Exploring Down Under with the family

Author: Chris Hawkins, Programme Director

We are often asked if Australia is a good place for a family holiday.

My answer is always an unreserved yes, and not just because it delivers a genuine sense of adventure that's hard to match anywhere else. Let's be honest too – there's a bit of kudos in it for you and the kids both.

Our team knows family travel planning – packing of Calpol alongside the sunscreen – and we know exactly which parts of this country keep both kids and parents genuinely engaged. The trick, in our experience, is less about which places you pick and more about pacing: how long you stay, and how you balance activity against proper downtime. Traipsing kids around cities for days on end rarely goes well for anyone, adults included, so we always build in a mix of big experiences and genuinely lazy stretches.

We're also big advocates of booking apartments or villas over standard hotel rooms wherever we can. Having separate bedrooms and a proper lounge to come back to at the end of a big day – sometimes with your own pool – makes a bigger difference to family holidays than people expect, especially with younger children who need somewhere to wind down that isn't a shared hotel room.

Here's the itinerary I'd genuinely put together for a family self-drive, drawn from the routes we build for clients time and again.

Sydney: 3 Nights

Base yourselves here for three nights, eating out at the city's excellent Asian restaurants in the evenings and packing the days with activity. If your kids are up for it, the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb is unforgettable, but the Pylon Lookout gives you nearly as spectacular a view for a fraction of the effort (and the queue) – a good call if you've got younger legs or nervous climbers in the group.

Beyond that, we'd build in a half-day bike tour, a three-hour cruise on the historic Hawkesbury River mailboat (still delivering post to riverside communities as it goes – genuinely fascinating for kids), a day of surfing and swimming at Manly with the ferry ride there and back as part of the fun, and a swim at North Sydney Olympic Pool, which sits almost directly beneath the Harbour Bridge. Add the Opera House, a helicopter flight over the city skyline, and an afternoon at Bondi Beach, and you've got a genuinely brilliant few days.

See our Sydney holidays for accommodation and add-on options.

The Blue Mountains

Easy to reach by car, the Blue Mountains offer staggering landscapes and short, family-friendly walks right on your doorstep. Make time for the Jenolan Caves – around a two-hour drive further west – which every member of the family, however sceptical, tends to love.

Explore Blue Mountains holidays.

Jervis Bay

Head down from the Blue Mountains to Jervis Bay and shift into proper relax mode for a few days. These beaches genuinely rank among the best in the world – Hyams Beach has a long-standing reputation for the whitest sand on the planet, and Murrays Beach in Booderee National Park is just as spectacular. Stay in one of the family safari tents at Paperbark Camp, which sits up in the trees near Jervis Bay – it's the kind of stay families remember for years, not just the trip.

Batemans Bay and the Kangaroo Coast

From here, temptation isn't far away as you drive south into kangaroo country towards Batemans Bay, a lovely beach town close to some genuinely incredible beaches. Pebbly Beach, in Murramarang National Park, is famous for its resident kangaroos, which you can get remarkably close to right on the sand. Depot Beach, tucked away nearby, is quieter and just as beautiful – we can book you into a simple beachfront lodge right there if you'd like. If anyone in the family fancies a proper hike, Pigeon House Mountain (also known by its Dharawal name, Didthul) is a worthwhile detour on the way south.

Canberra

A short hop from the coast, Canberra is worth a stop to see Parliament House and take in Australia's capital before flying onward – a good, manageable city break for kids after several days outdoors.

Alice Springs and the Red Centre

Fly to Alice Springs, where a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre is genuinely fascinating for children, showing them how remote communities get emergency medical care. The Kangaroo Sanctuary, just outside town, is another highlight – founded by Chris "Brolga" Barns, who cares for orphaned joeys and became known internationally through the BBC series Kangaroo Dundee.

The next day, pick up your 4WD and take on what's now officially called the Red Centre Way, still widely known by its older name, the Mereenie Loop – a part of Australia very few visitors see, and a proper outback adventure in itself. One practical note we always flag to clients: the unsealed Mereenie section crosses Aboriginal land and requires a permit, available cheaply from visitor centres in Alice Springs or Kings Canyon, so it's worth sorting in advance rather than discovering at the roadside. The route takes in Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta and Uluru, and it's an experience we recommend wholeheartedly. Do make sure you book an Aboriginal-guided tour while you're there – it transforms this deeply historical, sacred landscape from something you look at into something you genuinely understand.

See our Red Centre travel guide or browse Alice Springs holidays and Uluru holidays to build this leg into your trip.

The Great Barrier Reef

Time and weather permitting, finish the trip on the Great Barrier Reef. Many of our families head to Port Douglas, where we've got some fabulous apartments and villas that give you exactly the space and self-catering flexibility we always recommend for this stage of a trip. Beyond a day's snorkelling on the reef itself, there's the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway for spectacular views over the rainforest canopy, and a zipline canopy tour through the Daintree is a brilliant way to see the rainforest from a completely different angle – just be ready for a few excited screams along the way.

Browse our Cairns & Port Douglas accommodation or read more on exploring Tropical North Queensland.

Why This Itinerary Works

This route reflects genuinely what we know about family travel in Australia – built from years of sending families exactly this way and hearing what came back as the highlights. It combines the big-ticket experiences with proper rest, city energy with wide-open outback space, and it's the kind of trip that gets talked about for years, not just photographed and forgotten.

Give our specialists a call on 01342 310 580, browse our current Australia deals, or request your free Australia travel guide to start planning your own family adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Australia a good destination for young children, or is it better suited to older kids?
Australia genuinely works for a wide age range, but the itinerary matters. Coastal stops like Jervis Bay and Batemans Bay suit younger children brilliantly, with safe swimming and wildlife close at hand, while longer outback drives and full-day reef trips tend to work best for children aged around seven and up who can manage longer days.

Do you need a permit to drive the Mereenie Loop (Red Centre Way)?
Yes. The unsealed section of the route crosses Aboriginal land and requires a permit, which is inexpensive and easy to arrange from visitor centres in Alice Springs or at Kings Canyon. We'd always recommend sorting this before you set off rather than assuming you can pick it up en route.

How many nights would you recommend in Sydney for a family trip?
Three nights is our usual recommendation – enough time to cover the harbour, Bondi, and one or two bigger activities like a bike tour or the Hawkesbury River cruise, without the pace becoming exhausting for younger travellers.

Is Paperbark Camp suitable for children?
Yes, and it's one of our most-loved family stays on this route. The safari tents are designed with families in mind, and the surrounding bushland and proximity to Jervis Bay's beaches make it a memorable, easy-going stop for children of most ages.

What's the best time of year to do this east-to-outback family itinerary?
We'd generally recommend the Australian autumn or spring (roughly March–May or September–November) for this route, when the Red Centre isn't at its most extreme heat and the coastal legs are comfortable for swimming. Our specialists can help fine-tune timing based on which school holidays you're travelling in.