Request for suggestions - family of 4, only American-sized holiday
 

We have a hold on round trip flights in and out of Sydney. We're a family of four with two small hobbits (7.5, 5) at the time of the trip. Our trip will coincide with US holidays - early June.

We'd like to go to the Red Centre, end in Sydney and one other stop. Preference would be something like this:

Stop One for 3-4 nights (connect through Sydney)
Red Centre (Uluru) for 2 or 3 nights
Sydney for 3-4 nights

We have 10 nights total (max) on the ground. And yeah, it's a bit rushed for toting the halflings around but this is the rare time we can swing the trip and one of them is a good traveler (the other will get that way, somehow).

I have been to Sydney, Darwin, Cairns (GBR and Daintree), Uluru, Adelaide/Barossa/Kangaroo Island. The head of household herself has been to Sydney, Darwin, and the Adelaide wander noted above. Neither previous trip included the two small people who look like my wife.

Now for the interests: local fauna from avian to marsupial to the remaining dinosaur-descendant reptiles (the boy likes crocodiles and alligators), some bushwalking and mountains. So we'd visit the Blue Mountains while in Sydney and similar. Honestly, we expect the kids will be bouncing off the bloody walls just about the whole time we're in Oz.

The open question is what should be stop one? Darwin and the Top End? Brisbane and the Queensland Coast? KI and Adelaide?

Thanks in advance.

Since none of you has been to Canberra, I'm going to throw that out as something to consider for your 3rd destination. It's got a lot of attractions that will appeal to the whole family:

1. Questacon--a fabulous hands-on science museum. You could probably spend close to a full day just there if you wanted.

2. National Dinosaur Museum

3. Namadgi National Park--on the easy 6km RT walk, you will definitely see lots of kangaroos by the trail and there's Aboriginal rock drawings at the turnaround point.

4. Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve--animals and bushwalking

5. Tidbinbilla Tracking Station--radio telescopes and space museum

6. National Gallery of Australia--neat Aboriginal art and the famous Ned Kelly series, which is art any kid would like

7. Australian War Memorial--tanks, submarines, dioramas, etc. (My son loved this museum when he was 7.)

8. National Museum of Australia--many kid-friendly exhibits

What's great about Canberra is that so many of the museums are free (National Gallery, National Museum, Australian War Memorial) and it's close to the bush so you can easily see animals in the wild. (When I lived there, my yard was full of birds like galahs and sulfur-crested cockatoos and kangaroos were a quick drive away on Red Hill.)

Some may say that Canberra is "too cold" in June, but it won't be that different from what you'll be experiencing at Uluru. In early June, you can expect chilly nights, but pleasant days with temperatures near 60 degrees. With all the sun we would get in Canberra, it always felt warmer to me than what the thermometer read.

You'll be here at a great time to explore the Red Centre, Big Russ ( Ms Russ & the Russettes)

You've both been to Sydney, so you probably don't need too much info here.

I like Canberra & think it would be a great 3rd location. Longhorn covers it well, and I might toss in a little side trip to the South Coast on your way back to Sydney.

So would Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tablelands & rainforests. If you stayed in Port Douglas, you could roll in the beach experiences.


And there's a lot to recommend Darwin & Kakadu, as you know. I'm just wondering whether the distances & days between places there might be a little long for your rug-rats. Keep in mind, you won't be swimming from the beaches in Darwin. Your kids might be keen on crocs, but I don't think they'd be too keen on being croc lunch.

On a tight schedule like yours, I'd be tempted to prioritize along airline schedules so that you can take early-in & late-out flights to maximize your time at each place.

If you do go to Canberra, I'd drive - it's an easy drive, you can duck into one or more of the Southern Highlands towns like Bowral or MossVale one way and see some of the South Coast on the other. You need a car in Canberra.

Have fun - and grab some eucalyptus leaves & try as kid snacks when they're climbing the walls. Staple diet of koalas & just look at them!

<< and grab some eucalyptus leaves & try as kid snacks when they're climbing the walls>>

Heh. The soporifics couldn't hurt.

We're mindful of distances and (lack of) days, but my mileage awards refresh only once every 5-6 years based on our spending and travel patterns so we need to make the time count a lot.

I think you'll make it work - you're used to packing a lot into a fortnight. It's usually nice to have longer, but I think in your case you could pack 3 areas into your available time.

The good thing is that June is a super time to explore our Top End & FNQ and Canberra won't be as cold as your winter at home. Best of all from your $ POV, it's not school holidays here ... And the USD will probably still be swinging from the chandeliers.