Experienced Aussie Specialist, Gary, headed Down Under on an epic adventure with his family. Travelling in May, the focus was Australia’s Top End – the most northerly part of the Northern Territory and Tropical North Queensland – at the start of dry season.
Arriving in Darwin, they followed our Top End Explorer itinerary on a road trip taking in Litchfield National Park, Katherine and Nitimiluk National Park, home of Nitmiluk (formerly Katherine) Gorge, and Kakadu National Park. They then flew to Cairns, on the East Coast, where they stayed, before rounding of the journey in Port Douglas.
Gary talks through the highlights, the incredible impact this trip had on his kids and offers tips and advice for family travel to Australia.
What is it about Australia that appealed to you as a family-friendly destination?
Australia is one of those countries that has something for everyone, at all times of the year. My kids love wildlife, and the lure of seeing such exotic animals in the wild was irresistible. There are stunning beaches throughout the country and there are always things to do, no matter where you are. Whatever time of the year that you travel, there will be regions that you can visit. The south of the country has its summer between December and February, with anytime between late October and early April giving you great weather (usually!), whilst the tropical north has its dry season, which is the best time to visit, between late May and early October. This means that all school holidays have potential locations in their prime to visit. My children’s school had a two week half term in May, so we took advantage of this to travel then, departing on the Friday evening, heading to the airport straight from school.
What were your children’s most memorable experiences?
Anything water based. They loved the wild swimming in the waterholes of Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, and even enjoying the swimming pools of our resorts at the end of a long journey. The Sunset Yellow Water cruise in Cooinda was a particular highlight. It’s one of the best locations to see wildlife in Kakadu National Park, with plenty of photo opportunities. Watching the sun set, with crocodiles and masses of birds in the foreground was unforgettable. Mainly as my son set up a timelapse of the sun setting, which he continued to show us (and anyone else he could find!) throughout the trip, and beyond…
Were there any stand-out wildlife moments?
There were loads! When we first arrived in Australia, our first stop was in Darwin. Our accommodation was on the 15th floor, with amazing views across the city and harbour. As we stepped out on our balcony, a lorikeet (a type of parrot) landed on our table, squawked in welcome, and then flew away again. Our first crocodile in the wild was spectacular, as we saw a croc suddenly appear right next to our boat. Seeing a freshwater crocodile and a koala up close in Tropical North Queensland was my daughter’s favourite, whilst my son loved all the sea life when we snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef. He’s counting down the months until he is allowed to SCUBA dive with me, so I am sure we’ll be back soon!
Would you recommend visiting the Great Barrier Reef as a family experience?
Definitely. I would recommend one of the pontoons in the Outer Reef, rather than spending the whole day on a boat, as there are many more options, plus much more space to stretch out. We did the helicopter scenic flight, which gave us an amazing overview of our patch of the reef, whilst the underwater observatory caused much hilarity as you could see the snorkellers and divers.
What are your top tips for travelling to Australia with children?
- – Don’t try to do too much. Keep your drives to around 2-3 hours a day and see if there are sights and activities that you can do on the way. Also try to hire the biggest car you can. They have more space in the back and in the boot, plus typically have more accessories, such as USB charging ports and individual air vents in the back.
- – Try to keep some time free, so you can just enjoy doing nothing. Even spending an hour by the pool can make all the difference to revive your kids and increase what they will be prepared to do.
- – Screen time can be your friend when you do need to wait around, so ensure you have sourced Wi-Fi/hotspots in advance. You can get a phone sim card with plenty of data for around £20.
- – Visit a supermarket and buy some of the local snacks and treats. My kids loved finding different flavours of Tim-tams, and we bought some amazing, locally produced, fruit, which kept them stocked up for the drives.
What are your travel essentials for a family holiday?
A flexible itinerary. Don’t try and do too much, so you have time to do things that you come across. Also, ensure that you tailor activities and excursion for all.
Accommodation. Don’t try and squeeze too many people into a small room. There are plenty of other options available, from inter-connecting rooms through to apartment-style accommodation. Make sure there is something to do, with a swimming pool usually being the minimum requirement. Wi-Fi is obviously a non-negotiable for most kids these days too!
Entertainment for the long journeys, waiting around in airports and for those moments when you don’t want to do anything. Spotify, tablets and Uno worked well for us!
How would you convince someone that Australia is not too far to travel on a family trip?
The flight is part of the holiday. We usually limit the amount of screen time our kids are allowed, so they loved having their own screen for the long flights and choosing what they could watch. We flew with Singapore Airlines, and they offered children’s meals that were designed just for them, rather than being a smaller portion of the adult main meals. I got real food-envy that they got cereal and fresh milk included with their breakfast…! You can break the journey, stopping over in cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Dubai. We stopped for one night in Singapore, which helped refresh us all for the onward trip to Australia.
How would your children describe their Australia holiday in three words?
Amazing! Hot! And ginga (the aboriginal word for crocodile!)
And finally, what was the highlight from the trip?
There were loads of highlights, but probably my favourite was at the very end of our trip and it wasn’t out exploring. As we sat in the departure lounge at Cairns Airport, waiting for our flight to board, we started going through all our photos together. We were reminiscing about each photo – where we were and what we enjoyed. It brought home just how amazing the trip was and in particular, how incredible it had been for our children. It was their first big adventure, and one they’ll never forget!
Feeling inspired?
If you’d like to start planning your own family adventure, browse our holidays to Australia, call us on 01737 214 250, or send an enquiry to Gary or our other Aussie travel specialists to start discussing your options.