YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Summer 2019 | Page 17

(which attaches to yours), to training
wheels, and eventually they’ll start riding
their own bike. Bike paths ensure you
can ride safely away from traffic, making
them the ideal place to learn all about
bike safety, rules, hills, braking, steep
embankments, spatial awareness, and
bike etiquette (including the appropriate
use of their bell!). Once everyone is fully
bike-ready, you can then enjoy tackling
all sorts of bike trails together, which
opens up a whole new world of
opportunities to create lifelong memories
of wonderful family adventures.
Before you start any two-wheeled
adventure, contact your local council for
cycling route maps to ensure you choose
the most suitable trails for your family
members’ skill levels. Make sure you also
remember to check your tyres, and pack
the helmets, lots of water and healthy
snacks. You can involve your kids in the
ride planning process by asking them to
suggest interesting stops along the way,
such as playgrounds or picnic spots.
Stay local
There are so many local council parks,
and many of them offer fabulous play
equipment, water features and BBQ
facilities. Put a call out to some friends
and organise a get-together or early
BBQ dinner at your favourite park –
check out the BBQ recipes in this edition
for some healthy inspiration. You’ll find a
list of parks and play spaces on your
local council’s website.
Get wild and discover the zoo
TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE FREE OR
LOW-COST
PUBLIC AMENITIES
THAT ARE IN YOUR
OWN BACKYARD!
Did you know that children under 16
years (accompanied/supervised by an
adult) receive free admission to
Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo
and Werribee Open Range Zoo on
weekends, Victorian public holidays and
Victorian Government school holidays?
Each zoo offers something different, so
plan your summer and try all three!
Healesville Sanctuary is a bushland
haven for Australian wildlife and they
have a wonderful selection of keeper
talks each day. Don’t miss the renowned
Spirits of the Sky, where a range of
birds show off their ability to fly right
before you. In contrast, at Werribee
Zoo you can experience an African
adventure involving lions, hippos and
gorillas. The landscape is very different
and makes for a unique experience.
Melbourne Zoo has over 300 different
species of animals from around the
world to view. You can see seals
swimming underwater, sleek Sumatran
tigers, and orang-utans swinging
through the trees; and if you’re lucky
enough, butterflies might even land on
your hand or shoulder!
All of these zoos are worthy of a full day
visit, so to avoid fatigue, take
a healthy packed lunch
and snacks, water
See p12
bottles and even a
for some super
small picnic rug so
summer picnic
recipes.
you can rest your
weary legs on a nice
grassy spot mid-visit.
There’s a whole world out
there, waiting to be explored, so
get the kids involved and start planning
your outdoor time this summer.
SUMMER 2019 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
17