[Travel] Family holiday to Australia - Queensland or Western Australia?

[Austrian Gull]

Good evening NSC. I'm in the process of organising a family holiday (boys 9 and 7) to Australia for summer 2019 and I'm looking for advice from your good selves.

We're planning to go for the whole of August and have already decided to spend at least a week around Sydney. We're tentatively looking to travel to either Queensland or WA from there before heading back.

Should we use a travel agents or is it feasible to do it all ourselves?

Would appreciate any advice or tips - cheers!

 

[Hereford Gull]

WA is a great state, lived there for many years and go back every year. In August it's likely to be relatively cold and wet in the south, but the area around Ningaloo (arguably better that great barrier reef) is fantastic and easy to book online tho flight needed from Perth, or a very long drive. Had you thought about Northern territory, worth a few days.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Good evening NSC. I'm in the process of organising a family holiday (boys 9 and 7) to Australia for summer 2019 and I'm looking for advice from your good selves.

We're planning to go for the whole of August and have already decided to spend at least a week around Sydney. We're tentatively looking to travel to either Queensland or WA from there before heading back.

Should we use a travel agents or is it feasible to do it all ourselves?

Would appreciate any advice or tips - cheers!

As an ex travel agent myself, I would always advise seeking the help of a professional for complex holidays such as this. There is an awful lot to consider here, and at least seeking out their knowledge and advice could prove crucial.

Companies like Austravel or Trailfinders are a good bet.

 

[essbee1]

We went to the Barrier Reef. Those memories will live with me forever.

 

[Daddies_Sauce]

We are doing the east coast in a couple of weeks for some family celebrations down there, having couple of days in Sydney, then up around Brisbane, up to Cairns (taking in the rain forest, falls, great Barrier reef etc.) and back down to Brisbane before up to Singapore and home. All flights and the transfers for the hotel stopovers in Sydney and Singapore were booked through a travel agent. The rest we are doing ourselves (staying a short while with family helps). Sydney can be chilly in August (especially the evenings), bonus is that at this time of year the whales are calving around Hervey Bay, what a sight to see, and it will be warmer up there, I cannot wait.

 

[Springal]

Research Sydney properly. I thought it was a bit boring and the worst out of my visit this year which included Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide

 

[essbee1]

Oh, a schooner of VB, a warm/chilly evening and a seat in a boozer on the Rocks in Sydney! Bliss.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Research Sydney properly. I thought it was a bit boring and the worst out of my visit this year which included Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide

So I know some people prefer Melbourne to Sydney (they're wrong), but Adelaide?! Something must have seriously gone wrong for you to prefer Adelaide to Sydney!

 

[Springal]

So I know some people prefer Melbourne to Sydney (they're wrong), but Adelaide?! Something must have seriously gone wrong for you to prefer Adelaide to Sydney!

To be fair I didn’t go into Adelaide was up the coast a bit. Just enjoyed the vineyards, beaches etc. Sydney was alright don’t get me wrong but after 3 days I was done

 

[StonehamPark]

Fly to Sydney, spend 4-5 days there (personally, I didn't like the place and wouldn't spend more than 2 days there), rent a camper and work your way up to Port Douglas/Cape Tribulation over the month.

Some spots to stop-over: Byron Bay, Noosa, Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Agnes Water/1770, Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, Port Douglas and finally Cape Trib.

Enjoy!

 

[Brian Parsons]

While in Sydney take the train to Katoomba and see the Three Sisters. It's mind blowing. The journey is amazing as well. Get an Opal travel card also very cheap.


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[Geestar]

WA and Adelaide are worth skipping

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[curly69]

Fly to Sydney, spend 4-5 days there (personally, I didn't like the place and wouldn't spend more than 2 days there), rent a camper and work your way up to Port Douglas/Cape Tribulation over the month.

Some spots to stop-over: Byron Bay, Noosa, Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Agnes Water/1770, Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, Port Douglas and finally Cape Trib.

Enjoy!

I lived in Sydney for 12 years love it then moved to Brisbane 13 years ago best thing i have ever done. This man is right Queensland you can"t go wrong and the weather this time of year is just right.Anything i can do to help just ask.

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

So I know some people prefer Melbourne to Sydney (they're wrong), but Adelaide?! Something must have seriously gone wrong for you to prefer Adelaide to Sydney!

You, my friend, can do one. Adelaide is awesome has concerts, festivals, sports, wine and food regions, countryside like Kangaroo Island and the Flinders Ranges and is cheaper than both the others. If you like global shops and soleless shopping centers, Melbourne is for you. Sydney is great for short visits. Brisbane and Perth are better IMO than Melbourne.

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[Stumpy Tim]

You, my friend, can do one. Adelaide is awesome has concerts, festivals, sports, wine and food regions, countryside like Kangaroo Island and the Flinders Ranges and is cheaper than both the others. If you like global shops and soleless shopping centers, Melbourne is for you. Sydney is great for short visits. Brisbane and Perth are better IMO than Melbourne.

I like a man who defends his town. Even a sh*t one like Adelaide.

