Cape Paterson

Yesterday, Saturday 27th March we drove down to Cape Paterson. We left around 11:30am after Zac's swimming lesson and some early lunch. It was an easy drive and we were soon set up at the Cape Paterson Foreshore Caravan Park - site 19, under the pine trees with coastal views through the scrub. The playground is nearby and the kids can play with us supervising from the van - so that's what they did while we set ourselves up.

Following this and a cuppa, we walked down to the beach - the kids loved running down the sand dunes and then exploring along the beach. Gemma enjoyed playing with a bunch of seaweed, Ethan found a couple of very large cuttlefish washed up. Zac got sad when he got wet.

Dinner consisted of a hearty casserole pre arranged by Mummy and just reheated. The kids scoffed it down with little hesitation. They had baths and then an early night - all in bed by 8:15. Ethan didn't fall asleep straight away and was able to come outside and meet the two possums that were just outside our door - it looked like a mother and child. Daz and Jet watched some telly and chilled out after the possum viewing.

Today, Sunday 28th, we had crumpets for breakfast and then drove into Wonthaggi where we visited Coles. On the way back towards Cape Paterson we called in at the 'State Coal Mine' - a old mine that operated between about 1915 and 1968 digging black coal out of the ground which was predominently used for steam trains. It is now set up as a visitor's centre with several old buildings, heaps of information and plenty of rusty old machinery. There was supposedly over 3000 km's of tunnels around the area! Yes, over 3000! Much is now filled in or full of water. It is possible to join a tour underground to see part of the old operations. This tour was not suitable for Ethan and Gemma, so I promised Zac we'd return for this another time.

A volunteer, Jack - whose own parents and grandparents worked in the mines here (his grandmother was the first midwife in Wonthaggi) gave us a tour of the buildings above ground. We also met 'Cobber' - the Welsh Pony. These ponies were used in the mines and hauled the coal out in little trolleys on railway lines. They must have been very strong ponies! Unlike the welsh mines, these ponies were allowed to come back above ground when off duty. The Welsh ones often went blind due to living their entire lives underground. In fact the Wonthaggi ponies were very well looked after - in fact better than the humans as they took longer to train for their work, making them more valuable!

We returned to the caravan and had lunch outside under the pine trees. It was a warmish day although cloudy. After lunch and a bit of a play, the two youngest ones had a nap. Zac and Daz returned to the mines to do the underground tour. We donned green helmets - Zac's a bit too bid even set at its smallest size. We were then led down a steepish entrance way and under the surrounding paddocks. It was interesting hearing of life for the miner's and their ponies and seeing how they used to work. Most of the tunnelling and mining was done by hand so it would have been hard work. Zac got some coal to take home as a souvenir. After about an hour we walked back out of the mine - a reasonably strenuous walk. In a few months there will be a dedicated tramway that raises and lowers visitors in - all operated by cable winch. They have just installed a 1930's winch to haul it all, and work needs to be done on the tunnel to make the new tram to fit.

Zac and Daz drove back to Cape Paterson and joined the others down on the beach near the surf lifesavers club. All the kids had a ball playing in the sand and paddling in the water. It was still quite warm and overcast - a band of rain is forecast for later in the evening.

We gave the kids a warm bath before dinner. We then enjoyed shepherds pie and blue jelly.