Australia with Kids
Family travel guide for parents planning with children
Top Family Activities
The best things to do with kids in Australia.
Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef from Green Island
A 45-minute catamaran from Cairns drops you on a coral cay where reef kisses rainforest. Children wade straight off the sand into knee-deep gardens of neon coral and Nemo-like clownfish, while glass-bottom boats give hesitant swimmers the same view minus saltwater in the eyes.
Dawn kangaroo walk, Kangaroo Island
Roll out of bed at Seal Bay and crunch across squeaky sand while wild mob's graze between dunes. Rangers cap groups at 12, so you'll hear the soft thud of hind legs and catch eucalyptus on their fur without a crowd.
Australian Museum, Sydney
The 2023 revamp installed a dedicated Kids' Zone where children dig up replica dinosaur bones, wriggle through a burrow beside a life-size Diprotodon skeleton, and sniff jars of 'stinky minerals'. Noise gets applause, not frowns.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade
At dusk, hundreds of the world's smallest penguins shuffle ashore, white bellies sharp against purple sand. Underground benches keep toddlers eye-level, and the boardwalk lets kids toddle back to the visitor centre beside the birds.
Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra
Teenagers measure vertical leap against Olympic basketballers in the interactive Sportex hall, while younger siblings cannonball into the foam pit. Liniment drifts from the training halls and real gymnasts squeak on the parallel bars above.
Scenic World, Blue Mountains
The glass-floored Skyway glides above eucalyptus canopy. Rainforest scent wafts through open vents. The Railway (52-degree incline) is a mini rollercoaster through tunnels of tree ferns, delivering squeals minus loop-the-loops.
Best Areas for Families
Where to base yourselves for the smoothest family trip.
High-rise resorts crowd beside calm patrolled surf, and every second corner hides a playground under shade sails. Trams glide north to theme parks, letting parents sip takeaway flat whites instead of wrangling car seats.
Highlights: Beachfront paths for scooters, 24-hour Woolworths for emergency nappies, free nightly light shows at SkyPoint
Pedestrian promenades mean no curbs for strollers. Historic carousel wood gleams beside the neon-lit ferris wheel, Nutella crepe scent drifts from kiosks, and buskers play didgeridoo.
Highlights: Free art galleries, ACMI screen museum, trams within free city zone, riverside parks with clean public toilets every 200 m
Leafy inner-west suburbs give suburban calm with city reach. Enormous Indooroopilly Shopping Centre hosts free kids' clubs and parent rooms so plush you'll crave a nap yourself.
Highlights: Cycling paths along the Brisbane River, local koala-spotting at Mt Coot-tha, weekend farmers' markets with free face painting
Family Dining
Where and how to eat with children.
Australia's café culture welcomes children by default. Staff deliver crayons unasked, and the standard kids' menu stretches past nuggets to grilled fish and avocado toast. Pubs admit families until 9 pm by law, beer-garden playgrounds letting parents nurse a pale ale while toddlers burn energy.
Dining Tips for Families
- Order a 'babycino' (frothy milk plus marshmallow) for $1, $2 and dodge a full-price coffee for under-fives.
- Most inner-city food courts lend free microwave access, handy for warming baby purée.
- BYO (Bring Your Own) wine restaurants charge modest corkage. Parents save on marked-up bottles.
Beachfront venues with high chairs, ocean views, and lifeguards on duty outside. Kids build sandcastles between courses.
Laksa stalls and dumpling counters let picky eaters graze. Plastic trays, wipe-clean tables, and noise tolerance mean toddlers can shriek without glares.
Petting pens and cherry orchards keep children busy while parents sip local wines. Roaming chickens supply soundtrack and fresh-egg scent.
Tips by Age Group
Tailored advice for every stage of childhood.
Australia's outdoors thrills yet punishes 2-year-olds: sandstone steps skip guardrails and magpies dive-bomb in spring. Stay inside fenced botanical gardens, fenced beaches like Coogee's Wylies Baths, and indoor play centres in shopping malls when the mercury climbs past 35 °C.
Challenges: Public toilets almost never stock seat covers. Pack disposable potty liners for road trips.
- Ask for 'mini-me' meals, half-size adult plates, so toddlers taste real food instead of chicken nuggets.
Kids who can read will devour the interpretive signs at every turn; Australia's colonial and Indigenous stories are pitched at Grade 3 level. Night skies are dark enough to earn homework credit for constellation spotting.
Learning: The National Constitution Centre in Canberra lets kids pass mock laws using real parliamentary procedure; they'll smell the leather benches and bang the Speaker's wooden gavel.
