School Holidays in Yallingup: Parent-Tested 5-Day Plan

I do not have small kids in the house anymore, but I have watched four decades of them come through the gallery on school holidays. They mostly want to know if the bandsaw is on, and they mostly do not want to look at the furniture. That is fine. It tells you something useful about how to plan a holiday with kids down here. Keep them moving, keep them outdoors, and do not over-program the days.

Photo: Lasthib, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

This is the five-day plan I would hand to my own family if they were coming down. It assumes you are based around Yallingup or Dunsborough, you have at least one car, and the kids are aged roughly four to twelve. Older teens can do more of the same plan with the surf and the walks dialled up.

Do not try to do anything ambitious on the first day. You will all be tired, the kids will be wired, and the best thing you can do is unpack, find a beach, and let everyone come down from the drive.

Morning. Get groceries. The IGA in Dunsborough is your friend. Stock the fridge before you do anything else, because the moment the kids realise there is a beach nearby, the day is over.

Late morning. Yallingup Beach. Park at the bottom near the boat ramp. The reef out front means the swimming inside is calm and shallow, much better for little kids than the open beach breaks. Take buckets and spades, leave the boogie boards in the car for later in the week.

Afternoon. Back to the house. Quiet time. Nobody under ten needs two activities in one day.

Late afternoon. Walk down to Caves House for an early dinner on the lawn, or just an ice cream. The grass is good for kids to run around on while the adults sit.

This is the day I have a stake in, so I will keep it honest. Mornings in the gallery are best for kids because they are fresh and patient. Afternoons they are over it.

Photo: SeanMack, CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Morning, 10am. The gallery on Blythe Rd has a workshop viewing window. Kids actually love this because there is usually a piece of machinery running, sawdust on the floor, and timber stacked up. I will talk to them if I am not deep in a piece. The whole thing takes about half an hour, unhurried.

Doing the five-day plan, Day 2 morning is the time to come. The workshop window is open most mornings, the kids can see the bandsaw and the planer, and Pamela has water and a cool tiled floor when they have had enough. Google Maps sometimes misdirects via Wildwood Rd — stay on Bussell Hwy, turn at the Carbunup store, then Blythe Rd.

Late morning. Ngilgi Cave is a ten-minute drive. Book ahead in school holidays. They will hold a slot for you but they do sell out. The semi-guided format works well for kids. They can wander a bit, then there is a short demo at the end. Allow an hour and a half. how the four show caves compare

Lunch. Yallingup General Store. Sit outside. They do a good toastie.

Afternoon. Smiths Beach, but go before two, before it gets hot. On one of those windy southerly days, drive over to Meelup instead. The reef pools at the eastern end are the best rock pools in the region for kids.

Sleep in. Day 3 of a holiday is when small kids start to crack if you keep pushing.

Morning. Beach. Whichever one is sheltered for the conditions. Check the wind before you commit: a southerly means Bunker Bay or Meelup, a south-easter means Yallingup or Smiths. For anyone who wants to learn to surf, this is the day to book a lesson. The local surf schools run small groups for kids and they know what they are doing. Yallingup Beach surf school operates out of the main beach carpark.

Lunch. Pack a picnic. The kids will not want to leave the beach.

Afternoon. Yallingup Maze. About fifteen minutes inland, on Wildwood Rd (the road my gallery is not on, despite what Google sometimes suggests). The maze itself takes an hour, the playground takes another, and there is a cafe. School holidays they sometimes extend hours. Call before you drive over.

Evening. Cook at home. Day 3 needs a quiet night.

This is the big day out. Save it for when the weather forecast is best: calm wind, sun, no rain.

8.30am. Leave for Busselton. It is about half an hour. Get there before the queue builds.

9.30am. Buy your tickets at the jetty entrance. You want the train and the underwater observatory combination. The train ride out is a hit with kids who do not care about a jetty. The underwater observatory is genuinely worth doing. You go six metres below the surface and look at the reef that has grown around the pylons. Forty minutes guided, then the train back.

Lunch. The Goose at the foreshore. Or fish and chips from the bakery near the jetty if you want to keep it cheap and the kids are happy on the grass.

Afternoon. Foreshore playground. The big climbing nets there are the best playground in the region. Free. Adults can sit in the shade. Allow at least an hour and a half. You will not get the kids to leave.

Late afternoon. Drive back via Eagles Heritage Raptor Centre at Margaret River with any energy left. The flying displays are scheduled, so check times before you drive over. Everyone cooked, just go home. the Busselton Jetty write-up

Last day of any holiday is about not over-promising.

Photo: Western Australian Government, CC BY 2.5 AU · via Wikimedia Commons

Morning. Country Life Farm in Dunsborough, if you have not done it. They have a small animal feeding session in school holidays: chickens, lambs, calves. About 9am or 10.30am usually. The kids who like animals love this. The kids who want to be in the water can skip it and go to the beach instead.

Mid-morning. Pack up. This is the worst part of any holiday. Get it done before lunch.

Lunch. One last meal somewhere on the way out. The Cellar at Vasse Felix has a kids menu but is on the formal side. For something simpler, the Margaret River Bakery in town is reliable.

Afternoon. Drive home. You will be tired. The kids will sleep in the car.

Some things people try to fit in that I would skip with small kids:

• Big cellar door programs. Wineries are not made for small children, and most parents who try to do a tasting flight with a four-year-old in tow leave unhappy. Pick one cellar door, do a quick tasting, move on. Or save it for adults-only.
• The full Cape to Cape track. Five-year-olds do not want a five-kilometre coastal walk. The short bits between Sugarloaf and Canal Rocks are perfect, about fifteen minutes. Pick those.
• Long lunches. Kids want to be outside. Lunches longer than an hour are a fight you will lose.

Five-year-olds do not want a five-kilometre coastal walk. Pick the short bits.

Have one indoor day in your pocket. When the forecast turns, this is the order I would go:

1. Ngilgi Cave: caves are climate-controlled.
2. The gallery: yes, my own, but the building stays cool and dry and the kids can watch the workshop.
3. Eagles Heritage if the rain breaks for the flying display.
4. Margaret River Chocolate Company at Metricup: busy in school holidays but the kids love it. Free entry, free tastings.
5. Bowling at the Margaret River Bowling Lanes in town, open into the evening.

For the budget-watcher, the rough numbers in school holidays:

• Ngilgi Cave: Family ticket about $80; check current prices.
• Busselton Jetty + train + underwater observatory: Around $150 for a family of four.
• Yallingup Maze: Around $40 for a family.
• Country Life Farm: About $50 for a family.
• Beaches and Cape to Cape: Free.

So you can do the five-day plan as written for around $300 in attractions, plus food, fuel, and accommodation. The free options are the best ones anyway: Yallingup Beach, the cape walks, the rock pools at Meelup. the family-friendly version of the region

The plan still works, but flip a few things. Teens want surf, sunset spots, food they chose themselves, and not too much family time. Hand them a copy of the surf forecast in the morning and let them pick the beach. Take them to Canal Rocks for sunset. Buy them a coffee at Yallingup General Store and let them sit on the bench out front.

The gallery is sometimes more interesting to a fifteen-year-old than a five-year-old, especially for ones who like making things. They can stand at the workshop window for as long as they want and ask questions through it.

That is the plan. Adjust as the kids need. Some days will fall apart and that is fine. Half of why people come down here is to do less. The beaches do most of the heavy lifting. Everything else is a bonus.

Coming past the workshop on Blythe Rd while you are here, knock on the window. The kids can usually have a closer look at whatever I am working on.