Easter at Lake Macquarie

There’s something about Easter that invites you to slow down, gather your people, and lean into the kind of moments you don’t get in the day-to-day. This year’s annual Easter trip included four families, eight parents, and ten kids! We rented a gorgeous Airbnb, six-bedroom modern farmhouse perched near Lake Macquarie for a long weekend that delivered equal parts chaos, calm, and seriously good wine.

The house itself set the tone. Open spaces, long dining tables, and enough room for everyone to spread out (or pile in together when the night called for it). It didn’t take long before routines dissolved into holiday mode and the kids running barefoot and adults slowly migrating toward the kitchen as the unofficial hub of the weekend.

Food, as always, was central. But this wasn’t your standard Easter spread. The hero? A 3.5kg Costco A5 Wagyu steak that felt more like an event than a meal. It was cooked to perfection by our resident BBQ King around the classic Aussie weber. It became the centrepiece of one of those long, laughter-filled dinners where no one’s in a rush to leave the table. The kind where plates are passed, glasses are topped up, and conversations drift between wine, work, kids, and everything in between.

What about the wine? The lineup deserved its own spotlight. Bottles from Bass Phillips, Penfolds, Joh Jos Prüm, Pressing Matters, and Guy Breton (among others) made their way onto the table across the weekend. It wasn’t about formal tastings or over-analysis; it was about opening great bottles with great people. Some stood out, some surprised, and some were simply enjoyed in the moment but collectively, they elevated the experience into something memorable.

What really hit home over the weekend was how much the kids have grown. Looking back 2, 3, 4 and even 5 years ago, some were just babies!

These trips used to look a little different, up at the crack of dawn, frantically getting the kids ready, feeding breakfast and off to some sort of activity that will keep them amused until nap time. Not anymore. Now, the early risers aren’t the adults, they’re the kids. Every day of the weekend, the kids were up collecting fresh eggs from the chook pen, cooking fried, scramble and even omelettes. While others cooking pancakes and sausages. The times have changed, can’t deny that we’re getting old(er)!

The annual Easter egg hunt kicked off after everyone crafted their own baskets the day before. At the whistle, they were off, scattering in all directions in search of big eggs, small eggs, and everything in between. Laughter, chaos, and full baskets all around. Thank you, Easter Bunny, for the magic.

From babies to independent kids they are today, it’s been special watching them grow together. Enjoying each other’s company reminds us how quickly time moves and how lucky we are to share it together.

As the weekend wrapped up, there was the usual slow pack-down, the “one more coffee” conversations, and the quiet acknowledgment that these moments are the ones that stick. Not because everything was perfect, but because it was real.

Good food. Exceptional wine. Even better company. As the kids grow, more family commitments, hopefully we can keep this tradition going for many years to come.