Vacation planning with children is a fun as well as a complicated affair. You can imagine the problem of selection of Destinations in Australia that we faced given that there are so many beautiful places to visit and the right location that can also entertain both adults and children is a great deal! I have been there before—balancing between your toddlers nap time and teenagers desire for an adrenaline rush is not that easy but trust me, there is something for everyone in Australia.
Australia really is a holidaymaker’s paradise in which you can find anything from a sandy ocean water beach to a lively family museum and numerous entertaining theme parks. Whether one wants to spend the time at a spa, or wants to embark on a wild journey full of danger, Australia has the options. In this guide, let’s walk you through the 10 best places that you should visit in Australia both for fun as well as for taking your entire family for a nice holiday. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Sydney – A Family Playground
Sydney brings together vibrant city life and stunning landscapes which should excite any families. Beginners should first take a family tour at the Sydney Opera House and be amazed on how children would also find it interesting. The stage set up was a big hit with my little one, he enjoyed acting like a performer on the big stage!
That is followed by, Head to Taronga Zoo for a day of fun. It will be very interesting to visit this zoo because the zoo houses more than 4000 animals like kangaroos, koalas, unique birds among others. One interesting feature regarding the location of the zoo is that it is based in Sydney and has views of the Sydney Harbour which makes it more attractive to persons both of young and older age.
To sum up, do you want a bit of sun and sand? Manly Beach will do a great for families as well as Coogee Beach. The patients as well as the young people enjoy the sites because of the gentle wave and the available playgrounds within the region. But one will not want to miss the Luna Park where there is typical carnival like environment. Both the rides are games will make any person to act like a child in the park.
Gold Coast – Theme Park Capital
As a lover of theme parks the Gold Coast is truly the place that dreams are made of for families. Dreamworld is one of the largest theme parks for tourists in Australia and it has numerous amenities available for the tourists including rides. For the more adventurous ones, there are the thrilling rides such as the roller coasters then for the animal lovers, there are opportunities to have a closer look at animals up, close and personal. My children enjoyed the wildlife shows, it was something they would always want all the time.
Another place worth visiting is Sea World and it goes without saying that you should go there if your children are interested in marine life. The presentations of dolphin and seals are entertaining and the park contains good number of rides with exciting adventurous comes for elder children and fantasy rides for the tender aged children.
Warner Bros. Movie World is a delight for the beholder of movie films and is especially ideal for animation freaks. Since the rides have been designed with motifs of famous films and personalities, it becomes every child’s or indeed anyone’s dream park. Broadbeach is a favourable family beach that is again along the Gold Coast with yellow sand and comparatively calm waters after tiring day at the parks.
Melbourne – Culture and Fun Combined
Culture wise, Melbourne is very rich and provides thrilling cultural activities and a wonderful fusion of nature and testing physical activity. Your family tourist attraction begins with the Melbourne Zoo where your family gets an opportunity to interact with animals from all corners of the world. Some of the activities that can be engaged at this zoo include the feeding of fishes and the butterfly house among others that will interest children.
If you want to get an idea of what the children can do when it comes to getting a practical experience in science, then Scienceworks is the place to go to. It is a science museum with a rich number of complicated installations, which can be interesting to SF fans. At the end my kids went from one station to another, how fun to learn when kids don’t even know they are learning!
If one were to seek for a place to have some peaceful moments of leisure with his family, Royal Botanic Gardens is a great place for a family picnic. The special facility designed and located within the park is the Children’s Garden offering excellent opportunities for the kids to have fun and get familiarized with the nature surrounding them. For your information, did you ever go to Melbourne Museum? It’s such a place that is full of various curiosities: dinosaurs on the first floor, Aboriginal people’s ideas on the ground floor.
Sunshine Coast – Nature’s Wonderland
The Sunshine Coast is one of the best places for herb and animal lovers and nothing can better be than for families who are fond of adventure. That is why, Australia Zoo, attraction created by famous Steve Irwin is also worth a visit. Here, your family can touch the crocodiles, and feed the kangaroos and even holding the Koala. My children enjoyed the live crocodile feeding so much, that’s a sight you cannot witness often.
For a less hurried experience go to Noosa National Park. It has non strenuous nature trails which include stunning views of the coastline of the park. It is the best way in which children can be taken close to nature without having to make a long trek into the mountains.
The other family friendly beach is the Mooloolaba Beach which is famous for its shallow waters and beach territories. It is also good for swimming and construction of castles from sand among other activities. Full of marine life, your family should head to Underwater World SEA LIFE if you are interested. Here the visitors can see the underwater world and kids will appreciate the interactive exhibits.
Canberra – Educational and Entertaining
Despite the fact that Canberra is the capital city of Australia, many people do not consider it as the place suitable for families with children. Too bad since it seems to be chock full of fun and educational things to do with the kids. To get your day going, you ought to head over to Questacon also known as the National Science and Technology Centre. It will also kind of remind you of Science works but on a whole other level, the screen based interactive exhibits which range from physics to robotics. We were there for a whole day and kids were insisting of going back.
The Australian National Botanic Gardens can also be named as one of them, if your children like to stay outside. You will find a great number of native plants in the gardens; the territory provides enough opportunities to settle for a picnic or for a walk.
Places that originated from animal lovers’ interests include the National Zoo & Aquarium. It is also the only zoo and an aquarium located in Australia hence comes with a package deal of seeing everything ranging from sharks to lions. If your kids have an interest in politics (or if you just want to incorporate some learning in) a tour of the Parliament House is informative and actually enjoyable for kids.
