theresabar1724

My husband, myself and 2 children are off to australia for Christmas and need some help with enteraining the children , our daughter is 14 and our son is 11 our intinerary is 6 days in Sydney, 10 days in Surfers Paradise then we fly to Cairns for 8 days .We would like to visit Lizard Island and Hamilton Island and maybe spend the night, but we are not sure where to go ,we have not booked any hotels in Cairns and need advice on that too.I was told to stay in Port Douglas but if someone knows somewhere more suitable that would be great.Also we stop off in Bangkok on our way home is it true that we can buy electronic devicies cheaper there than in England

lancefan

couple of things with that much time in surfers - theme parks, surf lessons, drive to byron bay, GC hinterland, kayak/snorkel tour, currumbin. check www.verygc.com.au and also http://www.bestofthegoldcoast.com.au.

seriously great place for family holiday - there's so much to do it's insane!

PaulS

You may find Lizard a little dull for children - it's a "do nothing, relax" adult kind of place, compared with the very family-friendly Hamilton. Both Cairns and Port Douglas have so many accommmodation options it's impossible to advise (check the threads here), and both have excellent and easy arrangements for tours of the reef, rainforest. With 8 days it';s easy to visit both Cairns and Port Douglas - the drive between the two is one of the most beautiful coastal drives anywhere. If your children want to be near the beach, you should consider family-friendly resorts/hotels north of Cairns itself (which has mudflats but no beach. although an artificial beach has just opened adjacent marina). Trinity Beach is a good option. BTW electronic devices are probably cheaper anywhere in the world compared with England! P

QualMod

In terms of islands near Cairns, I would go to Brampton Island. I was there over Christmas a few years ago. It was very child friendly, but also great for adults. All inclusive, but food was great as were the drinks, etc. They had programs for kids to keep busy (I don't have kids, but the kids/teens there looked like they were having a blast). Santa waterskied up to the beach on Xmas day and gave out presents! We befriended a couple from England with kids about your age and the kids were having a great time even though the mom admitted her teen daughter was in a 'moody'phase! Brampton Island is also jelly fish-free, unlike some of the other close to land islands. Make sure you check if there are jelly-fish - else you will not be able to swim in the ocean. Port Douglas is very small/quaint(spent New Years eve there). Didn't seem like there is too much for kids? Cairns is larger, more restaurant choices, etc. I liked Port Doug - but it is a bit of a drive and 'romantic', but again, I do not have children, so I cannot say for sure. Have fun!

pat_woolford

I'm pretty sure Lizard Island resort doesn't take kids under 16, but worth checking.

Brampton Island is nowhere near Cairns/Port Douglas, its about 32km NE of Mackay which is over 700km south of Cairns. You can fly Mackay-Cairns or Hamilton Island-Cairns. The two dangerous marine stingers are the box jellyfish and irukandji, which are found from at least Mackay north in summer on coastal and nearby islands such as Whitsundays - see www.whitsundaytourism.com and go to "Other Information".

Trinity Beach, about 20mins north of Cairns is a good family option with lots of suitable accommodation to choose from; the beach is lifesaver patrolled with stinger net; there's easy access to reef from Cairns city. Trinity would make a good base for drives to nearby rainforests, Tablelands, and nearby is a water ski cable and go-kart track which teenagers seem to love. Also bungy jumping, but you mightn't want to tell the kids about that!