Hi. I am trying to plan a trip to Austrailia and New Zealand w/ my family. Myself, my husband and 3 kids, ages 8 & 10. I'm unsure if we should go over the x-mas holiday in Dec. for 2 weeks or go in the summer. I want to enjoy these countries at their best and want to plan a trip that the entire family will enjoy. I also have to watch my budget. I'm looking into a tour and traveling on our own. Any advise on tours, traveling these countries w/ a family and Dec. vs. the summer months (june, july, aug.) would be much appreciated. I am just starting to research my dream of visiting these countries and really want to do it right. Also, if anyone knows of any travel agents that are wonderful with booking this type of a trip, let me know! Many thanks in advance to all who respond.

Whenever you go I don't think 2 weeks is enough to see
OZ and NZ - unless oyu are of the "if this is tuesday it must be belgium" traveler variety...

June, July and August are winter months in Australia and probably not the best time to visit unless you want to concentrate on Queensland and the Top End. The further south you go the bleaker it becomes and that includes N.Z.
December, January and Feb. while being the summer months, are also the big holiday months downunder with heaps of activities for young people. Of course the cost of accommodation is always bumped up, but with careful research you may find a bargain. Check the Qantas website www.qantas.com.au for Qantas holidays.
Christmas in Australia with perhaps a day at the beach is a fun experience for kids especially if they are used to spending Christmas Day in the northern hemisphere.
The cheapest way to visit Australia with a family is to hire a Campervan or stay at Bed and Breakfasts.

I think you need to do some homework, and identify what you want to do and see, before we can give you a sensible answer to your question.

I presume you're North American? Are you aware that Australia is roughly the same size as mainland USA, but without the population. Too see things, travel time within the country is a factor.

IF you let us know what sort of trip you're looking for, we can offer suggestions. Just how much of wach country are you planning to see in 2 weeks?

Lee311,
December is Summer in Australia & NZ.

It is also the peak tourism & school holiday period, so prices will be higher & availability for some accommodation tighter.

That said, it's a brilliant time to visit with kids because there's so much to do; especially along the coasts.

I think 2 weeks is probably too short a period to see two countries, unless you want to spend all your time "on the run", packing & unpacking every night. Can't imagine that would be too much fun with or for a couple of kids. Depending on where you're from & what your usual Christmas experience is, you might, for example, enjoy having a base somewhere on the coast for one week and spending another travelling around.

Tasmania's possibly one of Australia's best kept secrets. Small, easy to get around, absolutely gorgeous. Lots to interest kids as well as adults.



If you do a forum search, "Australia with Kids" or similar, you'll find lots of info from current posters who are planning/have done a similar trip.

We were in Australia & N.Z. last Dec. with our 3 year old. Go in Dec!

For a family of five, I wouldn't rec. a campervan unless you are comfortable driving such a huge beast as a six berth.

However, the campgrounds (esp. the "Top Ten" variety) have great little cabins. They usually have beds and kichenettes. You have to use the campground bathrooms - all the ones we saw were pristine. These campgrounds are often near the beach, and also have playgrounds and "jumping pillows" which are fun for child and adult alike.

Reservations would be a good idea. While they had powered sites avail., the cabins seemed to be the first to fill up.

We took two weeks just to drive from Brisbane to Sydney! I can't imagine trying to do that much faster with three kids. I suppose you could start in Cairns.

Brisbane is brimming with animal parks & adventure parks like nothing in the U.S. Your kids are the perfect age for them.

In Dec, Australia seemed to have the nicer beach weather. N.Z. was still mostly cool/rainy. The Kiwis told us February was the best month for their country.

So I guess my suggestion would be to only go to Australia for your two weeks, go on your own, rent a car and drive down the Sunshine and Gold coast.

The only reason to go in June, July, Aug, is if you can get more time off, and cars and hotels will be cheaper.

