Best way to spend 5 days - Sydney and GBR
 

G'day! I'm in Melbourne on business and starting Nov 1, I have 5 days for sightseeing. I'm traveling with my 5-yr old and we plan to leave Melbourne on Saturday for our vacation days and then fly home to US from Sydney on the following Friday. What's the best way to see both Sydney and the GBR if possible? We don't yet have flights from Melbourne so we can go anywhere to start. My daughter's an experienced traveler so a hectic schedule is ok for this once-in-a-lifetime (mine anyway!)trip. Any advice from all of you experts would be appreciated!

Some things your five year old will like in Sydney:

Sydney Aquarium
Taronga Zoo
Botanic Garden (for the bats)
Riding the ferry boats
Maritime Museum
Imax Theater (3-D Bug movie and others)

You could easily spend the entire 5 days in Sydney. I haven't even mentioned the beaches and a couple of other kid-friendly museums. There's tons to do.

Unless your child is a good swimmer and snorkeler, I'm not sure a GBR trip is really worth it. Unless YOU really want to go of course! It probably depends on the location, but up in Port Douglas a lot of the best coral is offshore in very deep water. Not something that would be enjoyable with most five year olds in my opinion.

I cannot agree with the last poster about the GBR. Kids love to explore the reefs at low tide, they love to go on the semisubmersibles, snorkling with fish and feeding them, glass bottom boats, the colours of the fish and marine life etc. The sky rail, the fabulous waterfalls and the fresh water lakes and streams. I can think of 100 things kids could do but surely it is not only about the child?
The best way beachbaby would be to get a flight from Melbourne to Cairns and perhaps stay around there and go out to Green Island which although small and touristy is at least easy in its access for children and may things they can do there. Then spend a couple of days in Sydney before you fly home. I doubt that any 5 year old would appreciate a city whatever and wherever it is.

Hi, beachbaby!
I have to agree with Janese here, even though I'm from Sydney. To a five-year-old, all cities are the same; the unique features of Sydney -- the harbour, the Bridge, the Opera House -- can be seen in a day or two. Catch a flight directly from Melbourne to Cairns, but leave your return flight to Sydney "open"; then, should the weather at the Reef not be to your liking, you can fly back to Sydney (there are lots of flights daily through Virgin Blue and Qantas, some of them very cheap at last-minute prices) virtually at a moment's notice, and start picking up on the excellent tips given to you by Miranda. But, all things being equal, I'd be flying back on the Wednesday on one of Virgin Blue's mid-week specials, and spending just two days and two nights in Sydney.

Let me just clarify my remarks on the GBR since I was more controversial than I intended. I totally agree there are many fun activities for kids in the area. Our family went to both Port Douglas and Hayman Island, and either one could keep a kid happy for days. And an adult too! But for me, the absolute high point of our GBR experience was the deep water snorkeling we did off a boat. It was by far the best snorkeling I've ever done in my life and was truly magical. I will remember it for the rest of my life. To me, that's what made the GBR truly special in comparison with other beaches and islands I've travelled to. Having said that, though, trips with kids are all about compromise and I'm well aware that we parents don't always get to do everything we want to. I have four kids!

If you do go to the Port Douglas area, I recommend the Rainforest Habitat. You can see up close many animals you would not have a prayer of seeing in the wild. We especially enjoyed the koalas there, which were in open enclosures just a few feet away from us. And were actually awake! We did not do it, but they have a Breakfast with the Birds that is very popular and would be fun for your daughter.

Anyway, however you decide to split your time between Sydney and the GBR, you and your daughter are sure to have a wonderful time. In planning your trip, I recommend keeping an eye on transit times. Distances are very large in Australia! It will take quite some time door-to-door to get from Sydney to, say, Port Douglas.

Thanks for your advice! We will do the GBR - I can't wait!