
Family day out.
The words are enough to send a parent into the foetal position on the lounge, handing over their devices like lollies.
Unless. Unless. Unless…
Last weekend I took my two little kids, aged 3 and 5, somewhere that was easy to get to, interesting once we were in, and kept them happily busy for two hours – TWO HOURS – with minimal effort on my part.
Then, I had a coffee and a chat with my mum. And we all went home. They might have even learned something in the process.
It was the holy grail of the family day out – a stress-free success.

I took them to the Australian Museum.
Stop rolling your eyes. It wasn’t like THAT.
If you have flashback terrors to being dragged around fusty museums in your childhood, it’s time to let them go. These days, museums are fun. Or at least, Sydney’s Australian Museum is. I can’t speak for all of them.
Many parents in Sydney especially know the Australian Museum for its dinosaurs. The dinosaur hall excites and terrifies my little boy in equal measure. He begs to go there, but once he’s there, he clings to my leg like a tiny ginger limpet, worried that the skeletons might suddenly start to shudder and roar. Which they do, sort of.
But if previously we spent all our time on the dino-floor, last weekend it took us much longer to get there than usual. Mostly because of the climbing wall.

Top Comments
Sounds like the perfect morning out, Holly.