Autumn is such a wonderful time to spend in our City, with the still-warm-but-not searingly-hot weather just perfect for exploring our beautiful beaches, bays and bushland, dangling a fishing line or catching up with friends for coffee at your favourite town or village haunt.

There really is so much to do in Lake Mac and staycationing provides you with the perfect opportunity to ‘make like a tourist’ and try things or visit places for the first time.

Why not stretch out on one of our walking trails? Lake Mac Holiday Parks has compiled a top 10 on its website (lakemacholidayparks.com.au) if you are not sure where to start. Or, you could jump on your bike and discover our extensive and ever-expanding network of off-road pathways, including the 18-kilometre shared path between Belmont and Booragul or the Fernleigh Track.

There are plenty of options for getting out on the water, but for a special experience, you could try the kayaking trail from Dora Creek to the swinging bridge at Cooranbong, which takes paddlers upstream through scenic residential and rural areas. You can download a mobile-friendly version of the City’s best walking and kayak trials at lakemactrails.com.

If you are looking to entertain the kids, don’t forget that a number of school playgrounds will remain open for public use, during the holidays, from 8am to 6pm each day.

The following Lake Macquarie schools are involved in this program:

Arcadia Vale Public School

Belmont High School

Charlestown East Public School

Dudley Public School

Garden Suburb Public School

Redhead Public School

Speers Point Public School

Wangi Wangi Public School

For those who are venturing out on to the open road over the holiday season, please remember to drive within the speed limit, take regular breaks and leave the wind-down drinks until you get to your destination. Analysis by the NSW Government shows speeding is the biggest contributing factor in fatalities (42 per cent), followed by tiredness and drink driving. Put simply, driving sensibly saves lives.