Family Holidays to Australia

Sydney’s the capital of New South Wales, the temperate southern state which dates its history of human habitation back over 40,000 years. The most visited city in Australia and great fun for kids, it’s packed with iconic sights from the famous Opera House to Bondi Beach and a good base for visiting the Blue Mountains, exploring Botany Bay or just staying put for the zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, museums, galleries and some of the country’s best surf schools.

• New South Wales is the state for: Mungo National Park, Wallandra Lakes, Byron Bay, the New England Highway and Hunter Valley vineyards.
• In Sydney don’t miss: Darling Harbour, Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney Aquarium, Luna Park and the Australian Museum.
• Visit in winter for sunshine and Sydney’s legendary New Year celebrations.

Sunny Queensland is home to the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s holiday heartland, the Gold Coast. The capital, Brisbane, is the country’s third largest city and one of the friendliest with a laid-back beachy atmosphere, lots of green space and some of the most spectacular national parks within driving distance.

• Queensland is the state for: sub-tropical D’Aguilar National Park, Mount Tamborine, Moogerah Peaks, Gondwana rainforest and Elebana Falls.
• Islands are a great Queensland adventure: try neighbouring Moreton Island and North Stradbroke (known as My Mother Earth by the Quandamooka people).
• Brisbane Greeters will take you on a three hour themed tour of the city for free – several kid-friendly themes to choose from.
• Average temperatures of 25˚C from November to April.

The largest Australian state is also the driest, least populated and where to explore bits of the outback with older kids. The coastline here is wildly beautiful and the climate from north to south varies from tropical to temperate. The state capital, Perth, is in the south where beaches rule. Base a holiday here and you’re within reach of Margaret River and some of the country’s best water sports and wildest national parks.

• Western Australia is almost the same size as India and the state for: Broome Port, outback road trips, the lush wilderness of Denmark and iconic wine trails on the south coast.
• December to March temperatures upwards of 25˚C in Perth.

The dramatic state where you’ll find Uluru, Alice Springs and a 2000km highway from north to south. The capital, Darwin, is closer to Indonesia than Sydney, sits on the Timor Sea and is Australia’s only tropical city.

• Northern Territory is where the Flying Doctor’s service was founded.
• It’s the state for: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Litchfield National Park, the Tiwi Islands and the 480,000km² Katherine Region.
• The Ghan train crosses Northern Territory from end to end and is one of the world’s greatest rail journeys – if you’re really keen, you can climb aboard in Adelaide.
• Year round temperatures in Darwin are between 25 and 30˚C.

Pleasant and mild Adelaide on the coast couldn’t be more different from the rugged interior of South Australia. No surprise to find that the outback here is famed for opal mines and enormous stretches of sand. Stick to the seaside and it’s the state for Barossa vineyards, beaches and pretty islands. Head inland for grand national parks and indigenous heritage.

• South Australia’s the state for: the Sands of Coorong, Nullarbor Plain, Dalhousie Hot Springs and Flinders Ranges.
• Temperatures inland can reach 50˚C in February, a complete contrast to Adelaide’s year-round Mediterranean climate.