Australia Family Travel

Australia with kids


Where else you can pet koalas and kangaroos, hobnob with platypuses or emus, snorkel amidst tropical fish, and catch glimpses of fairy penguins and Tasmanian devils? Learn to surf... Visit the Crocodile Hunter zoo....Traveling with your kids in Australia. Here you will find family-friendly accommodation, family travel specials, family attractions, family travel reviews, family vacation experiences and family Australia travel tips.

For Families, Australia is an unbelievable destination for kids -- and not just for the kangaroos and koalas that almost every child (and parent!) is desperate to see. Our suggestion is to explore Sydney, then head up to Brisbane and the Australia Zoo. The climax comes with a few days exploring the Barrier Reef and the rainforest around Port Douglas.

Relaxing ... Stress-free ... Safe... Affordable family travel packages - Queensland vacations

We recognize that traveling with a family requires a different type of vacation. We have thought a lot about family travel and we have dedicated ourselves to creating departures that account for three generations of needs.

Anyone who has traveled in the USA with children knows how hard it can be to research the area, plan interesting activities for the kids, and at the same time, relax and enjoy your vacation, too. But when you allow Australia Travel Master to plan your family vacation in Australia, it can be worry-free.

We arrange everything for your family travel packages, so there is nothing for you to do but enjoy yourself.

Suggested tour

Day 1 Sydney First off, head to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Opera House. A tour inside might be a bit much for younger kids, but you can walk around a fair bit of it and takephotos of Australia's most famous landmark. To stretch your legs, head from here into the Royal Botanic Gardens to spot long-beaked ibises wandering around the grass and hundreds of fruit bats squabbling among the treetops in the jungle section in the middle of the gardens. After lunch take a ferry to Taronga Zoo, where a cable car takes you up the hill to the main entrance. All the kids' favorites are here, from kangaroos and koalas to platypuses, located in a nocturnal house. A farmyard section edges onto a playground of sorts with lots of water features to give your kids a sprinkle on a hot day.

On Day 2 visit to Sydney Aquarium. The sharks are huge here, and they swim right above your head, but the real attraction is the amazing Barrier Reef section, where tens of thousands of colorful fish swim by in huge tanks to the sound of classical music. If it's a hot day, or you just want to go to the beach, you have two main choices: From Circular Quay you can take a half-hour ferry ride, or a 15-minute high-speed JetCat to Manly. Here you can laze the afternoon away, and can even rent a surfboard, body board, or in-line skates. For the adults, experience the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.

Days 3, 4 Travel to Brisbane and then to the Crocodile Hunter's (the late Steve Irwin) Australia Zoo. One hour drive from Brisbane to the Goldcoast to Dearmworld Home of the Wiggles and Bigbrother. Lots of rides and a wonderful wild life area Cuddle a Koala. Another option, learn to surf at Austalia's surfing school, taught by an Olympic athlete. Just the thought of visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary should keep your kids calm during the long flight to Brisbane. If your cute animal quota isn't filled by cuddling koalas, you can go to the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort to feed Flipper.

Days5 & 6: The Reef and the Rainforest - Queensland vacations Now it's time to head north, up the tropics. You'll need to fly, of course, otherwise it would take you several days to drive up the coast. Most people base themselves in Port Douglas rather than Cairns, because the beach is huge and uncrowded and some of the best trips originate from here. There are family-friendy accommodations here, complete with kitchenettes, swimming opools and the like. After the flight, relax on the beach. The next day, it's time to cruise the Great Barrier Reef. Here, your kids will encounter organisms that many children only read about in biology class. Once there you are in for some amazing snorkeling. Expect to see numerous species of corals and fish, and even an occasional turtle. A good seafood lunch is generally served onboard so you won't go hungry!


On the 7th day, fly back to Sydney. If you have time, take the kids by ferry to Luna Park, just across from Circular Quay, or walk there across the Harbour Bridge. The fun park is small, with a few rides suitable for younger kids, but it does boast a magnificent view across to the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which look glorious after the sun's gone down.

