School holiday fun on site and online

3 July 2020

Conscious of the upcoming school holiday break and the need to present fun activities for the kids, some of our more popular attractions have some great offers, either on site or online, depending on their COVID-19 restriction requirements.

Bega Valley Regional Gallery

Learn How To Cross-Stitch and Learn How To Tie Dye this school holiday, through the Regional Gallery’s Creative Kids Online workshops. The Gallery is closed until 27 July for renovations.

Gallery Director, Iain Dawson said Creative Kids is a NSW government initiative to make it easy for school-aged kids (4.5 to 18 years old) to get involved in creative arts, speech, drama, dance, digital design, coding, and music lessons.

“Parents, guardians and carers can claim a $100 voucher each year that can go towards the cost of lessons or fees with registered providers, such as the Gallery,” he said.

“What you need to do is go to the Service NSW website and claim your voucher. Then register your voucher with the Gallery by emailing us at mailto:[email protected].

“When you’ve done that, you can attend up to four classes a year at the Gallery this calendar year. It’s that easy!”

Learn How To Cross-Stitch (8-18 years) will be online from 10-11am on Thursday 9 July. After you register, you will receive a package with all your workshop supplies (embroidery hoop, needles, thread and fabric) and a digital information pack. Book this workshop through Eventbrite now.

Grab an old white shirt and Learn How To Tie Dye (8-18 years) online between 10-11am on Thursday 16 July. After you register, you will receive a package containing dye, gloves and practice fabric and a pre-workshop preparation guide. Book through Eventbrite now for this fun workshop.

“And remember, you can take a virtual tour of the Gallery’s exhibitions at any time during the school break,” Mr Dawson said.

Bega Valley libraries

Due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, the Library Winter School Holiday Program will be delivered online.

Felt Fairy Tales, where some of our favourite classic fairy tales will be retold using puppets and felt creatures will be held on Tuesday 14 July from 10.30am to 11am (2-6 years).

Kids in the Kitchen will be about healthy foods, making bliss balls, a fresh food rainbow and other fun recipes using raw ingredients. All recipes are easy to follow and possible allergies have been taken into consideration. An ingredients list has been posted on the Library Facebook page and the workshop will be held on Tuesday 7 July from 10.30 to 11.30am (5 years and up).

During the Five Cool Things Craft workshop, you will discover five neat things you can make with a regular milk bottle. Create some useful items and make the world a better place by recycling a common single-use plastic at the same time. A supplies list has been posted on the Library Facebook page and the workshop will be held on Thursday 9 July from 10.30 to 11am (6 years and up).

Potoroo Palace

Potoroo Palace Native Wildlife Sanctuary will be open for booked visitors during the school holidays. Two daily sessions are offered; one at 9am and the other at 12.30pm.

Each session is two and a half hours long, and people will be able to wander and feed the sanctuary’s roaming creatures, kangaroos and wallabies, watch feeding and talk to keepers, picnic under the trees and relax in nature.

The reptile house has been recently refurbished and will be open to the public for the first time. Entry will be limited due to COVID restrictions.

The ethical and sustainable food business, Faraway Farm is running the café on weekends offering delicious and nutritious food (grain-free wraps and raw treats), kombucha and take-away coffee. Open from 9am to 2.30pm, the café will provide a warm place to enjoy lunch.

Merimbula Aquarium

From sharks to shrimps, the octopus to the tropical fish – the Merimbula Aquarium is open from Wednesday to Sunday between 10am and 3.30pm. The Aquarium has 28 tanks featuring local and tropical marine life, and the 70,000 litre Oceanarium is full of large ocean fish and sharks.

Fish feeding always produces lots of actions and is a great time to visit.

Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre

The Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre, where children are actively encouraged to touch the exhibits, is back open for business; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

The centre has live aquaria, a very popular touch tank where you can get up close and personal with live marine animals, beautiful video footage, microscopes, a beach combing table and loads of information about the temperate marine environment.

Killer Whale Museum

The Eden Killer Whale Museum has been telling Eden’s stories for over 80 years and is home to one of the only orca skeletons in the world; that of Old Tom, Eden’s famous killer whale.

The museum has commanding views over the bay, a whale watching platform and a bookshop. It also showcases maritime and timber history, along with regular travelling exhibitions.

COVIDSafe requirements include payment by credit/debit card only, no guided tours and a maximum of 50 visitors in the museum at any time. Video content, such as a short version of This Eden and other exhibition material, is available online.

Montreal Goldfield

In September 1880, gold was discovered on a beach north of Bermagui. Named Montreal Goldfield, the rush barely lasted three years, but nearly 250kg of gold was unearthed using only a pick and shovel. It became the only goldfield in Australia that extends into the sea.

Guided tours by local historians reveal the mysteries and fascinating anecdotes of times gone by. Follow boardwalks through the beautiful native forest, re-grown since the days of the gold-rush moonscape. Peer down the vertical mine shafts and try your hand at water divining.

Entry to the Montreal Goldfield is by guided tour only. Visitors are asked to meet at the Heritage Centre before the 2pm daily tour. COVIDSafe regulations are in place.

Enjoy COVIDSafe activities

We’ve given you just a little taste of what you can do in the Bega Valley during the school holidays. There is so much more on offer and you can check it out for yourself on the Sapphire Coast website.

No matter where you go these school holidays, be sure to have fun and follow the COVIDSafe rules and regulations.

Remember the distancing measures and look for floor markers inside buildings. Make sure you sanitise your hands with the sanitisers provided in the various outlets.

If you need a reminder of what you need to do when you’re out and about, visit Council’s website before you go.