Fun Ideas for the School Holidays

With the school holidays creeping closer, it’s time to equip yourself with fun activities that will help keep your kids busy these school holidays. After all, kids need to burn their energy throughout the day to be happy and healthy, so having a list of ideas that will pique their curiosity and enrich their minds will come in handy.

Here are our favourite fun ideas for the school holidays when in Chinchilla.

Explore the Chinchilla Museum

Offering a unique, old time experience for the whole family, the Chinchilla Museum is a rare find. Here, you will learn about the area and the rich produce responsible for growth in Chinchilla. From fascinating glimpses into livelihoods that involve cattle, grain, sheep and timber, to more recent developments on produce including melons, grapes, stone fruits and vegetables.

When it comes to antiques and showcase items, the Chinchilla museum has a grand collection, which includes a 1910 steam sawmill replica, vintage cars, steam engines, historical relics, and period costumes.

Buildings that form the museum include the Goombi Hall, the Emberson Building, Wongongera Cottage, the authentic slab hut, the blacksmith shop, and the old jail. Some of these buildings have been re-erected, adding to the period atmosphere.

Key displays include the Cypress Pine Centre which details the story of saw milling, the Green Plague exhibit which explains the Prickly Pear cactus devastation, and the Melon Festival display which celebrates Chinchilla as Australia’s melon capital.

A visit to the Chinchilla Museum is a must for families with curious-minded kids, and it also offers the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the town and its people.

Go fossicking with the kids

There aren’t many places lucky enough to offer a unique fossicking adventure like Chinchilla.

Known for its abundance in petrified wood, a fossicking adventure with the kids will be exciting. And given how the area is much beloved by lapidary enthusiasts for the quality and colours of petrified wood in the area, you’ll know the finds your kids make will be nothing short of satisfying.

You can easily find good specimens beside roads, but collecting is only allowed from ground surface in road reserves with digging not being permitted.

There are designated fossicking fields, which you can purchase licenses to enter from the Chinchilla Visitor Information Centre. Before your adventure, have a sit down with the kids by the verandah and indulge in some Devonshire tea with freshly baked scones, while you plan your fossicking journey together.

There are three designated areas to choose from, and once at a site, it’s time to get into action. The Kumbarilla beds of sedimentary rocks from the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous period is what makes up part of the Surat Basin beneath the Chinchilla area. Most petrified wood is found in the unconsolidated gravel of the Kumbarilla beds, and are most likely remnants of earlier erosion of the sediments.

If you’re lucky, you can find yourself some good petrified palm specimens, which are easily collected at ground level. Shallow excavation may also help you find some specimens if you’re finding yourself out of luck.

Needless to say, fossicking is a great way to keep your kids busy all day while fuelling their curiosity while learning about geography and history of the area.

The Miles Historical Village Museum

A quick 30 minute drive from Chinchilla, the Miles Historical Village Museum is one of Australia’s finest museums operating since 1971. Comprising over 30 buildings and featuring countless displays, the attraction has become one of the most important tourist destinations that offer authentic, original establishments dating back to the 19th and 20th century.

Some of these buildings include a coach house, a blacksmith, a general store, a chemist, a hospital, a bank, post office, a bakery, a café, a butcher shop, a union hotel, and a barber.

The significant collection displays include the Artesian Basin Centre, the War Museum, the Main Museum, the Norman Donpon Lapidary Display, Mr G Mogan Shell House, and more.

Explore this fantastic museum with the kids during the school holidays, promising plenty of fun and learning to tinker upon their curious minds.

Chinchilla Botanic Parkland

Queensland’s 2020 Park of the Year, the Chinchilla Botanic Garden incorporates an abundance of native flora and fauna. It also features a magnificent water park that will have the kids occupied for hours.

Get the family inspired by the Demonstration Garden, or go on a family walk along Ephemeral Creek, embrace the Megafauna Discovery area featuring the prehistoric Diprotodon (a giant wombat), and laze on the wide open grassy spaces for a picnic with the kids.

A visit to the Chinchilla Botanic Parklands is a must during the school holidays.

Bring the kids out for a feast

With all of these activities to keep the kids busy these school holidays, don’t forget about feeding their hungry tummies too. After all, the more energy they’re burning, the more food replenishing they’ll be needing.

And what better way to deliver ultimate satisfaction than a feast at the Commercial Hotel in Chinchilla?

Offering a full range menu that has been specially curated for all kinds of eaters, the kids menu takes the win with classic delights like spaghetti bolognese, battered flathead and chips, Dino nuggets and chips, and chicken schnitzel and chips. All kids meals come with a Dixie cup ice cream and a colouring pack.

And if the kids menu isn’t tempting enough for the kids, there’s always the full menu including pizzas, schnitzels, crispy wings, and more. Click here to view the menu.

Treat the family to a scrumptious meal by making a booking and calling the Commercial Hotel team on (07) 4662 7524.

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