The Southern Sky, a Weird Train, Junior Master Chef and much more ...

 Katie & Ashleigh's Blog :

Over the weekend we went glamping. It took us 30 mins to get to Woolwich, where we got the ferry to Cockatoo Island

 

 As soon as we got there we were checked for alcohol, the man thought he had found some but it was actually water.We then went to the office to  check in, the woman told us where our tent was and gave us two lanterns for when it was dark. Mum and Katharine went to the nearby cafe while Jackson stayed on guard. Me and Ashleigh went exploring because it was only a small Island. Then we spotted eight fluffy ducklings and their mother and father. We went near them but then they started chasing we ran as fast as lightning until we lost them. That was close!



 We went for dinner at Cockatoo Island Pizzeria. We had to sit in a kids zone with lots of kids. We all had Margarita pizza. It was delicious

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When we got got back it was completely dark but luckily we had a lantern with us. Me and Ashleigh slept in the same tent, Jackson had to sleep on the floor (Mum says : Poor Jackson)

The next day (Mum says : ANZAC Day)  Ashleigh and Jackson's Dad (Martin) came over on the ferry. We did a tour of the island with headphones on. All of us had our own headphones and we had to start the audio together at each point on the tour. We learnt all about how the Island had been used. At the end of the tour we went on this train ride which was confusing and weird. (Mum says : It was part of a Contemporary Art Exhibition on the Island).  When we got off the train we were on the other side of the island. Then we had hot dogs and a cookie for lunch at this place called Captain Sausage. In the afternoon Jackson wasn't feeling very well so he went home with Ashleigh's Dad.

At dinner time me and Ashleigh had to cook dinner. We did Master Chef for Mum and Katharine. For the starter (very posh) we had pasta from the shop and for the main me and Ashleigh had to cook sausages on the BBQ which said STAY AWAY FROM CHILDREN but I think Mum and Katharine didn't see so I kept it secret. The sausages were scrumptious so after that we went to the pizzeria place again for a little drink.When it was time to go to bed we were allowed to watch a movie. The only DVDs that we had was Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 or Ice Age 3. We chose Harry Potter but Ashleigh said that she would prefer to watch it in the day so we watch Ice Age 3.

In the morning we had breakfast and packed our bags and caught the ferry back to the car and drove home. 

Mum and Katharine made us all have a bath when we got home !! Tonight we are going out with Paula (who took us to the Easter Show) for a curry. 

Gill's Blog : Glamping was great fun. Cockatoo Island is the largest Island in Sydney Harbour and from the Island we had a magnificent view of Syndey's Central Business District and the Harbour Bridge. We had two tents set up for us right on the waterside. It was a perfect place to camp. One very different thing about here is that once the sun sets it goes dark almost immediately, so when Katie say's it got dark, it really does get almost instantaneously dark and lanterns are a must ! We did take advantage of the dark each night, to learn to identify the Southern Cross in the sky. How cool is that !! 

The Island has been used for many purposes, first, obviously it was Aboriginal Land, however, because there is no natural fresh water on the island it is doubtful it was used for a settlement by the Aborigines. Once colonisation of New South Wales began the Island was used as a jail.  The convicts were made to cut the sandstone into blocks and build their own prison in the blistering heat and under horrendous living conditions. Prisoners rarely tried to escape, because at that time the water around the island was shark infested. After being a jail, the island was used as a very harsh correctional school for young girls in NSW. As time moved on, and because of the extremely deep water surrounding the Island, it became a centre for ship building and during the second world war it was the main repair port for American and Allied vessels in the Southern Pacific Ocean. More recently, it was a submarine building a refitting station and then in the early 1990s the yards on Cockatoo Island were closed and in 2000 the Island was opened as Australian Heritage Site (a bit like our National Trust), and since then the Island has been restored to demonstrate its many uses. 

For my quilting pals ... the quilts were with us glamping and each place we go now we are collecting fabric badges for them..... Really great fun.  Another great few days in the Southern Hemisphere .. xx