A day out at The Ginger Factory is a day well spent!
I know that I have written about
The Ginger Factory in Yandina umpteen times, but I firmly believe that
every visit to
The Ginger Factory is truly worthy of an accolade, as it is just so much fun!
Recently we have been inundated (slight exaggeration) with Show holidays on the Sunshine Coast and one is absolutely guaranteed of being affected by one, if not all of these 'holidays'. Yep, my grandson's kindy was closed for the day and we had the honour of a
whole day with our four-and-a half-year old, little man.
Watch out for Moreton as he chug chugs passed
This is absolutely a privilege and pleasure in our lives, but have you ever tried to fill an entire day with activities that are designed to be in five minute increments - in all honesty that's how a slightly older than a toddler's mind works - attention spans that only last for five minutes at a time before moving onto the next activity.
I suspect that
The Ginger Factory has a 'direct line' upstairs, because before I realised it, my prayers had been answered and
The Ginger Factory were offering a '
Long Weekend Play Bundle' to coincide with the show holiday! How awesome was this idea! For $17 a ticket - children and adults alike - we got unlimited play on Moreton the Train and on
Overboard - the boat that travels around the world in search of the Gingerbread Man.
Follow the rules for an enjoyable train ride on Moreton
To say that I was absolutely delighted, is definitely an understatement.
Let me tell you a bit more about these wonderful play areas at
The Ginger Factory.
Moreton the Ginger Train
Moreton is an antique - in my language that means he is more than one hundred years old! Can you believe that Moreton is actually 116 years old! Moreton used to be a sugar cane train at the Moreton Sugar Mill in Nambour before retiring to
The Ginger Factory. Moreton now spends his days idyllically meandering around the nine hectares of lush sub-tropical gardens of
The Ginger Factory. What a superb way to spend one's retirement!
Sit back and relax!
The children….parents and grandparents too, I might add…..absolutely love
Moreton the Ginger Train rides. Sit back and relax, whilst enjoying the prolific birdlife that swoop in for a 'hello' or a 'bite to eat' from the train driver and just enjoy the serenity and peacefulness of a train ride on the historic Moreton.
Overboard
Ride around the world on Overboard - exciting!
This was our first time to visit
Overboard and I guarantee, it won't be our last! Visitors get to take a tranquil boat ride on an adventure around the world, in search of the Gingerbread Man, who is trying to escape the clutches of hungry chefs.
From New Zealand to Ginger Rouge, you can travel the world!
is a boat ride perfectly suited to the whole family with music and animated puppetry featuring more than two hundred handmade moving puppets. We were so impressed with how much imagination, colour and creativity came into play with
Overboard and our grandson was in total awe, looking this way and that, trying to keep up with the artistry of all the functioning and moving concepts. Needless to say, we were all quite happy to sit back, pretending we were really on a world boat cruise, taking in the sounds and sights of every country we visited. One trip around was definitely not going to do it - we needed more, much more! And that's exactly what we did….round and round again we went!
All this activity sure works up a thirst and grumbly tummies! So a stop-off at the
Ginger Cafe to relax, unwind and enjoy what is on offer, would surely not go amiss. The Ginger Cafe is open seven days a week from 9.00am until 4.30pm and offers coffee, drinks and light refreshments plus a Main Menu.
Colourful and delicious, my roasted pumpkin and veg salad
My choice on the day of our visit was the
Roasted Pumpkin and Vegetable salad, which was absolutely delicious and basically all I had time to eat (remember the five minute attention increments) before rushing off to our next activity.
Definitely 'boys' stuff - not sure who was having more fun, Grandad or our little man!
Whilst waiting to board Moreton, for a two dollar coin, littlies can enjoy 'driving a digger' -manipulating it every which way to dig up the dirt….literally. This was boy stuff, for sure, and between grandad and grandson, we spent a heap load of time here, figuring out which control operated which 'arm'.
Take a stroll through the Rainforest Walk
has magnificent gardens, allowing visitors to amble at leisure and enjoy the array of exotic plants. Stroll through the
Rainforest Walk and enjoy calming water features and tranquil hidden spots amidst the lush greenery.
Alternatively, thoughtfully placed picnic tables and chairs allow visitors to sit back and enjoy their surrounds with a home-packed picnic lunch or spoil the family with an ice-cream bought at the
Ginger Ice Creamery.
There are plenty of free and fun play spaces at
The Ginger Factory. The children will love the
secure, undercover playground with tunnels, stairs, slides and ropes for climbing. There is also a smaller play space designed with toddlers in mind, with a train to climb, a carriage to crawl through as well as colourful balls to play with.
Secure, undercover playground
Admission at The Ginger Factory is
FREE, which allows parents and grandparents a diversity of activities within
The Ginger Factory, without even putting your hand in your back pocket to reach for a wallet - an added bonus to visiting an extremely fun tourist destination on the Sunshine Coast.
The Ginger Factory do offer various '
Play, Taste and Discovery Bundles' - nothing quite like bundling and saving! Please the click link above to discover what is on offer and to select your options.
The exotic gardens at The Ginger Factory encourage visitors to walk!
A day trip to
The Ginger Factory with everything it has to offer, is a day well spent and is guaranteed to keep the whole family entertained and 'busy' all day - an assurance of an early-to-bed night for all concerned…and yes, that's me included!
All photos courtesy of the author and taken on the run….unless otherwise indicated
