Janine Clements

Part of my plan for the trip was to make sure my kids got to experience lots of different things, especially things that were typically Australian, or that they hadn’t done in Singapore. You don’t see farm animals in Singapore, other than the odd rooster strutting its stuff around by the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on River Valley Road, near where we used to live. She was very attractive and super chatty – the kind of person you’d find browsing Sydney’s designer boutiques, not feeding pigs while knee-deep in mud on a farm in the sticks. Of course, you can’t leave Hunter Valley without doing at least one visit to a winery and at least one wine tasting, although it’s far from ideal with kids in tow.

Myall Shores Holiday Park in Myall Lakes National Park, north of Newcastle in North South Wales. The very thoughtful manager was our saviour as he had organised pizzas and a couple of drinks from the bar (that was actually closed for the season) and there was a kiosk selling basics like milk, ice cream (and bait! ). The park felt deliciously isolated and we only had ourselves and an assortment of wildlife for company, which included about 20 pelicans on the jetty, some cheeky ducks who joined us for a swim, scary-looking goannas and a few kangaroos The little shop sells basics such as milk and tea and you can order pizza and drinks, but bring supplies as it’s nowhere near a supermarket!