hughessah

We are traveling with our 2 teenage children for at least 2 weeks. Would be most greatful if anyone has any info on the following:
1. recommendation for a family hotel in Sydney; will want to see the opera house & climb the bridge

2, recommendation for family hotel in Cairns; will want to be close to snorkeling and scuba diving

3. Recommendation for a place to visit in the outback. Will be traveling with our 2 teenagers.

4. Where can we see; preferably pet, Kangaroos and Kaola bears?
Thanks so much
Cathy

Mucky

Hi Cathy,
There are plenty of family hotels in Sydney.If you could tell us the budget your thinking of and if the children are old or young teenagers it would help.
We made a similar trip, twice from UK over the last few years with 2 teenagers.(13 & 16 last time)
Where are you coming from? I wonder if 2 weeks is going to be long enough, the first visit we made was for 3 weeks and we needed longer. 2nd time was a month long and even that was probably not enough for what we wanted to do.
meanwhile; there are plenty of posts on this site, my Sydney report from last time for what it's worth is here too.lol
The only Consideration at the moment is travelling in August, that is Winter in OZ, not sure what Sydneys' weather will be like.I'm sure some Sydneysiders will be along soon to advise.

Good Luck

Muck

Neil_Oz

If you use the search box on this forum you'll find many previoius threads that will probably answer questions (2) and (4) at least. A 2-bedroom apartment would probably be best for a family, but as Mucky says it depends on your budget. Petting koalas seems to be going out of fashion as it's said to stress the animals. Your Outback excursion may be best arranged in conjunction with your Cairns visit, as the "outback" is rather closer to the coast up there than further south - again, I think there's a previous thread to that effect.

myaustralia

Cairns has tons of accommodation places and usually tour companies (boats) pick up at all hotels in Cairns. I am sure, Pat will be able to help you with accommodation recommendations.
Another options for you would be to stay in Port Douglas, 1 hour north of Cairns.
You do not mention where in the Outback you want to stay. Do you mean Ayers Rock? The Outback around Cairns?.....
If you want to experience the Outback from Cairns, there is Undara and its ancient Lava Tubes. A really nice place to visit and can be done on a 2-3 day trip from Cairns. Another great place to visit if you go to Undara is Cobbold Gorge. Most people miss that one on their trip, but to me it is well worth visiting. You can drive yourself, HOWEVER, rental car companies ususally do NOT allow people to take cars to Undara. You can fly from Cairns or join a guided tour. Check out Pete Baxendell from Daintree-Specialised-Tours, he can organize one for you.
There are 3 places around Cairns to see (and in some actually pet) animals: The Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, Hartley's Creek Crocodile Farm and Wild World north of Cairns. All have Koalas, Kangaroos and Crocs.
If you need more info and links to tours, just visit
www.wonderfulaustralia.com

pat_woolford

Hi myaustralia, all good suggestions, but I know at least Sugarland and Billabong rental companies, probably others will now allow non-4WD into Undara, now that there's only 3km of unsealed road. People are warned to go easy on this small stretch as insurance may not pay if they hit a kangaroo. Same goes for the bit of unsealed road at Beach Hut, Cape Trib.

hughessah: it is still OK to hold koalas for photos at Koala Gardens in Kuranda and Cairns Tropical Zoo (used to be called Wild World), at Palm Cove, north of Cairns city. The others will let you photograph them from nearby, but not holding them.

No koalas or platypus at Daintree Mangrove Wildlife Sanctuary - but a fantastic collection of Australian cockatoos, parrots, finches, cassowaries, kangaroos, crocs, dingoes, quolls and more - www.daintreewild.com.au You can also stay here at reasonably priced accommodation - great spot for teenagers to enjoy.

There's a myriad of advice here on reef trips, as Neil suggests, just do a search.

myaustralia

Pat, thanks for the update on the rental cars. Has been a while since I went out to Undara. Will they allow you to go all the way to Cobbold Gorge?

pat_woolford

myaus, only 4WD rentals to Cobbold Gorge, no insurance on conventional vehicles. Its a pity it rarely gets a mention here - am trying to get over there again soon before it gets too hot.