Planning a family trip to oz, probably focus on Sydney and the golden coast and maybe Darwin for a few days...can you recommend any particular locations / hotels / places to eat / activities to do? The kids will be 14 and 16, both active. Surfing, scuba diving / snorkling, seeing the native wildlife are all on the agenda, however, would be great to have some recommendations (good and bad - to avoid) Cheers
Time of year? Some of them will be grim at certain times.
Gold Coast - Party Central they probably won't know were to look next....
Darwin, hot and humid and way up north
Sydney like a city, never really one of my fave
Plenty of stuff on the Coast between Sydney and Qld
Usual suggestion for Tassie, middle of summer nowhere near as oppressive as up north, amazing coastlines and wildlife all over
If surfing in Sydney I can recommend Manley Surf School. Really good teaching and nice beach, much preferred it to Bondi.
December / Jan
Cheers...will be spending a few days in Sydney
I'd skip the Gold Coast. The kids might like the water parks and glitz but it seems a shame to go the other side of the world for that. Inland from there is nice with the rainforests. Better to go a bit further north and see the reef and a bit more wildlife. Maybe a trip to Lady Elliott island or Fraser Island too. Sidney is great. Interesting mix of stuff. Plenty of surf round there and along the coast. Blue Mountains are great too. As above time of year will make a difference. Up north when its hot its stupidly hot. We didn't mind it too much but it really was hot and very quiet because of the heat.
Got flights booked?
QLD nice hot and f'in humid then mid 30's and 80% when I was last up there in Jan also hight of school holidays so will be well booked up and expensive.
Darwin - wettest month
The wet season in <b>Darwin</b> is characterised by high humidity, monsoonal rains and storms. Average temperatures range from 24.7 - 32 °C (76.5 - 89.6°F), and humidity can push past 80 per cent. The average annual rainfall is 1727.3 mm (68″) and<b>January</b> is the wettest month.
Alternatives, great ocean road, keen to MTB? Vic highlands and Tassie again
Manjit's at Darling Harbour. Best curry I've had in ages!
🙂
Oh, and Melbourne is nicer than Sydney. (Giros at Stalactites, steak at San Telmo)
When my folks came to visit me around the same time we went north to Great Barrier Reef and there was some kind of typhoon. It worked out as the sea cleared up for us to go out but otherwise it would have been a wash.
For me there is not so much in Sydney. a few days would suffice...
If you are up for it then the bus from Adelaide to coober pedy - arrive at 2 in the morning sleep in a mine do the tour - leave at 2 in the morning on to Alice Springs to see Uluru.Northern Territory is unique.... The distances are massive though. I liked Kakadu up by Darwin. Proper crocodile dundee land. You could do the Ghan but it is just a slow train through a lot of f all...
Tasmania also has some unique sights...
As others have suggested skip things that can be done at home. One other thing to remember is when you are out of the city it is like traveling back in time. Shops close at lunch restaurants stop serving at 8pm. Be prepared for long travel times...
How long are you planning to travel for?
Oh, and Melbourne is nicer than Sydney. (Giros at Stalactites, steak at San Telmo)
I never made Stalactites despite a lot of recommendations!! Yep Melb is a more fun city but maybe more so as an Adult than teenager I know a great 60km bike ride brewery crawl there
If they surf then take them to look at Bells, only an hour south of Melbourne
Don't go to the top end in Jan. You won't enjoy hiking Kakadu in that weather.
Also recommend Sunshine rather than Gold Coast. More natural and more chilled. Fraser Island has lots of activities. If you do snorkelling or scuba, recommend the southern end of the GBR (Lady Elliot, Heron) as less bleached / killed from marine heat waves last 2 years and no stingers.
Stick with 2 centre (or a road trip) unless you have a month, distances are large. An exception to that would be a few days in Sydney at the beginning to recover from jet lag then 1 week somewhere then 4 days gbr then home.
A lot of wildlife is nocturnal so camping in national parks is good. Or night tours, e.g. from Sydney to Royal NP. If you drive to Blue Mountains stop at Glenbrook campsite before they shut the gates at 7 pm to see habituated roos.
