Tuesday, November 16, 2010

King of the Kids - A Secret No More!!

King Country - Redlands Best Kept Secret
58 Dinwoodie Rd Thornlands Qld 4164

T:  3206 4051




Rating out of 5:           5 child friendly forks!!  Totally geared to kids and Mums being able to relax.


Clean highchairs available? Yes.
Pram access? Yes.
Kids' menu? Yes and very cheap.
Play area? Yes, as well as farm animals, a rainforest walk and when it is busy they have pony rides, face painting and a jumping castle!!
Activities at the table? No, not needed.
Room for kids to move around? Absolutely.
Child friendly atmosphere? Yes, it's all about the kids.
Prices? Very reasonable menu prices for both adults and kids.  All activities are FREE.

We went to King Country for a friend's little girl's 4th birthday party, and to be completely honest, driving there I thought it was like driving to the other end of the earth.  The GPS kept taking us down backstreets instead of sticking to the main road and we were running late, so I was feeling a bit stressed.  But once we got to King Country at Thornlands, it was like an oasis of calm and so fantastic for the children!!
 
When you arrive it appears to be just another plant nursery, which seem to be in abundance for this area.  But take a walk to the back and you will find a casual cafe with indoor and outdoor dining, a lovely rainforest setting including a small rainforest walk, and a plethora of children's activities.  There is the standard fenced play area right next to the cafe, and then farm animals that children can go in and pat and feed including a goat, sheep, piglet, chickens and turkeys.  This is all free.  Plus, during school holidays, for busy periods or special events such as booked Mothers Group get togethers or childrens birthday parties, they also offer pony rides, a huge jumping castle with a slide and beautiful face painting.
 
The coffee was lovely and the menu options were excellent, with kids menu items starting from $2.50 for sandwiches.  They are open 7 days and I would definitely recommend for Mummy get togethers, school break up parties or play dates, or perhaps a family outing on the weekend.  Daddy can pick up the mulch and a few plants at the same time!!  I have never given 5/5, but this is a fabulous spot - King Country is King of the Kids!!  We will be back there.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Would you like Kookaburras with your Coffee??

Green Tree Frog Cafe at Walkabout Creek
60 Mt Nebo Rd
The Gap  4061
T:  3300 2558



Rating out of 5:        4 child friendly forks
Clean highchairs available? Yes.
Pram access? Yes, as well as through the wildlife area - sneaky exit for prams to avoid the stairs.
Kids' menu? Not specifically.
Play area? Not needed with the animal viewing.
Activities at the table? No.
Room for kids to move around? Yes.
Child friendly atmosphere? Yes.
Prices? Cheap cafe prices, and entry to the park is cheap too (free for under school age kids)


Yep, the name says it all....Green Tree Frog Cafe at Walkabout Creek is set amongst the wildlife of Brisbane Forest Park, and it is a fabulous place to take kids for a cheap outing without battling the crowds.  Children under school age are free to go into the wildlife area, and from memory I think school age children are about $2 and adults $5.  It is not a large walk through area, but it is enough for littlies to learn about different animals without having a whole day out.  We arrived at about 10am, walked around the wildlife area until about 11.30, which was then perfect timing for an early lunch at the cafe and home for the littlies'  midday sleep.

The wildlife area includes a platypus, wallabies, a big fat wombat, all types of lizards, snakes and water creatures, and various birds including a frog mouthed owl and several overly eager kookaburras.


The cafe's menu is limited to assorted sandwiches and paninis, sausage rolls, fruit and caesar salads, as well as cute cheese boxes with dried fruit and crackers.  But it is perfect for fuelling up after a big walk around looking at animals.  The coffee was perfect for an exhausted Mummy and Daddy keeping track of all four!

We sat outside on the goregous verandah, positioned up high in the trees of Brisbane Forest Park.  Be careful of the kookaburras as they come down and literally take the food from your plate!!  This provided great amusement for the kids!!

The Green Tree Frog Cafe is open from 9.30am til 2pm Monday to Friday, 10am til 3pm Saturday and Sunday, as well as a special Sunday brekky offer from 8.30am, which is best to book in for.  I would definitely recommend for a family outing that is relaxing for parents and also exciting for the kids, without it being a big full day outing where everyone goes home cranky.  It was the perfect half day out and would also be fun for a group of mums mid-week.  Enjoy!!