ReaTraveller

Hi,
I am trying to plan a trip to Austria/new zealand in december for our family of 4. We have a 6 year old and a 3 year old. We will be flying from the bay area. Thinking 10 days. Heard gold coast is very good.
really clueless need lots of input.
Thanks
Rea

Kiwi_acct

Hi there

If your trip is likely to be a "kid" focused one I would suggets you look at the Gold Coast area of Queensland, Australia. It is the home of most theme park attractions in Australia, whilst having good beaches and easy access to parkland.

http://www.goldcoasttourism.com.au/

A few board members are from Queensland and they will be able to give you better info. December should be very nice and warm for you as well.

If you are coming for 10 days I would suggest only one country as you will end up having to spend pretty much a full day travelling between the two.

lancefan

gold coast would be a good option for kids - but need to book soon for december, depending on dates.

You might also want to look at going to couran cove on south Stradbroke Island - it looks like a treat for families (i saw a segment on the TV recently, that's why it's fresh in my mind). http://www.couran-cove.com.au/

also - how about this - the wiggles world at dreamworld! http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content...e=WigglesWorld

ElendilPickle

If all you have is 10 days, I would skip one of the countries - especially since you're traveling with small kids.

Lee Ann

ReaTraveller

I could probably increase the number of days. We don't want to do too many theme parks, have enough of that here in California. What about some animal watching ? How many days should one spend on the gold coast ?
What about cities like Sydney Melborne ?
Also do US citizens need a visa for Australia.

lizF

The Gold Coast ( Surfer's Paradise) is not like California with the exception that they both have beaches. The only 2 similiar theme parks are Sea World and Movie World ( the latter is pathetic in my opinion) but there is also an Australian themed theme park ( Dreamworld) and animal based parks - although I would not call them Theme parks per se. One of the best is Currumbin Bird Park where twice a day the native Rainbow Lorikeets come in for feeding and will sit on any part of you to do that, you can walk through the enclosures with kangaroos, emus, wallabies etc and play with them. They have Koalas, wombats, Cassawaries, crocodiles and a really interesting nocturnal house.
There is another animal themed park called Fleay's Fauna Park where you can see different animals and park rangers will tell you about them and the experience is very informative.
One of the newest "shows" is an Outback Aussie Extravaganza which is similiar to the horse riding show that was featured in the opening of the Sydney Olympics, that is on at night and you have a meal as well there. I have not been but have heard nothing but good reports on that one. However the Gold Coast is not just about theme parks but also about the lifestyle, markets, hinterland where there are many beautiful rainforests with walks, waterfalls and everything that goes with them.
If you are thinking of staying there the I would suggest that you look at the Broadbeach area as that has everything you need, is close to a large main shopping centre, Casino, features many open air restaurants, bbq on the beach, the beach is manned with life-savers and everything is within an easy distance, including a main bus centre. The weekend Carrara markets are not far and between there and Surfer's Paradise is a revolving restaurant, but even better still is George's Paragon Restaurant with lunch time half price menus. If you combine the Gold Coast and surrounds with some time in Sydney I think you will have a great time. Sorry, but Melbourne does absolutely nothing for me!

longhorn55

I have been to Australia and New Zealand many times and I would not suggest you try to visit both countries unless you have a minimum of 3 weeks to do so (and that's a bare minimum). Since it does not appear that you have that much time and you are interested in visiting the Gold Coast, I suggest you visit there and Sydney. LizF has given you some great suggestions for the Gold Coast. There are so many things to do with kids in Sydney, and since they are interested in wildlife, I think they'd enjoy the ferry trip from Circular Quay to the Taronga Zoo and a visit to Featherdale Nature Park.
You will need to get visas (called ETAs) to visit Australia. If you go through a travel agent, he or she can arrange for them. You can also get them yourself online through the Australian Government's ETA Service at www.eta.immi.gov.au The cost is
AUD 20 each.

IWS

Rea - what I remind people of when I travel to the US is that Australia is bigger than the US (if you leave out Alaska / Hawaii) and has everything from tropical areas, deserts, snow fields, beaches etc etc.

I think if you were to fly into Sydney for a few days you could see one of the truly magnificent harbours plus some other great attractions. A week or so exploring the Gold Coast and Brisbane would cap off the holiday.

It does however really depend on what you really like to do. However, when you take into account the travel time you must allow yourself sufficient time to see the sights, relax and enjoy yourself. Ian