I too would vote for 2 nights Sydney, then Mel and GOR (might be mentally busy) or Tas or Kangaroo Island and Adelaide beaches for a week, then GBR. But I too am biased.
GOR is possible but go the otherway to the coaches and stay off it maybe
Done Sunshine that time of year for work, bit strange when it's dark at about 7 and still 30c probably need to book accommodation a bit ahead for the popular spots
I never made Stalactites despite a lot of recommendations!
It's excellent.
If they surf then take them to look at Bells, only an hour south of Melbourne
Bodhi? Is that you?
The day I went was a bit like that, there were only very gnarly dudes over 40 heading out there, the full set of ways to die while surfing signs were up there
Thanks for all the advice, we have a window of a few weeks next December due to forthcoming exam commitments and the eldest probably wanting to do her own thing come summer 2019. We are planning 18-20 days max, interesting comments about Melbourne, I was there 25 years ago, and had a better time in Sydney, however times change, anything teenager focused in Melbourne to recommend?
Food, shopping, sports in Melbourne, defiantly more of a hanging out city. Sydney - beach, bridge, opera house?
From there you have mountains and coast from there out to either side, up you have some more national parks and a drive over to SA with loads of great beaches etc. on the way
also something like this is worthwhile
http://bushfireblankets.com/bushfire-app.html
Thanks MikeWSmith, the bush fires are a bit of a risk at that time of year, will check out the website. may need to rethink Melbourne, one of the kids did talk about the coast road, although surfing sounds extreme!
Bit of everything out there from what people have said and plenty for everyone on the more mellow beaches!!
That time of year of year it's going to be generally quite hot anywhere except Tassie.
Darwin - no.
Sydney - OK, the harbour is great and the northern beaches but otherwise Melbourne is much more interesting. Probably depends what kind of teens you have (I suppose they're too young for bars). There are some quite pricey experiences such as floatplanes, sailing etc that are fun.
Melbourne - has some great national parks nearby, weather can be just as hot. Better mountain biking...
Personally I'd head also to Hobart, which has a mix of history, wildlife, art and whisky.
Personally I’d head also to Hobart, which has a mix of history, wildlife, art and whisky.
Don't forget the beer, gin and awesome food there - along with the mountain biking 🙂
Also new year you get the Sydney Hobart finish for a lot less than watching the start!!
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Didn’t like the Gold Coast. My favourite bit was Fraser Island.
Noosa should be a shout too (especially for the surfing) but I agree, at that time of year you could get high temperatures and humidity as you get further north. If the kids haven’t been yet, I’d say that focussing on ticking things off might be the way to go - Sydney is a great place and should be seen over just going somewhere else to do some sports. But prepare to save - it’s bloody expensive everywhere - even shopping in supermarkets can be eye-wateringly painful.
Sydney - head to the blue mountains, cheap easy access by train.
Gold Coast - has lots of haters, can see why but with teenagers in tow it might be worth a visit. White waterworld and wet n wild water park are a good day out.
Darwin - if you only go for a few days don't bother with Kakadu, take a day trip to Litchfield national park, 1/2 day boat trip to see crocs and birds of prey with the other 1/2 day spent swimming in water holes. Trip might be seasonal though so worth researching.
Thanks Konagirl for the info, and everyone else, so many options, need to digest it all and think through what will work best with regards to how long to stay where. New Year in Sydney is something they would all like to do, so its how I fit that in around everything else!!
Gold Coast - agree with others. It's not pants, just not what you travel half way around the globe for. Australia is at it's best when it's a back to nature and vast wilderness kind of place. Gold coast is a bit plastic fantastic for me.
It's also stupidly big. Like can't get your head around it kind of big. Make land in your 747 over the Northern territory yet still time for a film, a sleep and a meal before you land in Sydney kind of big. It also does epic weather and in any given month the weather will be wonderful in one part and properly pants in another. We did the lot in 9 months so got to follow the good stuff and take our time. If only able to to be there a few weeks I'd be tempted to sell it to yourself as part one of a two part adventure and you'll go back in a few decades time and do part two in another season and do the northern bits then.
