Growing Up Troppo – November
The Build Up is here and with it the humidity is skyrocketing – the heat is on and so is the sweat! The kids are ratty and, let’s be honest, parenting seems so much harder. If you’ve lived in Darwin with kids during the Build Up I’m guessing you are familiar with the likes of Leanyer Recreation Park, the Wave Pool, Flip Out and even if you haven’t been to Darwin Ice Skating yet, it’s probably on your radar. But, what else is there to do?
By Libby Larsen.
I recently dropped in on the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) Tourist Facility at Stokes Hill Wharf for my first visit. We had kids in our gang ranging from 4-14 years old and honestly, when I described where we were going they were less than impressed. However when they got inside and experienced the state of the art virtual reality experience (VR), life-sized talking holograms and a fully decked out medical evacuation plane where they could sit in the pilot’s seat, they thought it was sensational.
We all strapped on the goofy looking VR headsets and incredibly, there I was on Stokes Hill on 14 February 1942 when the Japanese planes bombed Darwin. You get a 360 degree view of the whole attack from the wharf and then you are flying up in the air looking down as the Japanese planes fly around you – it’s pretty cool.
They suggest you try it first before you let your kids have a go, to see whether you think it’s ok for them. Perhaps it’s best for kids seven and over, but it really depends on you.
My four year old particularly loved the medical evacuation plane and pressing every button he could reach, while the older kids were intrigued with the life-sized holograms that talked about what happened that day.
While VR may conjure up images of too much gaming and indoor time, the RFDS Tourist Facility captures the modern obsession with screens and turns the Bombing of Darwin into a truly accessible, educational and worthwhile experience. My kids certainly got a lot out of it.
So while getting cool and wet is always a priority in the Build Up, the RFDS Tourist Facility is something different and interesting. Enjoy lunch at the wharf afterwards and pick up some lovely sea breezes. Locals can get a Territory pass, so give it a try when you are frustrated and hot and pulling your hair out trying to think of somewhere icy cool to take the kids.
Travel is, and has always been, Libby’s passion and she believes that this shouldn’t stop when you have kids. Libby knows that the best travel advice and tips come from other parents and so she started Growing up Troppo. It has loads of inspiration about hip places to stay, play andeat with kids that importantly parents love too.
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