- Pick up a $15 'Junior Ranger' booklet at any national park, rangers stamp pages and hand over cloth badges.
Australia allows 14-year-olds to hold a learner's driving permit in off-road parks. Let them steer a supervised lap across a sand dune. Urban teens can ride late-night trams in Melbourne without worry. Yet remote hostels slam on 8 pm quiet hours, check before booking.
Independence: City centre curfews don't exist; bottle shops (off-licences) ID anyone who looks under 25, so teens clutching passports can feel trusted.
- Load a prepaid Opal/Go Card and release them on the city circle route alone, it's free and loops past every major sight.
Practical Logistics
The nuts and bolts of family travel.
Domestic airlines charge for checked bags on the cheapest fares, factor that in when you're hauling car seats. All major airports lend free strollers air-side. In Sydney, ferries welcome prams with wide ramps; Melbourne trams require a folded stroller at peak times. Car-seat hire is pricey. Bring your own if you'll drive more than three days.
Children under 16 receive free public hospital treatment as temporary visitors. Yet the queues match the NHS, pack travel insurance for private clinics. Chemist Warehouse, found nationwide, stocks every formula brand plus chilled breast-milk storage bags. Most big-city Children's Hospitals keep a 24-hour pharmacy inside the building.
Ask for 'family rooms' instead of adjoining doubles, Australian motels usually cram two queen beds plus bunks into one space, costing less than two separate rooms. Request ground-floor units. Plenty of 1970s beach motels never installed lifts. Apartment hotels bill per room, not per head, so three kids under 12 stay free.
- SPF 50+ rash guard (Aussie sun is UV14 in midsummer)
- Wide-brim hat with chin toggle, southerly busters whip hats into traffic
- Collapsible bucket and spade set. Coastal shops sell flimsy $15 versions
- Bring reusable water bottles. Tap water is drinkable everywhere yet sells for $4 in tourist zones.
- Insect repellent with DEET for dawn/dusk in the tropics
- Reserve apartment hotels with washing machines, laundromats sting you $6 per load plus another $2 for powder.
- National parks are free in Tasmania. Dodge the $40 vehicle fee levied in Queensland.
- City museums often unlock one free evening per week; Melbourne's NGV remains free for kids under 16.
Family Safety
Keeping your family safe and healthy.
- ! Sunburn strikes in 12 minutes mid-summer; reapply SPF 50 every two swim sessions, not 'after lunch'.
- ! Rip currents kill more tourists than sharks, swim only between red-and-yellow flags and drill kids to float, not fight, if swept out.
- ! Roadkill roos spike at dawn and dusk. If you must drive, drop headlights low and brake smoothly, families who swerve roll vans.
- ! Hot tap water arrives at 60 °C; always run cold first in motel sinks to dodge toddler scalds.
- ! Bush ticks on the east coast can carry Lyme-like illness. Pull on long socks and spray DEET behind knees when hiking.
- ! Paralytic shellfish toxins can shut oyster farms overnight, buy from licensed shops, never roadside trailers.
- ! Cyclone season (Nov, Apr) can scrap northern flights with 24-hour notice. Leave two days slack in your itinerary.
Book Family Activities
Top-rated family experiences in Australia.
Blue Mountains Adventure: Scenic World, Zoo & Koala Photo
Blue Mountains Adventure Tour including Scenic World and Featherdale Wildlife Park.
Blue Mountains, Scenic World, Zoo, & Ferry Ride
Find the Blue Mountains on a guided tour with Scenic World rides.
4Hr Iconic Sydney Tour including a Rocks Walking Tour & Bondi
Welcome to Sydney, the lively and interesting city that has plenty of options! Start a 4-hour Sightseeing tour with a friendly local guide with a small group for a totally intimate tour of Sydney. Sp
Relaxed Half Day Yarra Valley Wine Tasting Tour from Melbourne
Find the Yarra Valley's finest wines on this relaxed half-day tour that starts midday, making it good for those who love a leisurely pace. Visit three handpicked wineries and taste exclusive selection
Sydney Secrets Lunch Cruise
Explore the unseen corners of Sydney Harbour aboard a luxury sports cruiser, with lunch at a contemporary waterside restaurant. - Take amazing photos with the famous landmarks - Opera House, Harbour
Mornington Peninsula Hike and Hot Springs Day Tour - Small Group
Time to hit the highway with our small group (4 - 11 guests) and make our way to the idyllic Mornington Peninsula. Our first stop is the summit of Arthur's Seat where we'll share panoramic ocean views
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