What to do with the teenagers.
Finding teenager activities on the South Coast, or just holidaying in general, can be a bit of a chore. As we all know, travelling with teenagers is really just a magical experience…….pfffftt! Just kidding! Somedays I’d rather go through labour again than try and have a conversation with my 15yo! Look, it’s just a phase apparently and they get over it. We’ve all been through it, blah blah blah.This post is about what is available down the coast for teenagers, because when they’re happy….the whole universe seems like a happy place again. Let’s see what your options are! Let me show you some “Teenager activities on the South Coast of NSW”.
Holidays are wonderful with younger kids. They love everything, have boundless energy, and they know the world is a wondrous place! Most of them even speak in full sentences, with teenagers….not so much. While at Ocean Echoes, complimentary wi-fi is available, the password will only be given to the “booker” (that’s a word now). So! If you’d like to pretend there is no password, who am I to tell you how to parent?!
Now let’s stop picking on the teenagers…..don’t you know the whole world is doing that already anyway?!
Adventure Activities!
My family and I recently enjoyed a kayak tour in Batemans Bay. We spent the morning checking out local sting-rays and fish in our glass-bottom kayaks. Generally just loving life. Now, when it comes to teenager activities on the South Coast, Region_x have got you covered. Our tour guide for our glass-bottom kayaking adventure, was Josh, a very chilled out local with a vast knowledge of the area and wildlife, and a core of steel (dude kept standing up in his kayak, not even a wobble!).
Note to self: don’t pair up with the youngest in the group, she may decide she “doesn’t feel like paddling anymore”.
Region_x has a great variety of different activities, from the bottom-glass kayaks, to the Float & Feast Kayak Tour. With this latter, you stop into Sams Pizzeria (sooooo good), pick up some pizzas, and cruise and dine while checking out the sunset. Bliss!
Glass-bottom kayaking
Surfing and Stand-Up Paddling!
Obviously the pizza tour rates pretty high on our things to do list, as does learning to surf! The beauty of this activity is that it’s held at Wimbie Beach. So basically all you have to do is point said teenager creature in the direction of the ocean and wave them away! Yeehee! Let them spend the day re-acquainting themselves with mother nature, and conversations and humans etc…
Don’t stress if you’re ready to explore some of the other beautiful beaches further south. Surf the Bay are a mobile surf school ready and willing to educate the youngsters on hanging ten (showing my age with that one!). If they’re not into the surfing, try the stand-up paddle boarding. Another on our to do list!
The More Chilled Out
Not everyone is down for the fast lane and I can appreciate that. Amongst my four dwarves I have “Lazy, Hippy, Speedy and Fairy”, it is quite rare to get them doing something they all love at the one time. Don’t worry, we can work with that. Enter – “Relaxing” teenager activities on the South Coast! Head to the Soul Tribe Studio for a gorgeous yoga session or let them peruse the Moruya Bookstore at their leisure. All the while you parents can check out the local shops and cafes.
Mogo is also a fantastic place to let the teens cruise around and check out the stores. You could nearly consider it the “Byron Bay of the South”, except without the annual naked bike rid…thank god. You’ll find everything from fudge to pottery or homewares to crystals. Everything is in one street, don’t forget to pop into The Mogo Lolly Shop for some treaties!
Animal Lovers Unite
The Mogo Zoo
For the rare few who are a little more active, and ready to check out the furrier locals, if you’re lucky, you may meet the possum who loves a late-night stroll around our deck! He/She is also quite partial to a bit of fruit here and there. If not, never fear, everything you could possibly need to see is at Mogo Zoo. Our family spent a great day there and, for such a big family, I thought it was quite affordable…but then again, I live in Sydney!
Book in for a Meerkat encounter, feed the giraffes, or just wander around the zoo grounds taking in all of the sounds and sights of the wild. Our favourites were the gorillas, lions, and of course the baby monkeys!!
Narooma Seals
Perhaps you’d like to try your luck at some wildlife spotting! Head down to beautiful Narooma where the local seals are happy to put on a show. Whether sunning themselves on the rocks, or waving hello from the water, this particular pod of seals are happy to put on a show.
There are several beautiful beaches further south to check out, but really, we all know how motivated teenagers can be these days. Perhaps we shouldn’t push our luck. Just be happy they made it the 3-4min walk down to Wimbie Beach. Reach for the moon parents – you can always land in the stars!
In the “City” Activities
Nearby Batehaven has a great skate park and walkway, stretching all the way up to Batemans Bay. It’s an easy, flat stroll alongside the marina, and a great way to take in the water views. In Batemans Bay itself, there are plenty of shops to keep the teens busy, as well as the Perry Street Cinema, with good prices on all the latest flicks.
Now, I know it seems like I’m giving the teenagers of the world a bad rap (cue: epic eye roll), but I’m really not. I think it just takes them a little while longer for their brains to come out of that wi-fi fog, and check-in to the real world again. Once they’ve warmed up to it, they can actually be some very relatable human beings again.
As I type this, my 15yo son and 7yo daughter are singing a song together on the lounge (soooo cute!) – scratch that, he just clocked her on the head with the PS4 remote and now she’s crying. Don’t judge him, the first pancake is always a bit dodgy. Oh well!
It’s all about balance, right?
Kas
Side Note: Should any of these local business (who I stalk religiously on socials) care to collaborate with me, feel free to drop me a note Contact Karen.