A Winter Blast

A Winter Blast

Cottage by the Sea has a proud history with Herne Hill Primary School. Each year a lucky group of kids are invited to come for a week of inspiration, fun and opportunity at Cottage by the Sea and despite the chilly weather, we managed to do just that!

Camp leaders Ebony and Steve left the Cottage bright and early Tuesday morning to be greeted by 20 eager kids ready for the week ahead. Back at the Cottage, Marc was busy in the kitchen cooking pies for lunch to warm everyone up.

After settling into their dorms, enjoying a scrumptious body warming lunch and a little bit of free time, it was time to get into the afternoons activities. We are fortunate that Queenscliff offers many exciting experiences for the children, the Queenscliff Marina being one of them. We climbed the 360Q, enjoying the spectacular view across Port Phillip Bay and Queenscliff, walked around the marina looking at the big yachts, learnt about the Pilot Boats and dipped our hands in the water to let the small shrimps give them a clean.

That evening as the cold and wet weather settled in, we decided to keep warm inside. The kids we treated to pizza for dinner and enjoyed a movie before an early night in bed in preparation for the big week of fun ahead.

The next day was full of Cottage favourite activities. After breakfast we strolled down to the Marine Discovery Centre to learn all about the local marine life and how to better care for the environment. The touch tank is always a favourite amongst the kids. Back at the Cottage we played some of our Cottage famous games before lunch.

The afternoon is what all the kids had been looking forward to – the beach! So after lunch we got changed into wetsuits and after a quick game of dye dodge ball we headed down to Cottage Beach for some aquatic fun. The cold water and grey skies did little to deter the kids from splashing around, jumping under the waves and rolling in the sand till it was time to get out.

On Thursday morning we decided to put our wetsuits back on, put the surf trailer on the bus and head to Ocean Grove for a surf lesson. The kids were naturals and gave it their all to be able stand on a surfboard and ride a wave. After warming up at the Cottage we spent the afternoon exploring Point Lonsdale.

Friday had finally come, which meant it was time to go home, but not before one more activity! We all got on the bus and headed to Barwon Heads for a spot of rock pool rambling and a play at the Pirate Park. The kids had a blast looking under the rocks and finding all sorts of starfish and crabs.

We’d like to thank the kids from Herne Hill Primary for making it such a fun week and we can’t wait to drive the Cottage bus back their next year!