Hi;
Would like to get as much fun visiting Carins and Brisbane for our 11 year old daughter and 14 year old son. What do you recommend doing in such a short time period from the 16 to the 26 of February. We are arriving in Sydney from Winnipeg Canada and flying directly to Carins. After 5 days in Carins we will fly to Brisbane and stay for approximately 3 days and then back to Sydney, rest for a day and then fly home. Any recommendations for a reasonable family place to stay in Carins and Brisbane(with pooland kitchen facilities)are appreciated. Thanks for any suggestions. AuntieM.

I will leave the Cairns suggestions to those who live there and can give you more up to date information and location details but in regard to Brisbane may I suggest that you get the train to the Gold Coast when you get to Brisbane ( takes only one hour and goes from the airport) as the main entertainment facilities including beaches etc are down there and you also will get a greater choice of accommodation on the Gold Coast as well. Best area to stay would be Broadbeach where there is a great beach, plenty of shops, restaurants, entertainment and buses to take you and them to wherever you want i.e. theme parks etc. Bbqs are also available at the beach and it has a surf patrol as well.

You could try www.wotif.com for discounted accommodation - but do note that the city's name is spelt "Cairns".

I won't ask "why Brisbane" - as I am sure there good reasons!! Neither can I claim to be a Brisbane expert - but if you don't want the hassle of moving to the Gold Coast - then BRS does have an inner city "beach" on the south bank, and some fine museums. I also seem to remember there is a Koala Park or something similar that you can visit. Why not try a google for Brisbane entertainment.

www.citysearch.com.au

is usually worth a whirl.

Cheers.

Trinity Beach, north of Cairns city, and south of Palm Cove has heaps of family accommodation with self-contained apartments. Yorkeys is a good family beach as well. But you must use stinger net enclosures for beach swimming, OK on reef. Easy access to reef and Skyrail/Kuranda train/Tjakupai from either beach. Don't miss a trip to nearby Atherton Tableland, it will be cooler and less humid up there in Feb than on coast and chances are high for spotting wildlife. If you're not self-driving would be happy to recommend a couple of trips which will pick you up at accommodation.

I would recommend a day trip up to Australia Zoo from Brisbane. It's a great day out and they have a lot of animals apart from crocs as well - kangaroos, koalas, dingos, elephants, birds etc. And a visit there will support Terri Irwin and her dream to carry on Steve's work.

Some time at South Bank Parklands would be nice - yes there is swimming there at the 'beach' and from there you could hop on a city cat ferry and get a different perspective of Brisbane from the river. The ferries are quite inexpensive. There is no entry fee into South Bank and you can swim for free, take a picnic or there are many restaurants, cafes etc if you wanted to have lunch/dinner there.

Another day could be spent at one of the theme parks - I would suggest Dreamworld for your children - and this can also be done as a day trip from Brisbane. It's a full days entertainment and I think your kids would really love it.

Another option could be a day trip to North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay. 'Straddie' is quite beautiful and a very popular destination for whale watching etc during the season.

Well, there is three days in and around Brisbane for you. Being born and bred in Brisbane I love our city and hope you enjoy it too.

Hi, sorry about the miss spelling of Cairns. We picked Brisbane because we loved the city when my husband and I went a few years ago and thought it was a great launching off point for day trips. The city itself with the city cat ferry and the park was beautiful. We have never been to Cairns and my husband and I have heard there is alot to see and do there. Our daughter is very active and loves animals as much as I do. My wombat encounter is something my daughter hopes to repeat. Thank you the previous suggestions, any others for "absolutely don't miss and worth the money" would be very much appreciated.
Thanks again, Auntiem

Yes Brissy is a nice, casual city and has quite a charm to it really but it does not have the facilities you want other than ones that are way out and of course Lone Pine. Currumbin Bird Sanctuary on the Gold Coast is one place that your daughter would love because you can walk in the enclosures with the Emus, Wallabies, Kangaroos etc and play and pat them. The bird show is great and the other animals are lovely too. It is a really lovely place to spend a few hours and perhaps take a picnic and wander around. Also Fleays Fauna Park is really wonderful as they do a lot of research there and have very knowledgeable rangers who give talks as well and their animals are some of the rarer ones. It was the first place, or rather the founder Eric (??) Fleay was the first person to breed a platypus in captivity. Of course Sea World is also on the Gold Coast and you can arrange to swim with the Dolphins there too. It's a great place for a days outing with really quality shows and great rides and very nice water slides to cool off on/in. So the reason I suggested the Gold Coast is that it would save you the travel to and from Brisbane to these places which takes up too much precious time. If though you would prefer to stay in Brisbane and do a couple of day trips and see what is around Brisbane it is only a train ride of about one hour to the Gold Coast and about 50 minutes train ride again to Beerwah north of Brisbane to Australia Zoo. Of course you can stay in Brisbane, get the ferry and take a trip to Lone Pine to see the animals and/or a trip over to Morton Island as someone else has suggested. I don't know what times the Dolphins are fed on Morton but that would not be too hard to find out anyway.
Whatever you choose though have a wonderful time in Queensland and I hope the weather is kind to you.

