Geese. Why did it have to be geese?
I was alarmed by the large, long-necked birds. Someone in my family once told me of a story from their childhood, and how they had been intimidated by geese at a farm… in fact geese tried to attack this family member! Do you know how they retaliated?
By summoning up all of their courage, grabbing the neck of one of the geese, and swinging it wide around and around in a circle before letting go, in a bid to say to that goose, AND all of the rest: “Don’t Mess With me.”
The family member in question was never bothered by this avian kind AGAIN.
Can you see how detrimental it is then that this story followed me over to The Big Goose farm, in the Spring school holidays?
Why did it have to be geese?
But there were other animals to see and many other things to do. After we paid at the entry, one of us getting in for free due to my voucher from the Mornington Peninsula Penny Saver voucher book, we fed some donkeys and cows right on the entrance walk up…
Bypassed some more geese… (quickly)
And had a look at the great old map to see where we would begin our day’s journey.
(Baby girl pointing out where she wanted to go!)
Due to proximity, it was to be The Big Red Shed.
All matter of small farm animals could be found in this petting barn, with keepers around to help with the more delicate of animals, such as young baby chicks. There was even a reptile room with lizards and snakes, for the more slithery-inclined folk amongst us.
We then headed towards the tractor ride. It was free and included in the ticket, but we had to wait the span of 20 minutes or longer, as the queue was long, and we watched two truck loads head around the grounds before it was finally our turn.
Granted this was only because it was school holidays and a spectacularly sunny day, so I imagine if you were to arrive at a quieter time there would be no delays in jumping on board.
It wasn’t the most awe-inspiring of truck rides, but for kids, yeah it was good. ‘Freebies’ are always welcome, and we got to view the camels as we rode past them too. It was generally a ride of the grounds and some passing animals in their enclosures. If you miss it, it’s not the be all and end all.
What we did pay extra to do, which I did up at the entry window, was an extra $5 for a pony ride. The line for this is beside the tractor rides, and even though it was fairly cheap, because it was additional the line wasn’t long and soon baby girl was strapping on her helmet.
Oh my Lordy. So bloody cute. She took to it like a horse to saddle 😉
At this stage we were both having a great ol’ time in the sun. It was impossible to walk by the jumping pillow, without jumping…
So of course that is what she did. The jumping pillow area has an assortment of tables and green areas for parents to sit and chill while their offspring go psycho. And be assured, there was a ‘Big Goose’ staff member jumping alongside the kiddos, just making sure, you know, things didn’t get out of hand… we don’t want outrageous big jumpers now, do we?
The jumping pillow was also beside a tyre maze course which we didn’t get to try…
… only because after so many activities and time in the sun, I absolutely imposed a shade and food curfew.
Lucky us there was a café on site.
The Rotunda Cafe houses a variety of day hot specials alongside other lunch regulars, and I got a calamari salad while baby girl got chips. It was nice to be out of the sun for at least a bit, and I had to promise baby girl that we would be back for that ice cream everyone was walking out with.
Next… the reptile show!
Now this was pretty interesting. The guy running it was very informative and engaging as we sat with the kids watching snakes crawl up his arms, legs, body, the wall… it was interesting yet freaky stuff. Baby girl even got called alongside some other kids to hold this giant long snake’s body, but at the sight of it she freaked out and pulled the pin immediately.
You won’t be surprised to hear we soon left and got ice cream. Ha ha. But the show was, really quite good.
With our ice creams we now scoured the grounds, free from any activities or set places calling us.
We looked into bird enclosures.
We went into another petting zoo enclosure and fed A LOT of goats.
We appreciated the serenity of the scenery.
And we carefully stayed away from all the wild wandering geese on the grounds, more so after observing all the signage telling us to watch out for them!
(duly noted goose in background!)
It had been a really full couple of hours, and having not even been there all day, I felt I had already gotten my money’s worth from the (half) entry price. As a final resort, baby girl went into the playground area, which was a crafty set-up of climbing apparatuses, a high enclosed bridge that led to a winding slide, and a grand selection of things to climb, swing, jump and land on.
A great play area, in that it was completely enclosed from the sun, and any foul weather on what might be an otherwise cold and rainy day. Many families and parents were set up around this area, as not only did it provide shelter from any elements, but its enclosure meant it was safe.
A mini golf area led out back out to the entrance we had walked in from, but really for us, it was time to go. We had worn ourselves out and were quite happy to be escorted by some geese at the gate…
We walked that much faster out of there after remembering the words of a boy from the reptile show, who had kindly offered the nuggets of info that some of the geese had been posed to attack since people were getting too close. Thanks little dude. I needed to hear that.
The deets!
The Big Goose is at 233 Mornington-Tyabb Road Moorooduc.
They are open Wednesday to Sunday in the warmer months
Thursday to Sunday over Winter
But on the school holidays they are open every day!
Times? 10-4pm.
Prices: Adult $18, Children $14 (under 2 is free), and Seniors $14
Check their website at www.thebiggoose.com.au for more info on family entry prices and updated info regarding seasonal entry times.
What else is there?
Well we didn’t get to see it all because there is really so much to see and do. Apart from all of the above that we got to experience…
You can buy some kangaroo food and walk through the wildlife park to feed them.
You can get wet at the splash park!
You can throw a birthday party or host a function.
And for super keen Geese, there is even an annual pass you can purchase which will save you loads.
Tips:
There is a lot of dirt and sand around. Closed-toe shoes will save you from dirty feet.
Sunscreen and hats are a must in warmer months, especially if you have to wait in a queue at all. A drink bottle won’t hurt either.
You can even bring your own picnic and enjoy on any of the grassy areas… but you won’t be able to get past that Rotunda café ice cream 😉
Watch out for the Geese!
With both indoor/outdoor areas, areas to keep all kids, both young and old entertained, with places to sit and eat and relax, this place really is a great one-stop shop for the whole family. And for the price to enter, it is relatively cheap for what you can get if you spend the whole 6 hours there.
The Big Goose really does have it all. And unfortunately for me, that also means ACTUAL Geese! 🦆🦆🦆😆😆😆
smikg 