The McKinnon trio packed up the car and headed south to our holiday house in Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains.
The usual 5.5 hr drive took 8 hours, with 2 stops on the road for meals, a detour in Canberra due to roadworks and then a 1 hr grocery shop in Jindabyne. 8 hours, it took us 8 long hours to get there. By the time we arrived, we felt like zombies! Abigail was especially brilliant on the car trip and slept most of the way.
Our family holiday house in Thredbo is located up on the mountain, and in the winter, we ski down to the lifts which is probably the best thing in the entire world! Anyone who has ever walked more than 10 metres in ski boots will understand how amazing ski-in / ski-out accommodation is.
We settled in and unpacked our bags for our 5 night getaway. Abi loved sitting in front of the fire and watching the flames twist and turn. We spent the next 6 days shopping and eating in the village, walking around the streets of Thredbo, taking Abigail to the playground and the Leisure Centre where she and James rode the waterslide.
On Easter Sunday after the overhyped easter egg hunt in the park, we decided to take Abigail up the chairlift to the top of the mountain. As soon as we sat on the chairlift, I felt sick. Vomit worthy sick. Abi was just sitting on James's lap with a unsafe looking bar holding her in. James assured me he was holding her so tightly that breathing would have been a struggle for her, but I still felt sick. She sat very still and watched the mountain bike riders zooming down the hill. She was very calm and enjoyed the 10 minute ride to the highest skiable point in Australia. I can't imagine how scary it is when you have 3 young kids on the lift with you, swinging their skis and swaying the chair. Mum told me she used to scream at us to sit still on the chairlifts when my siblings and I took our annual ski vacation. Poor Mum!
The days were lovely with sunshine but a cool breeze. The nights were very chilly, Easter Sunday the temp dropped down to 1.5'c and it was very fresh indeed! We bought Abi some gorgeous Croc winter boots with a fleece trim. I couldn't resist, as they were 60% in the shop.
We hired a hiking pack and took Abigail on a 2.5km walk around the Golf Couse and river which she loved. Poor James with the pack on his back, was left quite breathless at times as the altitude in the village is 1365m (4478ft!) above sea level.
We are considering going down for opening weekend which is the 2nd weekend of June, but are not 100% sure yet. It is a long way to drive for a 3 day weekend. We have our eye on a pair of baby skiis for Abigail and James is keen to have her on the slopes this winter. Mind you, slopes = flat area and you never know how long a 2 yr old will last on the snow wearing 5kgs of ski clothes.
Pulling into Sydney was uneventful, no Easter traffic and it was good to be home.
Last Easter we were in Hong Kong, enjoying the sights and tastes of modern Asia. This year, we enjoyed the local feel of a very dear place to our family and can't wait for our next alpine adventure.
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