Image: Instagram (@sulyntan)
Who: Tan Su-Lyn, mid-forties, an entrepreneur.
Your favourite family travel destination: Western Australia.
Why Western Australia: I went to university in Western Australia and my husband and I tied the knot there. So, we’ve always been familiar with the state. We loved spending time in the Margaret River region as a couple. So, when our eldest son turned three in 2014, we decided to rent a house in Prevally and spend a couple of days exploring the region with him. From then on, we’ve tried to get to WA once every two years or so. It’s a short flight. There are fabulous opportunities for the kids to be outdoors and to interact with nature, too. Plus there’s good coffee, wine, fresh produce and dining options. And the establishments are generally incredibly child-friendly. So there’s plenty to keep everyone in the family happy.
What did you all love about it: We love the weather in the fall or winter. It’s mild and cool, such a pleasant change from Singapore’s climate. It means that we can enjoy doing ordinary things like spending time in the playground everyday. On our last trip, we spent a week in Fremantle, spending most of our time just going to places that we could get to on foot. In Margaret River, we love combining outdoor play with some wine tasting and lunch (with a designated driver).
Special memory from the trip: On our last trip to WA, we met up with the family that supplied the fabulous snow crabs to Rene Redzepi for Noma Australia. We visited their premises in the city and the kids were given the chance to feed the lobsters. Our then two-year-old daughter was clutching her kitten stuffed toy (newly purchased from Fremantle Markets) and decided to feed it to the lobsters, too. You can imagine my horror. Fortunately, they were able to retrieve the stuffed toy and no lobsters were hurt. This continues to be a story our children love retelling today.
Where to next: As yet unplanned. But I would love to take the kids further south to the Southern Forests for truffle hunting and rainbow trout fishing.
