BRomano

Hello, My husband and I would like to travel to Australia this december with our 3yo daughter. We are planning on staying for 16 days through Christmas. How can I maximize our trip without too much hopping around? (daughter will be exhausted) Also, any tips on finding great vacation packages? We have never been to Australia and would like to see the major sights and do kid friendly activities.

Cheers! From the Windy CIty.

Melnq8

I suspect Mom and Dad will be exhausted too.

Assuming you're referring to the Windy City of Chicago, you may not realize that Christmas and January is super, duper high season in Australia, so you'd be wise to book as soon as you've got an itinerary sorted.

Is your 16 days on the ground, or does it include travel time?

lavandula

Towards the mid to end of December is also the beginning of school holidays. With kids I would recommend beach holidays - get an apartment near the beach somewhere. In Sydney you might think of Manly or Bondi (although Bondi is getting kinda $$$). In Manly - the Oceanarium is nice for kids, and everywhere else is a ferry ride away (also fun for kids and adults alike). There are also 2 beaches and some low-scale shopping opportunities there (the Corso). Also recommend Taronga Zoo and Luna Park (both are on the harbour, so think ferry).

Lavandula

eliztravels

Goway travel does a lots of trips to Australia. They have an office in Toronto and elsewhere I'm sure. Some friends used them and were quite satisfied.

BRomano

The beach sounds great! And yes we are from Chicago...I think I can handle sunny skies and warm weather over shoveling 3ft of snow..lol.

We would like to do 5 or 6 days of travel. Maybe the Reef?

I will try Goaway Travel... Chicago isn't that far from Toronto so they may be able to help us.

Thanks for the info!

longhorn55

There's really no reason you would need the services of a travel agent to book a simple trip like this. Self-booking vacations in Australia is easy with the Internet and the phone (as there is no language barrier). You will more likely find the kind of accommodations you want at a price you want to pay if you do it on your own as opposed to using a travel agent.

The weather in Far North Queensland (Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef region) is extremely hot and humid in December. December is the month with the 2nd highest average rainfall (after January)--7.5 inches. A lot of people still go there in December, but you should consider the weather in making your decision.

When we lived in Australia, we made a summer vacation trip with our kids to South Australia and Kangaroo Island. We stayed at the beach at Glenelg (suburb of Adelaide) and did some day trips from there when we weren't on the beach. One place you would probably enjoy is Cleland Wildlife Park, about 20 minutes out of Adelaide. We then spent 3 days on Kangaroo Island (2 might be enough for you), checking out the various animals and doing a bit of hiking. This might be a better destination for you than Cairns.

Wherever you go in Australia, you will find plenty to entertain your toddler--parks, playgrounds, zoos, etc.