Border closures have changed many of our plans for this winter school holidays. So make the most of all the things that you can do that are close to home.
Here are our suggestions for giving your kids and teens an Outdoor Adventure this school holidays in Belair National Park!
1- Ride the BIRDIE Loop!
Are you new to mountain biking or have a child under 10 years who wants a challenge without the tears of a bigger ride. The Birdie loop is a new 2.8km trail that starts and finishes from our shop, and takes a nice easy route around the old golf course. Most of the trail is on the old buggy trails, with a final descent that has been recently built, which is a fun beginners flow trail. It’s a great spot to see Kangaroos, Koalas and Emus- bonus points if you spot all 3! It’s also super easy to ride the first half of the loop, and pop through the gate which brings you out by the Adventure Playground- then when the kids have finished playing you can come back and finish the second half of the loop, including the descent.
If you finish and still have more energy, why not stop off at the Goat Shed for a quick snack, and we can give you the info for the other best family friendly trails to tackle in Belair.
And of course if you don’t all have bikes, or don’t want to transport all the bikes, we have plenty of bikes to hire. We have a full fleet of 20″ and 24″ kids mountain bikes, baby seats, and also a bike trailer if you have a few lazy ones! And mum and dad can always try out one of our E-bikes if they struggle to keep up with the kids! There are just so many options!
2-Kids CORE Skills session!
Does your child or teen want to ride better, build their confidence, meet friends and spend time outdoors?
We have a number of School holiday sessions planned over the holidays including Kids CORE Skills beginner skills training- a kid-friendly version of our CORE skills day. We teach kids the CORE skills of how to move on their bike, how to build speed without losing control and how to deal with corners on typical blue or green trails.
We run small groups, for 10-14yrs, and all our instructors are MTBA qualified and have Working with Children checks!
When: Wednesday 7 July, 10am-3pm
Bike hire and lunch is available on both days for a small cost, and children can be dropped off at 9am when the Shed opens if needed. You can book spots here!
3- Kids Adventure Challenge MTB day -Orienteering, Geocaching and more!
Does your child or teen want to have a fun day out on their bike, meet friends and explore the park by bike. The Kids Adventure day will give them a fun day out and they will learn mountain bike orienteering from an expert. Ian will take your kids to fun corners of the park, exploring, searching and working together to find the controls and geocache hiding spots. There are loads of hidden Geocaches dotted all around the park, for anyone to find. It’s the ultimate Adventure Day on a bike!
We run small groups, for 10-14yrs, and all our instructors are MTBA qualified and have Working with Children checks!
When: Wednesday 14 July, 10am-3pm
Bike hire and lunch is available on both days for a small cost, and children can be dropped off at 9am when the Shed opens if needed. You can book spots here!
4- Forest Bathing Adventure for kids!
Destress and connect with your kids with a Forest Bathing Adventure.
Join your child on a Forest Bathing Adventure to help them destress and connect with Nature.
Forest bathing, or being in the presence of trees, is a Japanese practice known as ‘shinrin-yoku’ that can boost the immune system, decrease stress and even help you sleep better.
Doing a Forest Bathing session with your child will also help you feel more connected to nature and to each other as you share this experience together.
The 2 hour session will be run by Deborah from Escapegoat Adventures, who is a certified Forest Bathing and Nature Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Deborah will guide you and your child to relax and connect with the natural world via mindfulness, slow walking, grounding and the use of the senses.
The session includes an introduction to the land, sensory connection invitations, exploring, playing and sharing with the group. We finish the session with Japanese inspired tea ceremony with plenty of snacks. We will walk no further than 1km.
We run group sessions for children and teens aged 8 years and over to be accompanied by an adult.
When: Friday 9 July – 10AM to 12PM
Meet at “The Goat Shed” in the Old Golf precinct in Belair National Park. We will be there to greet you from 9:30 if you want to arrive early and grab a coffee. We will start promptly at 10AM.
5- If all that sounds like too much hard work, why not just pop in for a coffee, cake, Iced Coffee, or just a chat!
The Goat Shed is based in the old Belair Country Club, adjacent to the Belair National Park Holiday Park, with loads of free parking, and with super easy access straight into the National Park. So it’s a perfect place to start or finish a fun day out over the holiday period.
Check out the map here with added GOAT SHED! :-
At the Goat Shed we are open from Wednesday-Sunday, and have awesome Coffees, Soft Drinks, cakes and muffins, and Ice Cream to tempt you, as well as all our bikes available for hire. We have a brand new fleet of kids 20″ and 24″ mountain bikes, as well as adult hardtail and full suspension bikes and E-bikes, plus baby seats and a kids trailer.
Hope to see you soon!
Cheers,
Ian and Deborah.