For close encounters with wild animals go to the Atherton Tablelands while in Cairns. At Granite Gorge you can hand feed wild Mareeba Rock Wallabies. go to Lake Barrine to see the tiny Hypsy, the smallest and most primative kangaroo. If you miss out on Platypus in the local creeks and rivers then at Tarzalli Lakes south of Malanda one can see them there. They have a no see no fee gaurantee of which they are quite proud. Possums and tree-kangaroos can be seen occasionally in the day time at the Curtain Fig near Yungaburra but it is best to stay until after dark and take a guided tour. the kids can sleep on the trip back to Cairns or you could base yourself on the Tablelands for a couple of nights. I reccommend Yungaburra.

Re accommodation in Cairns, a good place to stay with children is Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort. They have lots of family cabins and excellent facilities for children (playground, pool etc) and a good possibility of other children to play with.
Their website is www.coconut.com.au

The theme parks around the Gold Coast are usually very popular with teenagers and adults alike. Dreamworld is the closest to Brisbane and also has a section with Aussie animals (at one end of the chairlift). If you're looking for a zoo of Aussie and other animals, you prob cant go past Australia Zoo (run by the Irwin family) - I haven't been there but I hear that its very good. Its much bigger than Lone Pine. Both Dreamworld and Aust Zoo can be reached by train with bus connections - often all inclusive tickets are available at the railway stations.

If you do have a day to look around Brisbane city then Southbank is well worth a visit - dies have a small sand beach but nothing like the Gold Coast beaches. The City Cat ferry ride is really lovely too - goes along the curly Brisbane River, thru the city, past Southbank, down to Qld Uni. You can get an all day ticket which covers trains, buses and ferries. See www.translink.com.au

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane is great fun. You can hold a koala, feed a kangaroo and the like. The Miramar boat leaves Brisbane at about 10:00 AM and returns about 2:00 or so. The ride up the river is fun. We have visited the Australian Wool Shed several times with groups of college students. The shear a sheep and make Billy Tea. You can also feed the animals. It is a bit of a walk from the Ferny Grove train station.

Hi;
So much information, thanks to all. My husband is wondering if we should leave out Brisbane altogether now and just concentrate on the Cairns area and the GBR and a little bit of Sydney. From what we have been told it is better to stay around Port Douglas than Cairns. Night life/restraunts aren't important to us. We don't want to go to amusement parks as Canada's Wonderland is lots of fun and not far from us and we can do rollercoasters there. We really want the kids to experience Australia without doing too much (ie over do it) in the short time we have. So far we will fly from Sydney directly to Cairns, then perhaps stay at somewhere around Port Douglas at a family cabin/apartment area (pool a necessity) (we would like to cook as eating out is very expensive and would rather spend money on tours).
We will do GBR one full day, recommendations for three water babies and a husband who will cheer us (and may join us if the water is warm and the weather not too bad) on would be appreciated related to which GBR tour is the best. We want to do a tree walk or zip line tour (is there one around?). We would like to do the Tablelands as recommend by Pat along with the Skyrail and Train. My husband is First Nations, and we would like to do something with the Aboriginals of Australia. Any other ideas including staying a few days in various locals around the GBR/Cape Tribulation/Rain Forest. You have given us so many ideas but we are starting to get a working outline with your help. Thanks to all, AuntieM

Hi we stayed at the Oaks lexicon apartments in Brisbane this past july. It was a great location 1/2 block from central train station and 2 blocks to city cat wharf. Very nice with kitchen laundry pool, granite counters and cheap. We also did a 4 night captain cook cruise on the GBR from Cairns and it was fantastic. It was very reasonable We also stayed at Ellis beach bungalos just north of Cairns. If not these I would choose Palm cove over Port Douglas

Don't leave out our beautiful sub-tropical city! Brisbane has a lot to offer... some suggestions:
Drive up to Mount Cooth-tha at dusk and watch the city sparkle beneath you.
Breakfast at Sassafras in Paddington and a stroll along Given Terrace to the quirky designer clothing, homewares and jewellery stores.
A visit to the Gallery of Modern Art at Southbank - the biggest modern art gallery in the southern hemisphere - and breathtaking architecture in traditional Queensland pavilion style.
South Bank Parklands - a dip in the beach there, walks along the Brisbane River or take a City Cat trip up the river and back.
Story Bridge adventure climb I went last year and it was fantastic at twilight.
Roma Street Parkland - in behind the Roma Street Transit Centre. A real hidden gem - the biggest sub tropical garden in an urban setting in the world and full of surprises. Don't miss the Spectacle Gardens and Misty Gully.
A picnic at New Farm Park after picking up provisions in the many great stores in the area.
Dinner at Jade Buddha - fantastic views of the river and the Story Bridge.
The "Brisbane City Walk" - a self guided walking tour linking the Botanical Gardens, Southbank Parklands and Roma Street Parkland.

And so much more further afield too - highly recommend Mt Tamborine to the south or the Sunshine Coast Hinterland to the north. Maleny is magic.