Kids Activities on Thursday Island...
* Swimming LessonsFeb 2014...
Sammy Bloxsom is the fitness guru employed by the city council to run bootcamp on weekday mornings, kids swimming lessons, kids gymnastics/dance classes & evening aerobics for adults. She has a timetable that varies by term & tends not to run swimming lessons in term 3 because the wind makes the pool so cold.
Swimming lessons run after school Monday - Thursday & are ability grouped (beginners to squad swimmers) for toddlers to primary aged kids,lasting for 30mins - 1hour. Lessons are paid in a block of $70 for 8 weeks.
* Gymnastics and Dance classes
March 2014...
Gym and dance happens on Saturday mornings. There are 3 classes starting at 9, 10 & 11am, each going for 45mins. The different classes cater for different age groups. Sammy runs these too & does a great job with minimal equipment in the Sports Hall that leaks in the rain! Lessons cost $80 for a block of 8.
* Swimming in the ocean at Bayo Beach.
Jan 2013...
There were no locals swimming at any of the T.I. beaches, so we were a bit hesitant to go in – especially with the “Danger – Crocodile” signs on each beach, but the people at the Shire Office had assured us it was quite safe at Bayo…and it was so hot…and the water so inviting, we decided to at least paddle in the shallows.
Milly broke out in horrible, blistery, bubbly fungal patches on her arms, legs and back a few hours later – so the trip to the beach was partnered with a trip to the chemist! 5 days of daily claratyne doses, special medicated soap in the shower & lots of savalon seemed to fix it up…it will be a little while before we try ocean swimming again!
Swimming at Bayo Beach, Thursday Island.* Swimming at the Sports Complex Pool.
This one is easier – no one gets fungal!! The shallow end of the big pool has shade cloths and so does the little, shallow toddler pool off to the side. Cool water and a little breeze – all good! Pool entry is free on Saturdays! Many families book the pool for children's parties, too.
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There is a selection of shops to visit – a newsagency, a dress & fabric shop, a hardware store, the IBIS supermarket, the post office, a pearl gallery, a cafes, a fried-food takeaway, the NAB bank, a bakery & a corner store.
Exploring Douglas Street in the wet.* Eating out.
Try morning tea at 'Uncle Frankie’s cafe', Friday night tapas & cocktails at the 'Somerset' restaurant at the Jardine Motel or dinner at the Grand Hotel’s 'Malu Paru' restaurant.
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| Dwayne's Birthday Dinner at the Jardine Motel Jan 2013 |
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| Jayne's Birthday Dinner at The Grand Hotel Feb 2013 |
* The Library.
This is run by the Shire Council & is great. Air conditioned; opened during the week & on Saturday mornings; kids toys to play with; kids books & DVDs to borrow…Currently located in the IBIS supermarket building.
Milly and Evy at the library, Jan 2013.* Be prepared to spend a lot of time caring for your children's skin!
Applying sunscreen & insect repellent every morning is a time consuming battle. Bring a good selection of creams, roll-ons, pumps & sprays.
Evy comes out in a rash if I use roll-on Aeroguard & screams when I try spray repellent, so brand "Off" in a pump bottle or Avon cream are my insect repellent choices for her. She doesn't react badly to mozzie bites but just won't stop picking at them, so is constantly covered in little sores, scars & band-aides.
Milly hates sunscreen being rubbed on her face, but spray-on sunscreen gets in her eyes, so she has to whinge her way through a rubbing application session every morning. She does react badly to mozzie bites, they turn into big pink welts, but she doesn't pick at hers. Neither of them have been sunburnt yet, but Milly's freckles are having a lovely time gallivanting across her nose and cheeks!
You will need various lotions & potions including savalon, bactroban, tea tree oil, paraderm, mercurochrome & medicated soaps & plenty of "spare time" (ha!) to keep applying them all.
The chemist here is very good with knowledgeable & friendly staff who can help.
(P.S. I wrote the above entry in wet season - dry season has been much more bearable with notably fewer mozzies, so only sunscreen & no repellant needed May - November.)
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| Evy's legs on a good day! |
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| Evy's skin after a spray with insect repellant |
* Owning a boat is a very good thing!
We came without a boat as we had never owned one, but had a good look around in our first term here, asked lots of people & did lots of research...then went back to Brisbane in the first school holidays & bought a second hand boat. It's a 4.5m polycraft side console with a 90hp motor, a canopy & trailer. Perfect!
