10 Inexpensive Things To Do in Lane Cove During School Holidays

During school holidays parents feel like taxi drivers and ATMs.  Here are 10 ideas that will not break the bank and all happen in or near to Lane Cove.

Visual Technology at the Lane Cove Library

The Visual Literacy Collection is now available at Lane Cove Library! The collection provides access to technology kits, which can be borrowed for up to three weeks. The collection includes codable technology such as Makey Makey’s, Ozobots and Micro:bit Go’s as well as retro gaming consoles, including Atari and Nintendo.

Lego Mania Home HQ Artarmon

Come and let your imagination run wild in Home HQ Artarmon’s LEGO pit these school holidays!

Gold coin donation for each participant. All proceeds will go toward purchasing LEGO bricks for Royal North Shore Hospital

Cost: Gold Coin Donation
Date: 
Finishes 19th January 2020
Time: 
10 am – 4pm
Address: 
Home HQ Artarmon, Lower Ground, opposite PetStock
Website:  
homehq.com.au

 

Dog Park

If you have a dog and have not yet discovered the fenced dog park at Blackman Park, now is the time to head down there with the kids and dog.  Take the bikes as well and when you have finished with the dog park, the kids can have a go on the bike park.  It is also a great place to “test drive” a dog.  Many of the owners are more than happy to talk to you about dogs and let your child pat their dogs with parental consent.

Lane Cove’s newest off-leash dog park opened on Saturday 7 December. This new fenced dog park at Turrumburra Park on the corner of Centennial Avenue and Epping Road is a result of community consultation about upgrades to the park. In addition to the new dog park, works at Turrumburra Park also include new seating, a new drinking station, planting of new trees and the maintenance of the park’s historic steamroller. The new seating is made from 98% recycled plastic, helping to divert soft plastics from landfill.

Rock Drop

This is a great idea.  Your child paints a rock and then drops it in a local park.  You then post a picture on a special Facebook page.  All the details are here.

Try Out the Basketball/Netball Court at Kingsford Smith Oval

Get a group of friends together and have fun playing ball on Lane Cove only Full Size Public Basketball Court.

 

Eden Unearthed

This exhibition is now in its fourth year.  With 42 installations, spread over Eden Gardens two and half acre,  you will be impressed.  This is a curated exhibition with installations that celebrate nature while at the same time highlights the current environmental crisis.  The curator is Meredith Kirton.

Meredith has worked hard on creating an exhibition that is thought provoking and enlightening.  Meredith said, “This year’s exhibition will spark conversation, highlight environmental concerns and bring joy to those who take time to explore and unwrap it.”

Kids Will Love…

Installation Art can sometimes be seen as highbrow and not for the masses, however there is something for everyone at the Eden Unearthed.   A special Children’s Art Trail and child friendly signage has been incorporated this year, along with a number of fun and fascinating workshops and a family art day.

Eden Unearthed runs from now until the end of January 2020. Admission is free.

Contact Details

Address:  307 Lane Cove Road (cnr Fontenoy Road), Macquarie Park
Website: www.edengardens.com.au
Facebook: @edengardensclub
Instagram: @eden_macquariepark

 

Go to Hughes Park

Hughes Park is a great place to take the kids as it caters for kids of all ages with play equipment for the little ones and teenagers and you can explore the community gardens.  Find out more here.

Historic Carisbrook House

Built from local sandstone with a slate roof, Carisbrook stands on an eighteen-acre grant of Burns Bay land originally acquired by John Clarke in 1835.  In the early 1880s, as plans for the Fig-Tree Bridge moved closer to realisation, the Brooks family applied to subdivide their land. they set aside a substantial area, more than an acre, and built the stone house, Carisbrook, on it using a honey-coloured sand-stone probably quarried on the Brooks’ land. The rest of the estate was subdivided into standard housing blocks, and auctioned.

The house is Italianate in style, its asymmetrical facade, faceted bay window and low-pitched roof being motifs much favoured by Victorian architects and clients.

Carisbrook remains the oldest surviving house in its area, its fabric largely intact. It was bought in 1969, by Lane Cove Council which maintains it. A permanent conservation order was placed on the house by the Heritage Council of NSW in 1981.

Lane Cove Historical Society has furnished the house to the mid-Victorian period with an extensive collection of antiques and hand-worked household utensils. Guided tours, public programmes, film and photo shoots and other special events are also arranged by this society.

Carisbrook’s magnificent gardens and grounds still run down to Burns Bay, connecting the house with the river which was such a vital element in settlement and transport in its earlier days.

Carisbrook is owned by Lane Cove Council. The collections, tours and other interpretive programs are provided by the Lane Cove Historical Society.

Carisbrook is open to the public once a month on Saturday and Sunday (excluding Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day) from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm.  It will next be open on January 18th and 19th 2020.

For further information on Carisbrook House click here or visit the NSW Heritage Office Website and search for its listing on the State Heritage Inventory and State Heritage Register.

Lane Cove Skate Park

Not everyone knows this, but Lane Cove has a skatepark!  The park is located in Blackman Park, which is off Lloyd Rees Drive in Lane Cove West. It has a 24 metre run with various sized quarter pipes, ledges and rail. It is open

November – April: 7.30am- 8.30pm

May – October: 8.00am- 6.00pm

Mindarie Park Lane Cove North

Mindarie Park Lane Cove North is Lane Cove’s newest park.  ITC visited Mindarie Park to check out the park and see some of its brilliant features.  This new inclusive playspace aligns with the Everyone Can Play in NSW guidelines to cater for all people, including disabled and able-bodied children and their Carers. Further information here.  There is a coffee tent on school holiday mornings and on Saturday and Sunday.

 

Some Other Ideas

Here are some other quick ideas:

  • Play Tennis – List of Lane Cove Tennis Clubs here.
  • Go to the Lane Cove Library Kid’s section.
  • For younger kids the bicycle track at Blackman park is fun and there is also a flying fox and other play equipment.
  • Make some sandwiches (like the ones below) and then go to Burns Bay Reserve for a picnic and a go on the flying fox – further details here.
  • Test out the new tree sculpture at Central Park Longueville – further details here.

Picnic Food Idea from Bakers’s Delight Lane Cove

Sushi Me Roll’n

These bread sushi rolls are the perfect addition to any holiday picnic basket! Your little chefs can roll out the bread, choose their fillings and even use chopsticks to enjoy their gourmet lunch.

Photo Credit: Bakers Delight Lane Cove

School Holiday Activities

If you want to book your kids into some school holidays activities during the School Holidays you can find a list of school holiday activities here.  There is something for every child – the sporty child, the creative child, the child who loves learning and the allrounder.  Find out more here.