khor

Thinking of traveling to Australia in July 2010 with our three children (14 yrs, 10 yrs, 1 1/2 years) from the West Coast of the US. First of all, are we crazy to consider such a long flight and time change with the baby? If not, then we have about 2 weeks and would like to see as much as possible, while keeping things "easy". Easy meaning not too much moving around between cities and hotels. Not opposed to spending 2 weeks in Sydney, but we love nature, hiking, etc. Would it be best to stay in Sydney and do day trips with a car or consider 2 cities - Sydney and another that would give us easier access to nature. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

DownUnder

Long haul flights are not much fun whatever your age, but many families travel. The kids seem to have no problem in falling asleep and the flight attendants are very good with babies. I would suggest Sydney for a week and then either Melbourne or Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast(lots of big family attractions there) for a week. Do a bit more research with either a Fodors or Lonely Planet Australia guide to see which area interests you most.

longhorn55

My first trip to Australia was with a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old, so I don't think you are crazy. The baby will likely sleep most of the way and if you choose an airline with individual TV screens at each seat, then the older kids can keep themselves entertained when they aren't sleeping.
If you include some day trips out of Sydney, you can keep yourselves and the kids entertained for a week there. However, rather than go to Melbourne (which doesn't have the greatest weather in July) or to the Gold Coast (which won't be anything special since you come from the U.S. West Coast), I would recommend a week in Cairns/Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef area). There's lots to see and do there and the two older kids are definitely old enough for a snorkel trip to the Reef. Even if they have never snorkeled before, they should do fine. My kids were 9 and 12 and "newbies" when they first went snorkeling at the GBR. I'd start looking at flights/accomodations now, especially for Cairns/PD because it's high season there with lots of overseas visitors and Australian families for the mid-year school holidays.
Finally, I would recommend you look for "serviced apartments" for your accomodations rather than hotels. You'll have more room for your family and they have kitchen (and often laundry) facilities which will cut costs for you.

Suelynne

I think it would be a pain to use Sydney as a base for day trips with 3 young children. It's too big and you would spend precious time on motorways getting out. Besides that it will be winter! However, it can be quite sunny and pleasant, and you could spend up to a week in Sydney using public transport - ferries and trains - and see quite a bit of nature. But I second longhorn's suggestion of going up to Cairns/ Port Douglas for the second week, where you'll be closer to nature and the weather will be much warmer... and there's plenty to see and do up there!

lavandula

I am a mother who lives in Sydney and I will just give a word of warning about trains and prams (buggies / strollers / insert regional terminology), as I see you will probably be thinking about this for your youngest. Where I live there is no elevator down to the platform. Many stations do provide this pram and wheelchair access, and I would hope some city stations would have this, but mine (within 5km east of city, which in our terms is practically city also) does not, and the rail network is otherwise quite modern. This makes it impractical to have a large pram, which you cannot take on the escalators, whereas an umbrella stroller would be okay to fold and take down the escalator. This also presents logistical problems such as what sort of bags to carry with you - a daypack is ideal because it leaves your hands free to carry the stroller in one hand and the baby tucked under your other arm. I am only raising this because we will be soon travelling to Melbourne and are investigating how best to navigate public transport. Maybe you already know some of these tips because you have older children. I would otherwise encourage you to keep considering Sydney as a destination. It isn't impossible to get around, especially if you plan the right pram. You could, as Longhorn55 suggests, get a serviced apartment and consider renting a car for daytrips to the Blue Mountains or Palm Beach. Winters in Sydney are rarely that daunting - the coldest it ever gets in the city is about 13-15 degrees during the day. Ferry trips are great for kids; you could make Manly your base, take ferries to the city and keep a car for other occasions.

Lavandula

lavandula

Just as an addendum to my last post - there is also a ferry to Double Bay and I think Medina has serviced apartments a few streets away from the water. Just if you want to go down that route.

Lavandula

olivetta

I can't advise on the plane journey with a baby, but your older children will love the whole journey.
We like the way that Sydney's inner transport system works and think that you could easily use the ferries and buses. Take a ferry from Circular Quay to Toronga Zoo -- a lovely trip across the harbour near the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Another ferry ride to Manly takes you across the water where you can view the main entrance and cliffs. Buses to the local beaches can also be a good activity, but it is winter --- usually not really cold and can be enjoyable on the beach for kids with sandcastles etc. Around Darling Harbour, close to the middle of Sydney, you can find the aquarium and Maritime Museum, interesting for your older children. The monorail takes you back to the mid-city area.

The Blue Mountains west of Sydney are an easy drive and the return journey can be made in one day. Mountains are great for some bushwalking.
I recommend that you find accommodation where self-catering facilities are provided -- kitchen or kitchenette to reduce food costs.

Melbourne is a lot colder than Sydney, but there are many enjoyable things to see there too in winter. However, your children would love to head north to the Queensland beaches. Gold Coast has plenty of accommodation available at reasonable prices, including self-catering. Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, off Gladstone in Queensland, is a nature-lover's paradise where you can swim off the beach to view coral and beautiful tropical fish. There are many other beautiful islands too -- eg Whitsundays. Further north, Cairns & Port Douglas are great places to see crocodiles, rainforest and another part of the reef. Hartley's Crocodile Farm is great.
Hope this helps.

khor

Thank you all for your thoughtful and detailed responses - especially the moms with the invaluable info. regarding strollers,day trips, self-service apartments, etc. I can see that the reponse is unanimous regarding 2 weeks in Sydney. We will look into breaking it up with a week somewhere else,maybe Cairns as suggested. Thank you, thank you all!