pigletthepug

Hello all,
we are a family of father, mother, 6 yo and 2.5 yo. We were all set to go to Japanese Alps (about 500km or 250 miles away from the nuclear plant) late June - July. But now that the whole nuclear thing is rated a 7 and not dying down, I am cancelling my plan since we do have 2 young kids in tow.

Some of my family is based in Brisbane, so I am thinking of flying there and roughly basing ourselves there. But I'm not sure what we can do not far from Brisbane. We come from super polluted, cramped, humid and hot Jakarta, so we look for outdoor spaces for the kids to run around, walkable cities, temperate weather (we like cold, just not freezing or scorching hot like Brisbane in December . Some of the places we've been to and enjoyed: Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Brugge, Brisbane, Zurich, Queenstown, Japanese villages. Some of the places I don't find as pleasant: Venice, Athens, Tokyo.

We are not big skiers, so we are not looking to do winter sports. I know we are gonna spend some time in Brisbane just to relax, do some shopping, let the kids go to the playground.

Is it warm enough for us to go to the Great Barrier Reef? Can the kids swim and play in the water? If you mention Cairns, would you mind being more specific on which places to go? It doesn't have to be super kid friendly at all.

Thanks so much if you've made it this far.

-Nana

stormbird

June/July in Queensland is a fantastic time to visit!!! There is so much to see and do with Brisbane as a base.

The Gold Coast hinterland is really beautiful, so is the Gold Coast with some fabulous beaches, there are some great theme parks that the kids would thoroughly enjoy - I'm thinking Dreamworld would suit your young children. There's an awful lot there to do and it really is a fun place. There's also Seaworld and Movieworld.

There is Australia Zoo up on the Sunshine Coast - I really enjoyed my visit there - there's a lot to see.

There is also wonderful North Stradbroke Island just off the coast of the Eastern suburbs of Brisbane.

Coming from Jakarta I'd say you will feel cool/cold in Brisbane at that time of year but you will just feel the beautiful warm sun up in Cairns. I'm afraid I'm not an expert on Cairns but I'm sure either Pat or Alan will come on board and let you know what's up for a family such as yours.

Let us know how much time you will have and we can come up with some more ideas for you. As we like to say here, after the trauma of all our floods, cyclones etc

'Queensland is Open For Business'

Mucky

Not been for a few years and can't comment on June/July weather ...but Tangalooma resort on Moreton island is great for the kids and adults alike. They can get close to dolphins there too.

http://www.tangaloomawilddolphinresort.com/


Muck

RalphR

Agree wirh stormbird and Muck regarding suggestions for the Brisbane area. We took our kids out to Tangalooma in July a while back and they loved it, including the dolphins and whale watching.

Even if you liked winter sports, they would be out of the question: Brisbane is sub-tropical, a long way from the snow. It's also quite a long way from the Barrier Reef, which at the closest point is some 5-6 hours drive and a 2 hour boat ride away. Cairns is the best base for seeing the Reef.

pigletthepug

Hi all,

thanks for the suggestions. My sister went to stay a few nights at the Scenic Rim are, and she said it was lovely. Would it be green in June/July?

The last time we were in Brisbane (September 2009), we spent a few days in Noosa, did some strawberry picking on the way, and went to a small amusement park on the way back, and just enjoyed Brisbane surrounds: excellent Vietnamese food at Inala, letting kids run around at 17 Mile Rock. Basically just so enjoyable because so different from Jakarta.

We are thinking of spending about 2 weeks. We can combine Brisbane with something else too. Maybe Sydney or Melbourne? Fly in to Sydney/Melbourne and fly out of Brisbane.

Thanks,
Nana

RalphR

The Scenic Rim is lovely and will be green in June/July. In fact I think it's always green.

stormbird

Tamborine Mountain is part of the scenic rim and that is very lovely.

RalphR - alas I have seen part of the scenic rim very dry and brown I'm afraid. Have also seen Moogerah Dam (part of the area) bone dry! But after all the weather we've had it is now full again for the first time in 40 years!

North Stradbroke Island will also offer whale watching as does Tangalooma - both are excellent choices.

I think you could fit another city - with young children I'm tempted to say Sydney and you could explore the Blue Mountains or visit the Jenolan Caves perhaps? Just a thought.

pigletthepug

Hello all, thanks again for the thoughtful replies. My travel planning slowly marches forward. I am thinking of flying into Brisbane, spend about 1 week there and surrounds to unwind, then fly to Sydney to spend another week there and surrounds.

My 6yo is asking asking asking if he could go skiing (last time was in march 2010 in Nagano, Japan) that I'm thinking of actually fitting in Perisher or Thredbo. But the 6 hour drive makes me rethink and rethink. Since only the 6yo skis, is there a recommendation between Perisher and Thredbo? Which one would be more friendly (read less boring) for non-skiers? We love sledding of course, just not big skiers And wakling around villages would be nice too.

If we end up skiing, then we'll spend 2 days in Sydney and the rest of the week for skiing. If we don't ski, any suggestion where we should go? Blue Mountains? Wineries?

Thanks again.