Cockatoo Island

This weekend we went for a camping trip to Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour! 

Cockatoo Island is a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. It is also the site of one of Australia's biggest shipyards during the twentieth century.  

We took the ferry with six other families (14 adults and 15 kids) to the island where the tents were waiting, complete with inflatable mattresses. Once Ela got over the fact that she wasn't allowed to take books or toys she actually had a ball. The dads took all the kids on an adventure tour of the island, through tunnels and old warehouses and finally a swim from the causeway in the harbour! Meanwhile the mums sat around sipping bubbly and enjoying the view!
There was a kids BBQ followed by impromtu games, then the adults BBQ. The kids were in bed by 9.30 and the adults sat around the esky (no fires allowed) being social. Our lot slept quite well - actually we were last up!

We had to load the kids back on the ferry very reluctantly but with a promise we would come back again soon.