Voyage to the deep – WA maritime museum

Voyage to the Deep, an ‘epic kids adventure, is currently on at the WA Maritime Museum, Victoria Quay Fremantle. It is on from the 27th May till the 20th Aug 2017. Both little and not so little aquanauts will be delighted with this new exhibition which is ‘based on French author Jules Verne’s 1870 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The exhibition brings to life the deep-sea adventures of Captain Nemo, his legendary submarine Nautilus and the world of wonders he lived in’. We took the opportunity on one fine afternoon after school to head there for a visit.  It was an afternoon well spent indeed!

WA Maritime Museum

Tickets include a joint entry to Voyage to the deep exhibit as well as to the other galleries.

Adults: $20

Children (4-15 yrs): 12.50

Concession: $15

Family: $60

Under 4: Free

After purchasing your tickets, you will be given a guide book packed full of information. There is also an opportunity to dress up as a giant squid, sailor or a deep sea diver. Great photo fun for all.

Information guide book

As you enter the main exhibit, you will see a giant replica, Nautilus. Enter nautilus and there you will be able to explore the inner world of a deep sea submarine. Steer the submarine, look through the periscope, play the bubbly pipe organ, explore what is like to live in a submarine, discover hidden treasures, enter a shipwreck, learn almost everything about the fascinating deep sea world. Voyage to the deep is an interactive hands on experience. Kids will enjoy being given the opportunity to learn through touch, explore and play. There really is lots to see, play and learn and you will definitely not hear the “i’m bored’ words being uttered out.

Nautilus replica

Play the bubbly pipe organ

Living onboard the nautilus

Finish exploring nautilus, find your way out by sliding down the escape hatch. There is also a smaller slide for the littler aquanauts.

The escape hatch

Play zone

There is a very cool section where kids can colour in a sea creature (fish, crab, sea dragon), scan it and watch your creature magically swimming around the giant virtual fish tank!

Interactive drawing

Needing a coffee or lunch break, Caffisimmo is located just at the entrance. They serve coffee, tea, a wide range of cakes, rolls, pies, croissants etc. Grab a bite and continue with the exhibit.

Caffissimo

This is a perfect exhibition particularly kids 3-8 years old. The main exhibition area itself is not huge but its packed full of information and fun stuff to do and explore. A point to note if you’re taking a pram, there is not much room inside the submarine itself but there is place to park your pram just outside the submarine.

Do try to take a trip and explore the under water world, my little one is already begging to go back again! Don’t forget it is on till the 20th August 2017 before Nautilus sets sail again.

Voyage to the Deep – WA Maritime Museum

Victoria Quay, Fremantle

Everyday: 9.30am – 5.00pm

Little Cultures

Sitting along Rokeby Road, Subiaco is a one-of-a-kind frozen yoghurt joint. Little Cultures is WA owned and its fresh its healthy and made right before your eyes. They also do smoothies, smoothie/yoghurt bowls and all sorts of goodness. Their fresh yoghurt is hand-crafted on the premise filled with active cultures, no preservatives or artificial flavours. We stumbled across it one warm weekend and gave it a go. We ordered their special ‘insta-froz’ and a smoothie.

Little cultures

For the Insta-froz yoghurt, you can choose from their basic range, which includes the base yoghurt with one mix-in flavour or you can choose from one of their creations. Feeling creative, you can also customise your own insta-froz, choosing your own mix-in flavour, 2 toppings and a decoration. The little one decided to create his own. He chose strawberry and mango, topped with 100s and 1000s and blueberries and finished off with a chocolate wafer. Once ordered, they proceed to add the yoghurt onto the frozen slab, add the mix-ins, mix mix mix and Bam! your frozen yoghurt is ready! The little one was in such an awe just watching the whole process. Definitely a healthy snack for the whole family to enjoy. The portion is quite big, the husband had to share it with the little one.

Insta-froz menu

insta-froz making in action

Finished product

Little cultures also do super smoothies and smoothie bowls, such as yoghurt based ones or the highly popular acai ones. As I wanted something cold and refreshing, i opted for one of their pink pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothies. Just can’t get enough of that stuff!

Smoothie/yoghurt bowl menu

Next time you’re in Subi, pop over to little cultures and give them a go.

Little Cultures

51 Rokeby Road, Subiaco

Mon-Tues: 8.00am – 6.00pm

Wed-Thurs: 8.00am – 9.00pm

Fri: 8.00am – 9.30pm

Sat: 10.00am – 9.30pm

Sun: 11.00am – 6.00pm

 

8 on the point

8 on the point is the newest Chinese Restaurant to grace Perth. Located along the swan river at the picturous and peaceful Point Fraser, they offer Dim sum (yum cha) by day and authentic cantonese cuisine by night. 8 on the point pride themselves in providing the freshest food with no added MSG, which is extremely rare for Chinese cuisine. And taste wasn’t compromised at all. We tried out their dim sum over the weekend after hearing so much about it. Upon stepping into the restaurant, we were blown away by how spacious it was. Definitely plenty of room to park your pram if you need to take one in. The chairs were one the comfiest ones I’ve sat in and table setting was immaculate.