The fact that you prefer Brisbane & Perth (which is the worst of the bunch), suggests you prefer the smaller towns and cities which is fair enough I guess. My problem with Melbourne is that it is desperate to be seen as a European-type city. Well I live in Europe, so don't want to travel round the world to go to a fake (and bit sh*t) version of Europe. That's probably why I loved Sydney and spent eight years there - and is my Brexit back-up plan

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Good evening NSC. I'm in the process of organising a family holiday (boys 9 and 7) to Australia for summer 2019 and I'm looking for advice from your good selves.

We're planning to go for the whole of August and have already decided to spend at least a week around Sydney. We're tentatively looking to travel to either Queensland or WA from there before heading back.

Should we use a travel agents or is it feasible to do it all ourselves?

Would appreciate any advice or tips - cheers!

Big vote here for the Gold Coast. As a family with young kids, you'll love it without having to cover the vast distances normally associated with Oz. If you base yourself on the Gold Coast, you're within easy reach of, for example, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (great place tosee koalas and all sorts of exotic creatures). Very nearby is Dreamworld,Australia's biggest theme park. Drive less than an hour into NSW to Byron Bay and August is one of the best months to watch huge numbers of humpback whales migrate. Byron Bay is also a great place to let your kids have a go at surfing or boogie boarding on the safely supervised Main Beach. It's a fantastic town!

Would recommend Trailfinders to put together as much or as little of an itinerary as you need. And as you've got a full month, would seem a shame not to include a few days cheap as chips stopover at the beginning and end of your trip. Maybe Singapore on the way out and Bangkok on the way back? Three holidays for the price of one!

And one final tip, and something some of my aussie mates are doing in London this very month: have you considered doing a house swap? Would cut down massively on accommodation costs having a base for a month.

Have a fantastic time!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Get an Opal travel card also very cheap.

Well it's very cheap as long as you stay away from the airport. Bloody thing whacked me something like $13 dollars a pop every time I had to use the airport during my stay last autumn. Licensed larceny!

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Sydney is the least Australian city in the nation. Trash city. Gold Coast is plastic as well.

If you want to experience places less swamped with tourists and see more Indigenous culture better to do a trip along the WA coast.

The Kimberleys are beautiful, swim with Dolphins at Monkey Mia, check out the old pearling/whaling town of Broome, go inland a bit to experience a big mining town in Kalgoorlie, Margaret River is a lovely place to visit. Rottnest Island great for the kids to see the Quokkas up close.

You'll also never see as many stars in your life if you get away from the cities/town lights at night and out into the bush. Amazing sights.

 

[lost in london]

Drove from Perth to Darwin in a camper a few years back over the course of a month. There are amazing spots along the way - the Pinnacles, monkey mia, coral bay, helicopter over the bungle bungles, three day canoe safari near Kununurra (I think) etc - but my god they are distant from one another. It was fine for us as a couple, but with kids I wouldn't recommend it. Couldn't imagine doing 900km days through the desert with kids. Didn't really see a nice town the whole time either.

 

[trueblue]

With kids, I’d definitely favour Queensland simply because there’s so much to do with relatively smaller distances in between (There are still some longish treks but not several hours of desert driving without seeing anyone). I’ve seen a fair amount of Australia across several trips - and, particularly in the winter when it’s better weather-wise to get further north - that coast offers some unforgettable stops. Off the top of my head, check out Tangalooma near Brisbane where staying in the island resort (not ridiculously expensive) allows you to hand-feed wild dolphins. Check out whale watching in Hervey Bay & a 4WD trip to the incredible Fraser Island. Try to get out sailing and snorkelling in the Whitsunday Islands from Airlie Beacb area. Further north, trek up the hill in Townsville for great views and zip across to Magnetic Island where you could ask a local to show you the butterfly forest. Around Mission Beach there’s a good chance of coming face to face with an endangered and spectacular Cassowary. In Cairns, you’ll find all the things you’d expect of a vibrant backpacker town - pubs, clubs etc - and thrills nearby like white water rafting. The waterfall circuit is a more sedate and scenic day out. You can take the steam train or cable car to the mountain village of Kuranda - and head to the Outer Barrier Reef, preferably from Port Douglas. Beyond that, but not too far, cross the Daintree River to enter the rainforest. Night-time walks are great for wildlife (in the right season) and, from a bit more of a safe distance, a cheap boat trip will bring you just close enough to massive crocs at Coopers Creek. There are other 4WD trips available beyond Cape Tribulation to the likes of Cooktown.

Yes, it’s more commercialised than WA (although admittedly it’s several decades since I was over there) and perhaps not as genuinely ‘Aussie’ as the likes of Darwin and Kakadu, but for a family holiday of a lifetime, hard to beat. The volume of backpackers might seem a bit of a curse but it does mean there are a wealth of options when it comes to guided tours etc and those smaller groups tend to be by far the most enjoyable.

If you really want to experience the vastness of the country, there’s always the option of a side trip (return flight to Alice Springs, organised tour to Kings Canyon & Ayers Rock) but that’s admittedly pretty expensive. But worth it.

Have fun. I’m envious!