Tasmania – Adventure and History
Tasmania is a perfect blend of both adventure and cultural tourism since explorations that the entire family will love are found there. Your trip should begin at the Port Arthur Historic Site, take a trip back in time and discover more about Australia’s convict era. There is much that children can touch and explore about the site and the history and the narrative is quite child friendly; at night, there are ghost tours!
Read about the wildlife of Tasmania at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Td is one of the best place to see the wildlife especially Td since the sanctuary also specials in conservation and rehabilitation.
Cradle Mountain has trails which are appropriate for family hiking whereby one is exposed to the natural beauty of Tasmania. And even if you are not a hiking type of person, don’t worry, the trails are short, beautiful, and physically less demanding, and there can be so many animals along the way. If you won a day full of excursion, then head early the next morning to Salamanca Market Hobart. It is a perfect place, where you can purchase some souvenirs in the form of local products and have a snack at the same time.
Perth – Sun, Sand, and Sea
In this post If offers a list of family friendly activities that can be done in Perth and visitors will find that Perth is a relaxed city. The Kings Park is among the largest such parks located in urban environment all over the globe, and there is no better way of spending a day in it with the family. It contains multiple playgrounds, car shading, and picnic area, besides the most appealing natural view of the city skyline. My children enjoyed the treetop walkway; it is a platform whereby you get to view the park from above, as a bird.
If your family has passion in beach, then a trip to Cottesloe Beach is incomparable one. With its gentle wave and sandy beaches this is a perfect and safe place for children to swim or to play. Moreover there are numerous cafes around in case if one wants to take a break from the shopping and eat something.
And, of course, there is Australian Perth Zoo where one can watch kangaroos, koalas, emus and other Australian animals. It is relatively not as large as some other zoos, but the best thing about this is that the visitor is in a position to cover the entire stretch within a single day without or with little strain. For some indoor entertainment, visit Scitech, in short, an innovative science museum that is suitable for those who love science.
Adelaide – A Hidden Gem for Families
While Sydney or Melbourne may be a more well-known place, Adelaide is an excellent place to visit with the family. Begin your tour with the Adelaide Zoo because this is the place where you can see pandas in Australia. I found that the zoo was very well arranged so it was not very complicated to cover with children and there were so many things that children could touch and explore.
If you want something more rough to sort of touch the wild life then Cleland wildlife Park where one can feed kangaroos and also touch koalas. Children will love it and it also has some very nice photo shooting opportunities.
Another beach for families is Glenelg Beach – there are no rips and many places of interest nearby, such as the Beachouse fun park. That’s why it’s the best vacation spot where the children can be allowed to enjoy whilst the parents are relaxing. So, do not forget to visit the South Australian Museum which is also interesting with the display on dinosaurs and Aboriginal people. Children as well as adults will enjoy it and it is a good pastime during rainy days since it is an informative game.
Cairns – Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef
Cairns is the best place to start a tour to the Great Barrier Reef an incredible natural marvel of planet earth. Different companies provide family friendly snorkeling tours for you to swim and view the beautiful coral and sea creatures. I got so much attention from the kids because the dissection of the intestines of the fish was colorful, and they enjoyed the coral; my kids are still discussing it.
On mainland there is Cairns Esplanade where you can find a free lagoon swimming pool, free playground area as well there is large area for having family barbecue. It becomes interesting to unwind after having Such a hectic day at the reef. For a vast tour take the train, over a railway known as the Kuranda Scenic Railway. It will be so exciting to travel through the rainforest and children will have a great time identifying waterfalls and animals on the trip.
Also, make sure to check out the Wildlife Habitat in nearby Port Douglas where you can get up close and personal with some of Australia’s more interesting creatures in a captive environment. One thing that the kids had a fascination in was feeding the kangaroos and also been able to take a photo with the koala.
Darwin – Tropical Family Adventures
This is so because Darwin is a tropical city with lots of undertakings suitable for family holidays. Crocosaurus Cove is very recommended if ever your children are interested with the saltwater crocodiles of Australia. This is our opportunity to come face to face with these fabulous animals and for those of the more adventurous sort there is the strange cage of death (or so it sounds), when people can swim with the crocodiles – don’t worry it is all safe.
To be even more at ease, visit Mindil Beach and watch the sunset as well as shop at the markets that are set up there. Indeed the beach is natural and charming and the markets contain a large variety of food, art crafts and various entertainment activities. It would be great fun in the evening, or even a weekend, when everybody is at home with the entire family.
It is always recommended that families which have an interesting in outdoor activity visit the Litchfield National Park. The park provides simple walks, waterfalls, and many spots for bathing and feeding the tropical birds besides the provision of picnic sites. Last stop, Territory Wildlife Park where you’ll get to know more about the wildlife of the Northern Territory. Its attraction is informative and fun and therefore appropriate for kids and adults alike for a fun park day.
Conclusion:
It is proven that Australia is a country filled with family-friendly places best for having fun, learning and simply enjoying a well-deserved break. No matter if you are going for a weekend break or for a two weeks’ vacation here are the places that will make kids and grandparents happy.
Well, waiting for what exactly? So grab your suitcase, fill up the car and get set to journey of a lifetime right down under with the family. Oh, and do not forget to mention your best-loved family’s site in Australia in the comments or send it to us on social media.
There are many family-friendly places in Australia, but Dubai is a great choice if you want a little bit of luxury and adventure. With its eye-catching sights like the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Aquarium, along with exhilarating pursuits like indoor skiing and desert safaris, Dubai ensures that visitors will have an unforgettable time with their family.