8 on the point

very spacious interior

The little one loves dim sum, he especially loves seeing all the various shapes and sizes and intricate dumpling wrapped so beautifully. Its really quite an art. I think its such a great experience for kids. We were seated on the window seat and got to admire the view of the greenery and swan river. Dim sum with a view, what more can you ask for!

view from our table

The dim sum carts came round and the lovely ladies explained each one of the items very patiently to the little one and he got to choose what he wanted to order. They have a menu at each table as well and the variety they offer is simply amazing!

Menu

Steamed dumpling selection

Those baked buns were amazing!

clockwise: Steamed beancurd rolls, Shanghai pork dumplings, chicken feet

Kids will enjoy watching watching the chefs at work, making all the yummy food right in front of your eyes,

Chefs at work

The dessert trolley came by and the mango pudding “rubber” ducks caught the eyes of the little one and of course we have to order it cause it just looks so darn cute! We also order the famous egg tarts. Both were just the perfect way to finish our amazing dim sum meal.

desserts

After lunch, we wandered around outside the restaurant and found a playground, Unfortunately it was a very hot day he didn’t manage to get a play in. But we will surely be back soon!

Outside the restaurant

Point fraser playground

8 on the Point Chinese

306 Riverside Drive (Point Fraser)

(reservations online)

Mon – Sun: 10.30am – 10.00pm

Sculpture at Bathers

Featuring home-grown Western Australia artistic talents, Sculpture at Bathers is on from the 25th Feb – 12th March 2017 at the stunning Bathers Beach, Fremantle. Over 80 West Australian sculptors masterpieces are on display. This is the first year that we’ve gone to it and I was blown away by all the impressive art-work. With the port and ocean set as the backdrop, theres no better place to hold this year’s Sculpture at Bathers.

Sculpture by Bathers

When we got there, there were volunteers handing out the guide book for a gold coin donation. Inside the booklet, there are information regarding the name of the sculptures and artists, the materials used as well as a map of where all the sculptures are located. The little one was very excited to follow the numbers and search for all the sculpture on the map. It is a great way to get the kids interested and involved.

Reading more about the sculpture in the information booklet

There were so many wonderful sculptures it is impossible to pick a favourite. Some of them are also located inside the Kidogo Arthouse.

One of my favourite initiative that Sculpture at Bathers have come up with was the part where kids can get involved in creating their own sculpture. They are provided with all sorts of different material to create their own masterpiece. Ranging from playdoh, pipe-cleaners, pop sticks, plastic shapes to natural materials such as leaves, sticks and gumnuts. Kids can just let their imagination run wild! After creating their very own sculpture, they can send a photo of it to sculptureatbatherskidscomp@gmail.com where they stand to win Lego prizes. This segment is held every weekend from about 9.30am – 12pm (do check their website and Facebook page for more details).

Making his very own sculpture

Do go check out Sculpture at Bathers and support our very own local talents before it all ends on the 12th March 2017.

Sculpture at Bathers

Bathers Beach Arts Precinct and Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle

25th Feb – 12th March 2017

Jbento

JBento once started off as a pop-up joint in Victoria park and have since taken up a permanent spot in Mount Pleasant. A humble little Japanese joint serving up fresh Japanese cuisine, JBento is now one of our local favourite go-to place. I just love how they serve up their meal in these unique bento boxes (if you choose the bento box option), each with their individual compartments for all the dishes. I find the bento box perfect for sharing with the little one.

When you enter, the menu is displayed on the board and you just order at the counter and have seat. Free hot and cold matcha tea is available, the perfect accompaniment to your meal.

Menu and daily specials on the board

Our favourites so far is the karaage chicken bento box. It comes with your mains of choice, 2 onigiri topped with furikake (rice), japanese potato salad with tobiko, wakame salad and crisp green salad. If you’re wanting beef, their miso butter scotch fillet is a must-have!

Chicken karaage bento box

Tempura bento

They also offer take-away options, which also comes in their sturdy bento box, perfect to be taken down to the park or a river picnic, which is just a 5 mins walk from the shop. Deep water point playground is a stones throw away too.

