“Party in the Park” in England bills itself as the UK’s biggest free live music event. Our “Party in the Park” over here in the western suburbs of Brisbane isn’t even the biggest free live music event in the western suburbs of Brisbane. Our music was from a CD by “The Fairies” played on my daughters little pink music box and our party was celebrating one of her best friends 5th birthday.
Party in the Park
But where are the kids?
The Play Area
They are either playing on the climbing frame, in the wooden hut, in the sand pit, on some of the rides or perhaps they are on the flying fox. They would return occasionally to grab another drink of lemonade, Coke or orange, or to grab another handful of nibbles, or get a snag (sausage to you) from the barbecue.
Just as Australians setup their barbecues anywhere they can, they will also have parties any place they can, especially children’s parties. There are a huge number of parks to choose from, most with barbecue facilities built in.
The older barbecues require a bit of wood gathering first but the new ones run on gas. And it’s all free!
On Saturday it was the birthday of my friend BeninOz’s daughter and just like last year, we headed for the park. I hate to have to remind you, but we are now in the deepest depths of winter. Having a children’s party in the Park at this time of year is equivalent to having a party in the Park in England at the beginning of February.
Except here, the weather was, as it was last year, just perfect. 22°C.
Okay, but this is Brisbane. Surely you wouldn’t be able to party in the Park in the depths of winter everywhere in Australia? Well, I took a look at the national weather, see for yourself.
Temperatures 1st August 2009
- Adelaide: 15.3°C
- Alice Springs: 18.9°C
- Brisbane: 19.9°C
- Cairns: 24.2°C
- Canberra: 12.1°C
- Darwin: 30.3°C
- Hobart: 10.8°C
- Melbourne: 16.0°C
- Newcastle: 17.3°C
- Perth: 19.0°C
- Sydney: 19.0°C
- Townsville: 24.1°C
- Wollongong: 17.8°C
Yes, it does say just 19.9°C for Brisbane, but I was here and I checked it. I say it was more like 22°C, that’s what the thermometer in my car said. And I think all the temperatures above would have been taken in the shade, so add a couple of degrees to each just for standing in the sunshine.
So apart from places around Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne and all of Tasmania where Hobart is, I reckon you could have partied in the Park in most of the rest of Australia without a coat on. It’s great fun for kids parties and you should have seen how easy it was to tidy up.
So, children’s parties in the Park are highly recommended. But I really can’t see it catching on in the UK.
PS. Did you see the river in the background?
Muddy Waters?
Not much info on Tasmania, any reason why???
Would love to hear/read more, as Im hoping to be emigrating there soon with a job all set up as a nurse, also any stories in comparing work as a nurse in Oz as to working here in Scotland?????
Taswhereia? Hold on, let me get a map.
Seriously, sorry I don’t have much info on Tassie, but I’ve never been so I can’t really say much. I have done a write up on Hobart which you can read by clicking that link. Pictures I’ve seen you look really pretty though, some of the housing looks typical old English. I imagine it has a lot of similarities with Scotland, it’s certainly colder than the mainland, more remote and with a big emphasis on fishing, just like Scotland. I don’t have any nurse stories either, so if you make it out here, perhaps you can supply them?
Yip, chcolate rivers! Just what every kids party needs… **grin**
Wow… it sounds absolutely wonderful. Looks like a river of chocolate to me… (muddy waters). The parks look so well kept.
My kids are 5 and 10 years old and this would go down perfectly. Thanks for the nice pic’s.
Hey Carolyn
All the parks, and there’s loads of them here, are all really well kept. Your kids will love it!
And nobody around here has thought to use the word chocolate to describe the river. Nice one, I love it! I’m going to see if I can get it to catch on in these parts.
Thanks
Bob