We preferred the west coast.
That time of year is the start of the wet season up north.
Wet as in bucket of water over your head wet, and very very humid. It can rain monsoonal continuously for weeks (although there's usually breaks).
I spent over 30 years living in North Queensland and out west, and while I enjoyed the wet season, it's purgatory for visitors.
For a short holiday stay south, but with more time a good wet season is worth experiencing.
I'm not going to get into the Sydney vs Melbourne debate 🙂 I've lived in central Sydney for 6 years and love it.
Let me know how long you are planning to be in Sydney for and I'll happily do you a suggested itinerary - it's a great City.
For a 2/3 days, our standard visitors recommendations are:
Day 1:
People usually arrive early morning, so brunch in a local cafe followed by a trip to see the bridge, opera house and Botanical gardens. We usually do this on the first day, just because it's a pretty easy wander between breakfast/lunch, the sunshine helps with the jetlag, and it IS spectacular/beautiful. Most people want to go to Darling harbour - don't do that, it's rubbish.
Depending on how people are feeling in the afternoon, a trip on the ferry to Watsons bay is good - it's pretty close to the harbour entrance so has got some great seaward and harbour-side views. A great fish and chip shop and a decent pub for some sundowners.
Day 2:
We usually meet people for breakfast then head to circular quay for a ferry to the opposite side of the harbour (Cremorne point). There is a walk along the foreshore there that's damned spectacular - and is pretty far from what most visitors are expecting. That time of year you'll be tripping-over enormous lizards (1-2ft long) along the route. Finishes at Balmoral beach which is fantastic.
You can also do a walk further-up the northern shore of the harbour which ends at Manley. Personally, I think the Cremorne walk is better, but your teenagers may prefer to end in Manley than Balmoral.
Day 3:
A surf lesson would be good. As Andrewh said above, Manley surf school is good, as is "lets go surfing" at Bondi. I've had lessons at both and they are equally good. Which one I wold recommend really depends on how long you are going to be here for. I would always recommend that people go to Bondi - the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee is spectacular, with lots of great little beaches to stop off at along the way for lunch. If you are only here for a couple of days - I would combine these activities.
If you're here for a bit longer, I would recommend that doing the surf lesson in Manley (and doing the Bondi-Coogee walk separately). Manley beach is generally a better surfing beach and there is always a spot suitable for beginner, even on the biggest days. I surf in the next beach up the coast from Manley (Freshwater).
On some of the other recommendations:
Blue mountains: Meh - I would go if you are here for a week or so, otherwise no. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely, but there are things higher up the priority list - visiting Palm beach (for example).
Fraser Island: I was REALLY disappointed with this and would really advise against going there with teenagers. There is just nothing to do. I know people who've been their wild camping and 4x4ing, fishing for their dinner etc, and that looks great. But it's a long way to go to see an island made of sand and the occasional dingo (spoiler alert - They are just wild dogs).
Lady Eliot Island: Good call. We had a great time there - the diving and snorkeling is excellent. You'll have to look into the weather at that time of year - it might be quite hot. Do not book an "eco-room": it's just a tent. Worth noting that you get to Lady Eliot Island (in a small plane) via Hervey bay, which is also where you get the ferry to Fraser Island from. We did a combination of lady Eliot, Fraser island and whale watching, from Hervey bay. As I said, I would miss out Fraser Island if I was pushed for time. Whale watching also depends on the time of year obviously.
Tasmania: Absolutely would recommend. Very beautiful and plenty to do. I've only been once (to Hobart) and am looking for an excuse to go back. Hire a car, drive around, it's lovely.
If money is no object, go to Lord Howe Island - it's a 2hr direct flight from Sydney. Spendy, but worth it: my favorite place on the planet, no question. I'll just leave this here:
Do what me & Mrs RNP did with my bro who lives in Sydney- go to Manly and re enact the scenes from BMX Bandits!
