When the destination is more important than the journey.

I have recently returned from a long weekend up in Victoria’s high country with my boys, parents, relatives and friends.  Our combined tribe of 22 (13 kids & 9 adults) between 5 and 71 descended upon what was a quiet little caravan park at Porepunkah, just 5km from Bright, in Victoria’s North East.  As the event CCO (chief camping officer), I organise the activities, so no second guessing what was on the agenda.  The must bring item on the list this year was bikes and 19 in total came prepared to come along for the ride.  As far as cycling destinations go, this area has it all. There are cracking mountain climbs for roadies, gentle river valley trails for families and touring and it's a mountain bike mecca for those who like their cycling far from a graded trail.   The Mountains to Murray rail trail is one of the great assets of the region, with over 100km of off road sealed trails between Wangaratta and Bright, with an optional detour to Beechworth.  

Getting everyone else's kids enthused about going for a bike ride to a swimming hole in Bright was not a problem.  If I said jump, they would probably do it.  However getting my own two seven year olds excited was a different matter altogether.  This is where the destination came in handy.  Something along the lines of "boys do you remember that great swimming hole in Bright with the slide and the diving board."  And they would chime in something like "yeah that was awesome". We made it after 8km of riding and at least the same number of requests for information on how much further.  The advance party of aunt and granny met us with some reviving fruit and chocolate brownie.  The swim, the diving board, weir and water slide all provided great attractions.  Somehow after that the return trip was a breeze.  With the aid of a slight down hill we headed for our camp in what seemed half the time.    Most importantly on our return was plenty of praise to acknowledge their achievement and how well they did.  Here's a picture of the tribe waiting to cross the road on our return to Porepunkah.

A bush walk was the activity planned for the next day.  In this part of the state my boys and their cousins have a favourite walk, which is the Chalwell Galleries Track.  I know it all too well because we've walked it three times in the past year, so it was time for something different which avoided the need to drive all the way up Mt Buffalo.  In my pre-camp planning I chose Rollason's Falls.  The 4km return distance sounded about right for our group, but again my boys weren't sold on the idea.  Fortunately the Parks Victoria website delivered some great pictures which provided the incentive that we might be able to have a swim there.  The destination delivered.  The pictures on the website did not do it justice.  At the lower section of the falls a spectacular 10m waterfall cascaded from one rock pool into another.  The water was clear and cool.  The area was abundant with small lizards which kept the kids very amused..  

As a cycling tragic who would not hesitate than to head out for a 2 hour ride before breakfast, I’ve consistently got to balance my needs and enthusiasm with those of the rest of the family.    When it comes to encouraging kids to step up to a bigger challenge, use pictures, memories,    talk about what's there and what you are going to do when you get there and don't mention the fact that it's a 8, 12 or 16km walk or ride.  It's a tactic that works well with kids to challenge them a little and actually get out exploring the wider reaches of a holiday destination or even the local neighbourhood.  Suggesting a ride to the beach, a cafe, a park, a pool, a friend's house or to a football game provides a worthy destination. Another option to keep in mind in mind with younger ones is to factor in the possible return trip via public transport or an arranged ride.   Inevitably stories will be told about what happened on the journey, but when it comes to kids and motivating them to walk and ride, it's all about the destination.