The weather isn't always good for boating - especially in dry season when it's very windy, but it does give options for family activities & outings on weekends & a chance to "get off the island"! We go for short trips to nearby islands for picnics, swims, beachwalks & sand play, usually out at 8am & back at 11.30am for a shower, lunch & sleep!
Love it.
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| The Ahmats in their new boat. |
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| Milly & Evy on location - Friday Island! |
* Playgroup
Playgroup used to be held at the Catholic School's church hall in Douglas St in town, but has just moved to the TRAWQ (I finally found out what TRAWQ - pronounced "track" stands for = Tamwoy, Rosehill, Aplin, Waiben, Quarantine = the suburbs around the back of the island, really all of the suburbs other than "Port Kennedy" which is at the front of the island where the wharves are. Jan 2014) community hall in Tamwoy. It runs Tues - Fri, 8.30 -12.00, but no families are ever there before 9am & many don't come until 10am. It costs $1 per child & you pay this on arrival when you sign in. Each child needs to bring a piece of fruit which is cut up & shared for morning tea & the playgroup also provides some crackers & sultanas as well as tea & coffee for parents.There is a mix of mostly mums, some nannies & an occasional dad in attendance on any given day. Not many indigenous families use the playgroup for some reason, which is a great shame. There are small rooms with craft tables, home corner equipment, books, puzzles & blocks, & a grassy area set up with cars, bikes, soft foam shapes to climb on & a little playground under a broken shade sail that is very hot to play on. Playgroup is staffed by indigenous locals - a leader & an assistant who are a wealth of local knowledge.
A good place to catch other parents for networking.
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This is a great program for babies to 4 year olds run in one of the classrooms at Tagai Primary - Thursday Island Campus. It's on from 8.45am - 11.30am 5 days a week & is free. It's run by a Montessori trained teacher aide & is air-conditioned ... so perfect in the steamy wet season! It has fantastic resources, mostly wooden, & is set out in age-group areas around the room. Lots of the activities are based on learning real-life self-help tasks such as washing dishes, preparing food & cleaning but there are also craft activities such as playdough, easle painting, puzzles, drawing, collage & threading.
Children BYO healthy food for morning tea / lunch & eat whenever they choose at a table they set for themselves. There is tea & coffee for adults with a donation jar to contribute to. There is usually a water trough set up outside & children can access the junior playground that's just in front of the classroom. It's the only playground on the island with a solid metal sunroof, so kids can play & adults can supervise in complete shade.
Lots of indigenous families use this service, which I like as it means Evy gets to mix with lots of local kids and their parents / grandparents.
We love Strait Start!
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| Evy and MissTrish working on the feet washing activity. |
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| Evy likes to pretend this toy is a trumpet... |
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| Baby and toddler areas... |
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| Washing up after morning tea. |
*Gab Titui Cultural Center
The "Gab Titui" Cultural Center (called 'the Gab' for short) on T.I. re-opened in mid 2013 after big renovations. It had a great cafe on the deck with a big flat grassed area in front for kids to run around on, but the proprietor left mid 2014 & we're waiting for someone else to reopen it... The gallery inside is full of fantastic local art, craft, sculptures, artifacts & is free. The gift shop has a small selection of souvenir-type items for sale & some art supplies.
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| The (not there anymore) cafe and grassed area. |
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| The Gab's front entrance on Victoria Parade. |
Front Beach can be a beautiful place to walk,play, dig on a sunny day in dry season - but beware of the hundreds of pieces of broken glass in amongst the sand...
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| T.I.'s Front Beach on a gorgeous day, looking towards Prince of Wales Island (P.O.W.). |
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| T.I.'s Front Beach on a photographic moment... |
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| T.I.'s Front Beach looking towards Engineers Wharf, Horn Island in the background. |
The pearl shell sculptures along the Victoria Parade promenade on Thursday Island's Front Beach. A good place for strolling, bike riding, scooting & picnics with kids when the weather is calm.
* Bach Beach
Picnic-ing at Bach (pronounced 'back') beach with other families on the weekend is popular. Again - plenty of glass on the sand to watch out for, but a lovely big Sea Almond tree to sit under. The nuts are edible if you crack open the husk with a rock...they taste just like a regular almond! There is a run-down old playground here, a public BBQ, a few picnic tables & a shower/tap to rinse off at.
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