Winter School Holidays in the Sutherland Shire

The winter school holidays are on their way from 7 July to 22 July. The Sutherland Shire has a range of fun, unique and exciting adventures for kids and their parents to enjoy these winter holidays. 

Sunny day adventures

One of the blessings of living in Sydney is that you will still have gorgeous sunny blue sky days throughout the winter. The Sutherland Shire is the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors and sunshine as a family. Stroll along the Cronulla Esplanade and look out for passing whales as they migrate north. Catch a ferry to Bundeena and take a walk along the beach to Jibbon Head to admire the Aboriginal shell midden and artworks. Or head to the hidden gem of the Sutherland Shire at The Boatshed at Woronora where you can hire canoes and kayaks to paddle along the Woronora River before returning to the cafe for delicious food and coffee all in a kid-friendly atmosphere.

Creative adventures

Free Range Living in Kirrawee offers a range of school holiday workshops for kids ranging from 4 years old to teenagers. Workshops aim to inspire kids to develop skills in design and sewing. Projects include unicorn tote bags, pyjama pants, beading and patchwork blankets as well as many more. Your creative kid will be sure to find something fabulous to make at Free Range Living. Booking for classes can be made online.

Hazelhurst is also offering a range of free kid's craft activities these school holidays at the Creative Kids Studio each week day from 10am-12pm. Drawing inspiration for the Marion Hall Best Interiors exhibit in the gallery kids are invited to try their hand at pattern and furniture design. Each week day there are also screenings in the Hazelhurst Theaterette of kid's films. Check the website for times and film details.

Also on offer is the Hazelhurst Winter School Holiday Program where you can enrol your child (6-18 years) in an in-depth half day workshop in a range of mediums including clay, drawing, painting and sculpture.

Sporty adventures

Encourage your kids to try something new and head out to the picturesque greens of the Ridge Golf Course. On Tuesday 17th July there is a ‘Kids Come and Try Golf Day’ which is perfect for those who have never experienced golf before. Alternatively, there is a kids hit for free promotion at the driving range running throughout the school holiday period. The club also runs 3 day school holiday camps for ages 6-15 years. For more details check out their website. 

GeckoSports in Taren Point are offering a fun holiday program including ninja training, boxing bootcamp, multi-sports fun games and nutrition inspiration. This is a great chance for those high energy kids to burn some off in a fun and safe atmosphere. Contact GeckoSports to secure a spot for your little warrior now!

The Sutherland Shire Leisure Centres also offer some great activities for kids over the school break. At the Menai Indoor Sports Centre there are programs offering experiences in bubble soccer, rollerskating and acrobatics The Sutherland Leisure Centre offers endless fun with its ever popular giant inflatable water obstacle course all in a comfortably heated pool!

Cultural Adventures

At the Sutherland Entertainment Centre, both children and parents will be delighted by the holiday kid’s performances on offer. The Very Hungry Caterpillar on Saturday 7th July is a magical retelling of four of Eric Carle’s children’s books including amazing puppetry and visual effects that are simply stunning. The Magic Flute performance on Wednesday 18th July is an adaptation for children of Mozart’s opera that explores concepts of truth and light, friendship and forgiveness with enchanting music. Both performances include picnic packages to be enjoyed in the nearby park following the performances. Be sure to book tickets here before they sell out.

NAIDOC celebrations will be hosted by the Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation in Gunnamatta Park on Thursday July 12 from 10am to 3pm. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The day will include lots of fun free activities for the kids including art, face painting, a jumping castle and visits from the Cronulla Sharks and Symbio Wildlife Park. It is a fantastic chance for parents and children to learn more about Australia’s first people and their culture.

Book-ish adventures

Comic Con-versation 2018 is running from July 9-22. It is a celebration of local comic culture with events and exhibitions being held in libraries across Sydney including Sutherland Shire. Sutherland Library is holding a workshop on digital comics art on Tuesday July 17 and Cronulla Library will host a comics lab demonstrating how comic artists work on Monday July 16. For more information check out the Facebook page. 

The Sutherland Shire Libraries network also offers a huge range of holiday activities to keep kids engaged including workshops in animation, space, ozobots and coding. Places are generally limited so book soon to secure a spot!

For some extra inspo on what to do these School holidays, Sutherland Shire Council offers a huge range of adventures that will keep the kids entertained. From bushwalks to Bubble Soccer, painting to picture books, space fun to swimming and everything in between, click here for more details.