(also went Byron Bay which was ace)
Manly is good for a surf. I can't stand the Gold Coast but the Sunshine Coast has some cool spots like Happy Valleys, you can visit Australia Zoo from there. Australia doesn't have surf hire places near the beach like here, you need a car and maybe buy second hand. Out of Melbourne I'd head for Phillip Island, Smith's is my favourite. If you go along the Great Ocean Road it starts to get much more serious like Bells and Winkie Pop. I had a moment at Johanna. Get your lads down to Saunton o Croyde for a lesson or two first.
Was out there in March - April with the family
we did a couple of days in Sydney, camper van up the coast for a week (mostly at fingal head), night at Hervey Bay, 4 nights on Lady Elliot Island, Noosa, Binna Burra Rainforest for a 3 nights, then back to Sydney.
Great time
Agree with the points above RE Sydney vs Melbourne, been to both twice now and preferred Melbourne both times. Another thing to consider would be doing a surf trip - I did a week long one between Sydney and Byron Bay (can't really remember where) in a national park and it was the highlight of my trip. Got to camp out on the beach and saw kangaroos, dolphins, and whales (and snakes), might be a good way of entertaining the kids for a few days if you can get a weekend trip? I was certainly knackered at the end of each day! Think the company was Surfaris.
New Year in Sydney is something they would all like to do, so its how I fit that in around everything else!!
Not going to be cheap! A local could help but most people I've spoken too tend. To claim. A spot early and sit it out to the end. Fireworks look great on TV though 🙂
Sounds like a lot of back and forwards here, just remember this is the middle of school hols and everyone wants to be somewhere else, I had the chance of mcg or scg cricket for the ashes but flights were stupid money. As a general guide from any major city allow 1hr to get to the airport sit for 60-90 mins, flying time is about 90 mins max for melb/syd/tas 2-3 hrs up to QLD Half hour to get bags and clear the airport and get on bus or train to next city then up to an hour So it's basically a day for each hop which really eats into your time
[i]"anything teenager focused in Melbourne to recommend?"[/i]
a lot of stuff same as other big cities with coast but melbourne doesn't have surf - though as said above 1,1/2 hrs to Bells Beach or safe learning at Torquay. Summer hols so plan/book - Australians will say busy but its all relative - traffic on Great Ocean rd a pain - similar eastward toward Phillip island can be painful but not to uk standards
Melbourne
note tennis open starts 14th Jan - good if like tennis but means hotel rates maybe special
City Eureka tower skywalk, Yarra River canoe tour, St Kilda beach/pier - couple of days learning to kite surf? Stand up paddling Luna Park old style funfair Botanic gardens moonlight cinema / outdoor Shakespeare (bawdy as meant to be)
Immigration Museum, Old Melbourne Gaol, ACMI - "Museum" of cinema/electronic arts, Graffiti laneways
Hire bikes or rental things ($5 helmets from some 7-11's) and do city loop ride - beside river and then thru hipster spotting northern inner suburbs - cafes galore
MCG for evening 20-20 "big bash" cricket
East Sorento - swim with dolphins/seal watching Peninsular hot springs (I have daughters) Phillip Island Surfschool (Smiths Beach mentioned above good and hire shop/school is 50m walk - most of the gnarly beaches don't have much) Little Penguins - not my favourite as very crowded but is special
West Great Ocean road less tourist presence beyond 12 apostles Koalas Emus at Tower Hill - loop north for mountain biking at Forest (a place but tiny) in the Otways
back to original plan I'd suggest 1770 (a place) southern tip of Great Barrier reef but think snorkelling excellent plus canoeing and mild surfing at nearbytown along
we did most of australia (years ago, admittedly)
north of cairns was lovely, cairns was horrible
the whole gold coast (inc brisbane) - basically just benidorm. With big spiders and snakes.
Adelaide - you need to be 70+ to fit in. EDIT - there a week. Did the wine tour, stayed in Glenelg. Still not worth it...
Canberra. Don't bother. EDIT - war memorials are good. We did the library, the parliament (went to the republican debates, which dates us). Still not enough to warrant actually going
Sydney - a city. Could be anywhere. But the RBG - my old office - and the bridge are great.
