As the weather starts to warm up and winter becomes a distant memory, it’s the perfect time of year to head outdoors with the kids to explore Lake Macquarie’s beautiful parks, beaches and lake. In need of some inspiration? Check out our top spring suggestions for families below:
1. Splash around at the beach
Lake Mac is lucky to have four different patrolled beaches, each a popular choice for families. They include:
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Blacksmiths Beach, often calm and protected thanks to its long breakwall
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Caves Beach, where you’ll find the famous sea caves and rock pools located at the southern end (best accessed at low tide, pick up a free tide chart from the Lake Macquarie Visitor Information Centre in Swansea)
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Catherine Hill Bay, the beachfront of a historical mining village (the long former coal-loading jetty makes for a great photo)
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Redhead Beach, a fun spot for the whole family including your dog, with an off-leash area located just south along Nine Mile Beach between Second and Third Creeks
Lifeguards reemerge from their winter break at the start of the September-October school holidays and continue their patrols throughout the summer.
Blacksmiths Beach
2. Enjoy the region’s best playground at Speers Point Park
Kids of all ages and abilities will have a ball clambering, swinging and sliding at the Lake Macquarie Variety Playground, long considered one of the best play spaces in Australia.
Along with a huge 9-metre spiral slide, double flying fox, 12-metre-high climbing tower and a maze, the playground has a quiet zone, accessible footpaths, and a changing place suitable for people with disabilities.
Lake Macquarie Variety Playground
3. Go wildlife spotting at Wyee Point Reserve
Spring is a great time to go in search of the kangaroos known to roam at Wyee Point Reserve. If you're lucky you may even see a joey peeking out of mum's pouch! The kangaroos are wild though, so remember to look from a distance and don’t feed any animals – they’re very good at finding their own food!
The reserve also has a playground (the kids will love the flying fox and climbing web), and bring bikes and scooters to race around the circuit track.
Don't forget, the best way to view kangaroos is at a distance
4. Take a wildflower walk at Awabakal Reserve
The sprawling Awabakal Reserve covers 228 hectares and is one of the best places in Lake Mac to admire bright and colourful wildflowers between August and October. Do the Awabakal Walk and get the kids to count how many different types of flowers and birds they see. (Please note, parts of this track are sandy and uneven, so the walk is not suitable for all children or strollers.)
Once you reach the Awabakal Viewpoint, keep an eye out for whales, which migrate along the NSW coast from May to November.
Spot wildflowers like these at Awabakal Nature Reserve
5. Relax with a picnic by the lake
Spring means picnics, and Lake Mac has more than a few special places to roll out the rug. Our picks include:
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Green Point Foreshore Reserve, a beautiful area of bushland with sweeping views of the lake. Set up on the grassy hills or head for the tables at Cardiff Point
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Murrays Beach Foreshore, with its pebbled shoreline and shady gum trees overhead
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Rathmines Park, a former WWII seaplane base with a fun plane-themed playground
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Warners Bay Foreshore, where you can walk or cycle along the stroller-friendly 9km lakefront path before finding a patch of grass with water views for lunch.
Murrays Beach Foreshore
6. Explore the Watagan Mountains
Get a taste of the great outdoors in the beautiful and wild Watagans, where you’ll find waterfalls, walking tracks, barbecue areas and camping spots.
Start your visit at Boarding House Dam in the Watagans National Park. The small picnic area was once home to a boarding house that accommodated the longest-serving and largest logging camp in the area. Today there’s an easy 600-metre circuit walk through the rainforest. Look out for the impressive mossy rock wall! Kids can also dip their toes in the creek on a hot day.
The Pines Walking Track in nearby Olney State Forest is another easy walk suitable for kids (1.7kms). The walk starts at The Pines Picnic Area and takes you along the creek through eucalypt forests past cascades and a rock pool. You can camp here too, at The Pines Camping Area.
Boarding House Dam Circuit Walk
7. Take a free ride at the Awaba Mountain Bike Park
The Awaba bike trail network has free access and is open every day of the year. There are trail options to suit all abilities, including a development track for kids and a two-kilometre gravity trail for intermediate riders. There are downhill and cross-country tracks for those who are more advanced.
Awaba Mountain Bike Park. Image courtesy of Matt Staggs Visuals.
For more ideas on what to do with your family in Lake Macquarie view our Visitor Guide and Map for free online here.