Take-away bento box

To finish the meal, you have to try their specially imported from Japan sorbet and ice cream. My personal favourite to have after my meal is the yuzu sorbet. Its citrusy its refreshing and just cleanses the palate perfectly. The little one always chooses the black sesame ice cream, also another perfect choice.

Yuzu sorbet and black sesame and mango ice cream

After the meal, cross over the road and there you’ll find a neat little playground. You could even have a picnic there.

Playground across the road from JBento

If you’re in the hunt for some wholesome healthy fresh Japanese, give JBento a go! You’ll be back for more no doubt.

JBento

21-23 Queens Road, Mount Pleasant

Mon-Sat: 11.30am – 9.00pm

Sun: 11.30am – 3.00pm

Perth Makers Market

Into its second year now, Perth Makers Market has since doubled in size. It is held every couple of months at the Heathcote cultural precinct in Applecross, home of the infamous pirate ship playground. With plenty of local market stalls selling anything from hand-made jewellery, clothes, kids products, cakes, honey to just about anything. Its was wonderful strolling around checking out all the local WA talents and even having a chat with some of the talented makers. Looking for a special and unique gift, do not miss this market. Kids are not being left out as well, they do offer a number of kids activities from face painting, balloon twisting, sand-art, lawn games and also a story-time corner. And of course, the pirate ship playground.

Heathcote Cultural Precinct, Applecross

Story-time

Sand art

Lawn party games

The stalls are all spaced out throughout the grounds and some are under tents and some are inside the buildings itself. There are signs pointing you to more stalls, making it easier to navigate around. Most stalls accept cards but some (mainly food stalls) only take cash. There are a couple of ATMs around just in case,

My precious purchase from the market

All the shopping making you hungry? There is a whole section of food stalls with tables and chairs for your convenience too. I did notice as well that most of the stall also cater for kids, having a separate kids menu (kids pack) section.

As it was a pretty hot day, we cannot go past some icy pole from Delish Ice. They were simply divine! Refreshing, fruity and without all the nasty colouring and artificial flavouring. We had the lychee pineapple and lime as well as mango melons mint and lime. Both comes highly recommended.

Delish ice icy pole

Lychee, Pineapple and Lime goodness

Check out when the next market is on, pack your picnic mat and head up to the Perth Makers Market and have a great day out there.

2017 Market Dates, 9.30am – 3.30pm:

Feb 19, April 2, May 14, Sept 24, Nov 5 and Dec 17 2017.

Heathcote Cultural Precinct

58 Duncraig Road, Applecross

 

 

The Brisbane Hotel

We’ve been going to the Brisbane Hotel since our dating days and recently now with little one and I was surprised to find that it is actually very kid/family friendly. The Brisbane hotel is located on the corner of Brisbane and Beaufort Street in Northbridge.

We walked in there for lunch one day as we were in the vicinity. We got a table inside and was offered the usual water and menu. They also brought the kids menu and some colouring pencils. The kids menu doubled as a colouring sheet.

Inside the brisbane hotel

Pool table on the side

Menu

Kids menu doubling up as a colouring sheet

I ordered the iced chocolate and it was out of this world! Chocolaty, milky, icy, frothy topped with a scoop of ice cream. Its like a chocolate milkshake with ice cream! Couldn’t get it away from the little one. For mains, we ordered the crab meat linguini and their famous fish and chips. They were both excellent and was thoroughly enjoyed.

The best ever iced chocolate

Crabmeat linguini

Fish and chips

There are also seats outside the alfresco area and lots of umbrella for shade too. In the middle there is a fish pond which the little one was very fascinated about. Looking at the different coloured fishes and seeing how many he can spot. Inside, theres a couple of games for the older kids to enjoy as well.

Fish!

Games

Head into the Brisbane Hotel the next time you’re looking for a family friendly pub, you won’t be disappointed with both the food and service. They take reservations as well.

Deals:

Monday from 5pm: Half price Pizzas

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri from 5pm

 

The Brisbane Hotel

292 Beaufort Street (Corner Brisbane Street), Highgate

Mon – Sun: 11.30am till late

 

Little kickers

Got a budding soccer star on your hands or just a little one who just loves to have plenty of fun? Little kickers might just be what you’re after. Little Kickers is a kids (both girls and boys) football (soccer) training program aimed at children aged 18 mths to 7 years old. It is tailored to suit all levels in each age range. Their focus is to teach football in a ‘play not push’ fun and pressure-free environment. The little one went for his first ever football trial class and he fully threw himself into the class, gave everything his all and had an absolute kicking good time. I was a little worried about how long he will take to warm up but the coaches were so encouraging and paid extra attention to him, being that was his first time there, making sure he is comfortable and getting the most out of the class.