Melbourne - nicer than the above, more interesting, better scenery. Walking around Lorne, and along the GOR was lovely.
Ayers Rock (Uluru now I think) and Alice. If you want to climb, go now. It'll be closed soon. But climbing at that time of the year isn't recommended (and they'll often close it by 10am as too hot). Kings Canyon is nicer.
Perth (and fremantle) - best by far. Lovely city, lovely atmosphere, the Pinnacles and Hangover Beach are superb. Fremantle is ace.
If i were to go back, it would be to Perth...
Adelaide – you need to be 70+ to fit in
Go during the festival or fringe, do the wine thing, tour down u dear, great small city
Canberra. Don’t bother
Go for the war museum heaps of history that Europe forgets. Galleries bikes and the snowy mountain
IMHO fremantle makes a work trip to Perth bearable 😉 dull and very expensive for me
I've not been in nearly 20 years, but have seen quite a bit of it.
My highlights mostly revolve around diving as I did my Dive-Master certs in Sydney.
* North Shore of Bondi Beach, not easy due to tides / inexperienced groups you get in Sydney (straight off their OW in Thailand) but a pretty good place to spot leafy sea dragons
* Night Dive in Watsons Bay - the dive is super-easy, there's lots to see, and when you surface you have the lights of the city twinkling in your mask. I can still see the image in my minds eye.
* Ningaloo Reef / Navy Pier Exmouth - this is on the other side of the country, and probably out of reach but it's spectacular.
Non-Diving highlights
* Byron Bay - I suspect this is a now tourist hell hole, but it was fun when I was there.
* Brighton Beach in Melbourne - has a row of brightly painted beach huts and a good view of the city
* Coogee-Bondi walk - as said above, it is spectacular.
* Mission Beach (near the top end) - but if you're going that far, you might as well see Kakadu
* Red centre - not sure where's best, but definitely worth seeing.
* I enjoyed WA more than the East Coast cities.
Things to not bother with...
Adelaide.
may need to rethink Melbourne
It's 10 years ago but ....
Really loved Melbourne... it felt way more chilled but Sydney felt like everyone was checking your clothes labels before they gave you entry. I was a bit of a tramp to be honest but my lasting impression of Sydney was having had enough after a couple of days. We did manage new year fireworks and the must see's and paid £20 for a drink in the Shangri-La for the view... Bondi beach etc.
We took a train to the Blue Mountains and got a few days in a resort hotel (just booked from a travel agent in Sydney) which was fantastic ... That summer it was freezing around Melbourne... quite literally for a few days so the penguins were happy and skiing just North of Melbourne in the middle of summer.
I wasn't going to mention the west coast as its probably a big spanner in the works but as its come up a few times now I'll crack on. We absolutely loved WA. For us it was what going to remote places is all about. Seeing something totally different. Miles of nothing, stunning coastline with amazing reefs, fantastic wildlife encounters. We went for January which is hot. Too hot for the locals. They all go south and we went north. That meant lots of places where didn't see another person. Highlights were probably sitting a beach from dusk until midnight while turtle after turtle came in to lay eggs and camping at the base of Walga rock then climbing to the top. Its a mini Ayres rock except not another soul there and from the top the only sign of life was the vague line of the track we drove in on. Nothing man made as far as the eye could see. Some cool ghost towns in the area too. The reefs were stunning too. So full of life and colour. Not sure how well it would go down with teenagers but it worked for us oldies. Don't get me wrong we loved the east coast, and we found some great wild and remote places and had some amazing wildlife encounters but WA pipped it. I'd happily recommend either though.
was a Sydneysider for 3.5 years until a month ago till i moved back to the UK, and have to say if you are looking at Sydney then Batfink has pretty much nailed all the good stuff in Syders...
