves dropping coins into the box).

Information about exhibitions (the three exhibition spaces inside the gallery change regularly), and events (including guided tours, art chats and children's activities), can be found on the Gallery's website.

The Cafe opens for brunch and lunch. They do lovely food, but if I'm really honest I wouldn't bother taking my dad here (he's more of a pie, or fish and chips kinda guy), however it's a great place to meet up with girlfriends for coffee or lunch. The menus small and seasonal and includes kiddie offerings ($9), main meals ($12-$21) and there's coffee, a variety of teas, sweet treats, soft drinks, beer and wine on offer too.  High chairs are available.

You can, of course, bypass the cafe all together and bring your own picnic.

Dogs welcome if on lead. You must clean up after them and take their rubbish with you.

Not all artwork can be touched or clambered upon. Please keep an eye on your minis, and respect the signs. 

I've taken my pram here several times (Bug walks mostly now) and most of the track is accessible but an off road pram is defiantly better.

Loads of parking available

Berry picking, nibbling, and discovering

We went berry picking on Monday (Labour weekend). There's a wealth of places throughout Victoria to do this, and  The Bramble Farm is not far from home. I used to drive past everyday when I was working, we finally called in today. I think Bug was in heaven, (she is a berry fiend). She loved picking the berries herself, and had a great time playing peekaboo between the rows of fruit and running madly between Bwb and myself.

Taking your kids to places like berry farms or growing your own vegetable gardens (a project I've been putting off but MUST begin this spring), or both, is so important when you live in suburbia. It connects children with the earth and seasons, teaches them where their food comes from, and shows them the time and effort involved in producing food. Not only that, but eating fresh and seasonally means the food tastes better too. I grew up in an orange orchard, and I can't buy oranges from the supermarket because I know I will just be disappointed. They are picked too early, stored too long, and just don't taste as sweet and delicious as they should.  It's sad because people believe that's what an orange tastes like, when it shouldn't. Anyway.. 

With our scrummy haul in hand we traipsed back to the little stall to pay. (Passed the horses too which really made Bugs day)

The lady was lovely and super enthusiastic, and she let Bug taste some of the frozen berry's available, which are freshly frozen in season (the blackberries don't start until November) chemical free and so much better than the imported supermarket ones I have to admit to having in my freezer, but no more, we'll be popping back here regularly now.  You've got to support places like this so that they don't die off. 

Anyway with my 3-weeks-to-go belly (always a conversation starter) the lady pointed out that their Raspberry extract (raspberry juice boiled down with a touch of lemon juice and sugar added), has all these amazing health benefits, including helping your uterus shrink down after childbirth.  Its also supposed to be good for gastro, IBS and other stomach/ digestive issues, and has anticancer benefits. Further research suggested it may work similarly to raspberry leaf tea, shortening and easing labour.  Considering its so natural - and derived from things I eat anyway, it certainly cant hurt to try.  She also mentioned they've had customers who have used it successfully to treat infants reflux and colic.  Now I wouldn't be giving anything herbal, natural or otherwise to babies without consulting a doctor, midwife,  natropath or other health professional, but I am intrigued (I would much rather give my child raspberry juice than colic medicine with god-knows-what in it), and would love to know more.

If you've had success with Raspberry, or any other berry extracts (blackberries for coughs, heart and circulation, blueberries for Alzheimer's, kidney issues etc) I would love to hear your stories.

Facts and Figures

The Bramble Farm is located in Langwarrin, about 40mins from the city, which I can highly recommend. The farm is clean and well organized, the staff are friendly, and its very well priced. You can get a pre-frozen family pack 1kg each blueberries, blackberries and raspberries for $50.  PYO is done by the weight of the fruit you pick, and there is  a wide selection of jams, preserves and honeys available also.
The signage on Cranbourne Frankston Rd is good but look out for the sign at the gate, we missed it and had to drive back, and it is a dirt road so don't wash your car right before you go - like we did!

If your on the other side of the city or looking for other pick your own options, you can find a whole list of farms here.

Our breakfast this morning, cheats bircher muesli and fresh raspberries. Yum

*K*

A daytime visit to the Moonlit Sanctuary

I love Sundays. They used to mean sleep ins and breakfasts in cafes and watching movies with BWB (aka my hubby). Actually for a long time they meant working, (ah the joys of retail). But on weekends off Sundays became the most indulgent day of the week.  Now the sleep ins are a wonderful memory, and the breakfasts are, more often than not, homemade (but still delicious).  Movies, when they happen, are often interrupted.  But non of this matters.  Sundays have possibly become even more special because they mean spending the day as a family.

Today we went to the Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale. It's about 50mins from the city, and about 15 from our house so I don't know why we haven't gone earlier.

I was really impressed. The very friendly keepers do regular (about hourly) presentations with the animals, and there is the opportunity to hold koalas and snakes (errr... personally no to either).
There's info on each animal, including their name, fun facts and their endangered status. It's not an overloading amount, enough to give a good opportunity to talk about each animals unique characteristics with older kids.

 

 

The highlight for us, and for Bug, was the wallaby and kangaroo walk. You follow a bush path with your bag of food and before you know it beautiful little wallabies and grey kangaroos creep out to see what treats you have for them. They are tame enough to eat right from your hand, and happy to stick about for a wee pat too.
I would defiantly go back. A good day out for the whole family.

The facts and figures:
Best for 1-100 years. Ideally want your kids to be old enough to be interested in the animal.
The dirt tracks are good, but possibly not suitable for all prams.  Taking a baby is not a hardship if you have an off road pram or a carrier.
$17 per adult. $8.50 for children. Under 4s free. Family's (2+2) $45. Food and hands on animal encounters extra.
Plenty of parking.
Cafe fairly standard for this sort of attraction. Coffee, tea, hot food, muffins etc all available but nothing too gourmet. Pearcedale has a nice looking cafe and a very good fish and chip place minutes away if you fancy other options.
Toilets in OK condition. Forgot to check if a baby change was available (oops) but I would assume it would be.

I couldn't help but take a pic of this little swamp hen, you've got to love a baby whose feet are bigger than him!

*K*