Wow, what a way to spend your 9th birthday. Staying in the Big4 at Renmark. Big4 Parks target market is families and they cater for them very well. The park in Renmark is situated right on the Murray River and the park has a long river frontage.

We gave Ben his presents in the morning and it was lovely to see his face light up when opening them. I asked what he would like for his birthday breakfast and he promptly replied ‘your scrambled eggs & bacon Gran’. So another batch of scrambled eggs & bacon was cooked in my large SmartSpace saucepan (see my post ‘What are our most useful items’ under Random Stuff). We set the table outside and we all enjoyed our breakfast under the motorhome awning in the warm sun.

We needed some groceries so piled in the car to head to the local Woolies. Groceries and fresh bread purchased we were quickly back at camp. We decided to make some good use of the facilities at the park and went to reception to hire tennis racquets and balls. There is no fee for these but you do have to fill in an equipment hire form. Probably to ensure you bring them back!

We spent the next couple of hours playing tennis. What a hoot and so much fun. Benny is a natural at tennis. Never had a lesson and he was whacking those balls across the net. Pa even put his book down to join in.

After becoming hot and sweaty from playing tennis the kids all wanted a swim so Katie took them to the pool and the water park. While the pool is solar heated , the water park is not. I dont’ know how they go in the cold water but they seemed to love it.

Pa and I needed a rest!

I went for another long walk around the park and it truly is a lovely spot. The grounds are very well maintained and the gardens are lovely. There seem to be a lot of staff and they ride around the park silently in their golf buggies.

The park was fairly empty, and becoming more empty each day, but I could imagine how busy it would get in the warmer months. All the school holidays are over so it’s only us grey nomads left in the park with a few families that are full-time on the road.

Ben was asked what he would like to do for his birthday dinner and to everyone’s surprise he said ‘let’s have Chinese’. I can tell you that Pa was very happy about that. He loves Chinese!

So we all got dolled up in our finest camping gear and set off to the Riverland Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant only to discover when we arrived that they are closed on a Monday. Oh well!

Ben’s next choice was the Renmark Club where we enjoyed a lovely meal and the kids enjoyed a play in their Kids Room. When you check in at the Big4 you are given a 10% discount card for the Renmark Club. A great idea so that park patrons support the club. The Renmark Club is perfectly situated right on the banks of the river and we’ve eaten there a few times before. They have a large deck on the river side that makes a perfect spot for lunch. You can enjoy your meal and a cold beverage watching the river and boats going by. Lovely!

Back at camp Katie organised birthday cake for dessert with strawberries and cream. I found some sparklers, Katie had candles and we all sang an enthusiastic, if not harmonious, happy birthday to Ben.

He’d had a lovely birthday.