Depending on how organised you are and how much you want to spend (xmas / NY is prime holiday season for everyone) you might want to head south -
Jervis bay (Huskisson, Vincentia) has amazing crystal clear water, calm seas and amazing white sounds (apparently some of the whitest sand in the world). It is awesome for snorkelling / scuba
On the way down you can stop at Gerringong / Gerroa where the southern highlands come down to the sea, it is probably my favourite place in the area - some fairly decent surf beaches and way less busy (and less gnarky) than Sydney beaches. There are also some great vineyards round there to stop in at on the way past (the best by far is Two figs winery at Shoulhaven heads - one of the more spectacular views you will get from a vineyard).
I would also stop in at Berry (a twee town) and take a detour into Minnamurra rainforest / Kangaroo valley if you can be bothered.
The Illawarra is also amazing and a great chilled out place to spend Christmas (we stayed there 2 years running), Bulli and Thirroul are cute little towns with great surf beaches and with the escarpment behind them for bush walks.
As mentioned before, palm beach is well worth going to (so, so beautiful) and staying for a while, and heading up into Kuringai national park for a spot of camping / bush walking. You could also look at getting a boat on the hawkesbury river...
The mountains are really nice but get a bit hot (and prone to the odd bushfire) in the summer - so probably a short trip is best - i'd rather be at the beach in the summer.
Outside of NSW - Melbourne is a great city, but probably isn't the most fun place for kids - the inner city beaches are rubbish but head out along the GOR and you'll get great beaches, but will have to fight for a park... Noosa is nice for a short break, the Queensland will be hot and humid (and best avoided at that time of year unless you love it that way), the top end will be even hotter and the interior will be so hot it will melt your eyeballs.
Tassie is just amazing. I love it there! If you can go, do it.
Most of all, sit back, relax and do what aussies do at christmas. Enjoy time with family, grill meat and fish and drink beer!
dont go to bells beach, the locals are a right miserable bunch.
go further down the road to wye rive or something
Just back from a trip over Christmas with 2 teenagers (13 and 15), visiting my sister and Dad who both live there.
My kids were very happy for hours on the beaches - the big (ish) surf kept them entertained without need to shell out for surf lessons etc. Grab breakfast at Bill Granger's place if you're at Bondi (book well in advance).
If you're exploring the city on foot it's worth taking in the Sydney Fish Market in Blackwattle Bay - great place to grab something interesting for the BBQ too if you're self catering!
We did the bridge climb - it's bloody expensive but not many things impress teenagers and they both enjoyed it, so money well spent
If you're in the Annandale/Leichart areas (SW city) & in need of refreshment there's a fab little micro brewery called The Wayward Brewing Company - right opposite is a great indoor climbing place. Enough to entertain both adults and kids for a couple of hours!
In similar area is the new Tramsheds bar/restaurant complex - it's the old Sydney tram depot. Nice place for a drink or bite to eat.
As others have said, be prepared for it to be expensive - we spent a fortune without being extravagent. The only bargain was our hire car: for about $50 we upgraded from a regular Holden Commodore to an SSV Redline model - basically an Insignia with a 6.2L V8 engine. That kept me & my son well entertained for a whole week!!
If you go to Byron Bay make sure you have a pint in the Friendly Railway bar, quite an institution. You can snorkel around Julian rocks and see the Wobbegong sharks and the occasional sea turtle.
Port Douglas is a good shout for the GBR and Fraser Island is fun for all ages.
We were in Bondi / Byron Bay over Christmas / New Year and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
The coastal walk is breathtaking as others have said. Breakfast is quite the institution in Bondi with some absolutely amazing options to choose from. Definitely worth doing the surf school, me and my 13 y/o had a blast! There is a real nice vibe about the place, I'd go back tomorrow like a shot.
The walk from Byron beach up to the lighthouse is well worth doing. Wategos beach is beautiful and often deserted. a Trip to Broken Head nature reserve is also a good way to spend a morning. Miss Margarita is good for foos and cocktails and I will definitely back up BillMC's recommendation for the Friendly Railway Bar apart from saying I'd stay for more than one! They usually have a couple of good beers on. The "Sticky Wicket" on the main drag has a happy hour too.
Also at Bondi - RAW. One of the best sushi places I've ever eaten at.
Stayed just round the corner from there on Ramsgate Street. Very nice.