The four levels of classes offered all over perth are:

Little kickers (18 mths- 2 yrs 3 mths)

Junior kickers (2-3.5 yrs)

Mighty kickers (3.5-5 yrs)

Mega kickers (5-7 yrs)

a little warm up session before the class started

Not only does little kickers develop your child’s physical ability, they also believe in developing them mentally as well. The kids had a learning segment where the kids get to use their imagination whilst learning about colours and numbers.

Now its onto play time! The kids were guided through a couple of drills and skills development, at the same time teaching them about the importance of listening to instructions.

sorting out coloured cones

pivoting around the soccer ball

dribbling and stopping the ball

controlling the ball

time to kick some goals!!

The kids were given regular water breaks and boy was that important as the little started getting pretty sweaty with all that workout.

To wrap up each session, they did some fun activities followed by being rewarded with stickers. The little one had an absolute ball and kudos to the coaches who really did a superb job with the kids.

Stickers!

Think this might be what your little one needs, give Little Kickers a go! Sign up for a free trial class and you really have got nothing to lose! Jump on the website for more information and also where and when the classes are held.

Melville Aquatic Leisure Complex

---

Melville Aquatic Leisure Complex (LeisureFit Booragoon) is located in Booragoon, just a stones throw away from Garden City shopping centre. It houses:

• 50 metre, 8 Lane Indoor Heated Pool (heated at 27 degrees)
• 25 metre Leisure Pool with Beach Access (heated at 32 degrees)
• Gym – Health Club
• Group Fitness Studio
• Group Training Studio
• Wellness Studio
• Group Cycling Studio
• Spa / Sauna / Steam
• Meeting Rooms
• Birthday Parties
• Crèche

The little one has been attending their swim classes called Flippa Swim School and absolutely loves it. It is also a great pool for casual entry especially now that the outdoor sprayground is finally opened after being closed the whole of last summer. It features a water slide, dumping water buckets, spray jets and a spray tunnel. Best of all, its shaded! Great fun for both young and old. It is has chairs around for parents/carers to still keep a watchful eye on the kids.

25m heated lap pool

50m heated lap pool

kids shallow area

Water sprayground

Crèche services

The aquatic centre doesn’t have a cafe or food kiosk but they do have a number of vending machines for snacks, coffee/tea and even freshly squeezed orange juice. They have a sitting area with kids tables and chairs and even highchairs.

vending machines

kids area

If you’re there in the morning, do catch Coffeeville mobile coffee van, located at the entrance of the centre. You can grab a coffee and head inside while the kids swim or enjoy a treat after a workout. And make sure you have one of the shortbread cookie too! There is plenty of grassy area to have a picnic too and coffeeville even provide picnic mats for your use. Catch him there from 5.30am to about 11.30am.

Coffeeville

Friendliest coffee guy!

Mandatory post swim treat

grass patch to enjoy your coffee

LeisureFit Booragoon

521 Marmion Street, Booragoon

Monday to Friday: 5.30am – 9.00pm
Saturday: 7.00am – 7.00pm
Sunday: 8.00am – 7.00pm

Chinese New Year 2017 @ Elizabeth Quay

28 January 2017 marks the first day of the Lunar New Year calendar and it is also the start of the Year of the Rooster (fiery rooster to be exact). Not wanting the little one to miss out on the chinese new year festivities, we headed down to Elizabeth Quay to check out the Chinese Zodiac display. All 12 Chinese zodiac animals were on display, featuring a 6m tall Rooster.

Clockwise: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit

Clockwise: Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (sheep)

Clockwise: Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig

2017: Year of the Rooster

Animals on display

The little one had so much fun looking at all the animals, reading about them and guessing which animal does various members of his family belong to.

Apart from the animals, there were other activities going on too. In the activities tent, there were arts and craft, paper lantern making, chinese calligraphy, chinese character arm painting and a few others.

arts and craft

practise your chopsticks skills

arm painting

Lóng (Dragon)

Chinese calligraphy

Activity session

There were also market stalls selling chinese new year decorations and some food trucks.

market stalls

street food trucks

Do check out their website for more information on performance times. They also do lion dance and more on that on their website too. If you’re able to, check them out at night too where the animals are illuminated. Catch the ferry across and enjoy the festivities. Lastly, Gong Xi Fat Choy to everyone and have a wonderful Year of the Rooster.

Chinese New Year 2017 @ Elizabeth Quay

Friday 27/01/17: 6pm – 10pm
Saturday 28/01/17: 10am – 10pm
Sunday 29/01/17: 10am – 9pm
Monday 30/01/17 to Thursday 2/02/17: 5pm – 9pm
Friday 3/02/17: 6pm – 10pm
Saturday 4/02/17: 10am – 10pm
Sunday 5/02/17: 10am – 4pm