Two weeks is not enough time to see both Australia and New Zealand, so you should limit yourself to one country. If you decide to go to New Zealand, definitely do it over the Christmas holidays. NZ is farther south than Australia, so it's cold there in winter (June, July, August).
If you decide to go to Australia, you next need to decide where in Australia you want to go. With only two weeks, I would recommend limiting yourself to no more than 3 destinations. If you want to go south of Sydney (e.g.Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania), then December is your best bet. If you want to go north of Sydney (e.g. Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, GBR, Northern Territory), then go in winter.
You also should remember that you will encounter large crowds and higher costs during school holidays. The biggest crowds/highest costs will be during the December holidays, but there are also mid-year school holidays in June and July. If you decide to go to Australia in winter, think about going in August when the school holidays are over. (Each state/territory in Australia has different dates for the mid-year school holidays, so you might want to check online sources for those dates.) We love traveling in August in Australia because we go to Port Douglas and Darwin. We always spend time in Sydney, of course, and have been lucky to encounter spring-like weather on each of trips there.
I would recommend staying in self-contained apartments in Australia. A 2-bedroom apartment with kitchen would be perfect for your family and these self-contained apartments are plentiful throughout Australia.
Finally, if you are comfortable using the Internet, booking a 2-week trip to Australia would not be that difficult. If you are coming from the States, check Qantas, United and Air New Zealand for deals. (Qantas has an Airpass that gives you a flight from LA to several Australian cities plus 3 internal flights for one price.) There are LOADS of accomodations, including self-contained apartments, available through the Internet and all major car rental companies operate in Australia and can be booked online.
Good luck and have a great trip.

Hi. I have a 10 year old we live in Melbourne - four seasons in one day they say but just let you know it will be busy travelling in Victoria July-August school holidays. June would be the best schools arent on holidays then. We get warm bright sunny days in June too. It rains in October in Melbourne. Yarra Valley is lovely, Mornington Peninsula is great beautiful beaches, country side, wineries. Fun things to do in Melbourne for kids go to Scienceworks in Spotswood all hands on or try the Aquarium in Melbourne ring up and book a dive with the fish, go to Essendon Airport and book a flight for the family to see around Port Phillip Bay, or catch a ferry from Williamstown to St kilda, Sundays in St Kilda are great there is Luna park rides for kids and Sunday market for Mum and Dad. The list is endless what do you like doing..The trams are cheap and melbourne has a free tram and now a free bus. have fun.

Also go the Melbourne Zoo great for kids...and in South Melbourne there is a playground with a difference, if you are intersted I can let you know the street, its located behind flats...I cant remember just now.

I agree. two weeks will only scratch the surface of our amazing country. If you do Tassie save N.Z for another holiday (it deserves it. perhaps do N.Z and Fiji next time). You will prob fly into Sydney which is not a bad starting point www.sydneyaustralia.com/. Go to Tassie from there ( jetstar.com or virgin blue prob offer good fares if you want to save time by flying). Hire a car and drive around. Driving in Tassie is excellent and there are so many beautiful places to stay. Cradle Mountain (www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/cradle/ is beautiful. Then fly to Melbourne (lots to see) and then on to Bris. Places to consider (before going to Cairns for the mandatory trip out to the Great Barrier Reef) could include The Gold Coast www.goldcoasttourism.com.au/ . The kids will love the many theme parks here including Dreamworld www.dreamworld.com.au/ and the Sunshine coast www.sunshinecoast.org/ where you will also find Steve Irwins Australia Zoo www.australiazoo.com.au/ and Stradbroke island (a local secret) www.stradbrokeholidays.com.au/ and World Heritage Listed Fraser Island www.fraserisland.net/ . You can go further north if you desire to snorkle amongst the coral of the Great Barrier Reef. There should be plenty of links on these sites that can lead you to some good holiday planning. Have fun planning.

December is peak holiday season in Australia.
For the best holiday, fitting the most within your time frame I'd hire a car and drive down the East coast. Starting in the Sunshine Coast (Queensland) and ending in Victoria.

I went with my husband and two kids (then 5 and 7) to Australia in August for three weeks. We spent 7 nights in Cairns, 7 nights in Surfer's and 5 nights in Sydney. We rented cars for the two weeks in Cairns and Surfer's Paradise to take day trips out, and avoid changing hotels very often.

If you decide to go in August, the weather was very agreeable and not too cold. The kids went in the water as it was around 20-22 C. What made it seem cooler was the constant breeze. However, while technically it is winter and may be cold for an Aussie, if you are from Canada or the top half of the US, it is more like end of May weather. That said, I didn't go to Melbourne or Tasmania where the weather may put more of a damper on your activities.

We all loved the trip and didn't consider August weather an impediment at all.

Lee-
I lived in Australia for a while, and happen to think that the North American summer is a great time to go.

As for the best way to get around - the Qantas Aussie Air Pass is the way to go. My friend and I used an organized tour as a guide to book our own trips. We started in Sydney and then travelled to Cairns, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Adelaide before departing Melbourne.

Also, during December some of the attractions may be closed due to high heat (ayer's rock) and other areas might be too hot or sticky to make travelling with young children comfortable.

Remember that is warmer in the north and cooler in the south as you get closer to Antartica. Melbourne may a little chilly - nothing compared to NY/Minn/Colo winters though.