Taking into account factors like appropriate accommodations, activities for all ages, accessible attractions and kid-friendly atmospheres, U.S. News compiled a list of popular destinations for families in this far-flung part of the globe. If you have the time, add this: Melbourne Why go: Melbourne makes a great choice for families of animal-lovers. Head to Werribee Open Range Zoo for a giraffe-sighting; check out the Melbourne Zoo to bounce along with the kangaroos; and the Phillip Island Nature Park for the penguin parade


Not Just for kids: Some of the Best Travel Experiences

Indian Pacific Train: This 3-day journey across the Outback regularly makes it onto travel magazines' "Top Rail Journeys in the World" lists. The desert scenery ain't all that magnificent -- it's the unspoiled, empty vastness that passengers appreciate. It includes the longest straight stretch of track in the world, 478km (296 miles) across the treeless Nullarbor Plain. Start in Sydney and end in Perth, or vice versa, or just do a section.

Experiencing Sydney (NSW): Sydney is more than just the magnificent Harbour Bridge and Opera House. No other city has beaches in such abundance, and few have such a magnificently scenic harbor.

Broken Hill (NSW): Known for its silver mines, the quirky town of Broken Hill has more pubs per capita than just about anywhere else. It's the home of the School of the Air -- a "classroom" that transmits lessons by radio to communities spread over thousands of miles of Outback. Here you'll also find the Palace Hotel, made famous in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, as well as plenty of colonial mansions and heritage homes.

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef (QLD): It's a glorious 1,240-mile underwater coral fairyland with electric colors and bizarre fish life -- and it comes complete with warm water and year-round sunshine. This is what you came to Australia to see. When you're not snorkeling over coral and giant clams almost as big as you, scuba diving, calling at tropical towns, or lazing on deserted island beaches, you'll be trying out the sun lounges or enjoying the first-rate food.

Exploring the Wet Tropics Rainforest (QLD): moisture-dripping ferns, the neon-blue butterflies, and the primeval peace of this World Heritage rainforest stretching north, south, and west from Cairns. Hike it, four-wheel-drive it, or glide over the treetops in the Skyrail gondola.


Exploring Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) & Uluru (Ayers Rock) (NT): Just why everyone comes thousands of miles to see the big red stone of Ayers Rock is a mystery, and that's probably why they come -- because the Rock is a mystery. Take an Aboriginal Culture Tour (Alice Springs, NT)

Discovering the Kimberley (WA): Australia's last frontier, the Kimberley is a romantic cocktail of South Sea pearls, red mountain ranges, aqua seas, deadly crocodiles, Aboriginal rock art, and million-acre farms in a never-ending wilderness. Cross it by four-wheel-drive, stay in safari tents on a cattle ranch, swim under waterfalls, ride a camel along the beach in Broome, and more.

Wildflowers (WA): Covered in wildflowers. That's what much of Western Australia looks like every spring, from around August through October, when pink, mauve, red, white, yellow, and blue wildflowers bloom.

Visit wineries in the Barossa Valley (SA): One of Australia's four largest wine-producing areas, this German-speaking region less than an hour's drive from Adelaide is also the prettiest. Adelaide's restaurants happen to be some of the country's best, too, so test out your wine purchases with the city's terrific food.

Coober Pedy (SA): For an Outback experience that's fair-dinkum (genuine), few places are as weird and wonderful as this opal-mining town in the middle of nowhere. Visit mines, see wacky museums, and stay in a hotel underground -- not all that unusual, considering that the locals live like moles anyway.

Great Ocean Road (VIC): This 106km (66-mile) coastal road carries you past wild and stunning beaches, forests, and dramatic cliff-top scenery -- including the Twelve Apostles, a dozen pillars of red rock standing in isolation in the foaming Southern Ocean.


Our family journeys combine the joy of seeing, doing and learning as a family with ample opportunity for just plain family fun.


Australia Travel Master Custom Tours If you don't see exactly what you want here, we would be happy to custom design a unique tour just for you in our family travel destinations. We can design a special tour for you or your own family group, including special, unique hotels, B&B's and unusual inns, outstanding food, and cultural and historical sites. We often suggest touring with a private guide who will tailor the day to your group; depending on the number in your party, it can even be more economical to travel this way. We pay attention to all the details so you can relax and enjoy your trip. Seamless travel experiences are made easy for you by our team of creative tour planners.

New Zealand Family Tours

Call 1-800-221-2474 9AM - 5PM Mon-Fri Eastern Time or (516) 248-2042 outside USA/Canada  Although we have provided as much information as possible on our website, we are happy to answer your questions directly on the phone. Sometimes, it is just easier to speak to one of us. We are awaiting your call. Call (800) 221 - 2474 or email