A visit to the Cairns and Tropical North Queensland is a fundamental part of any Aussie childhood. From snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef to a day trip through the Daintree, it's an eye-opening experience that offers endless fun. It's warm year-round, so is perfect for any of the school breaks.
Best for: Families who like to enjoy sun, sand and surf
It's not called paradise without good reason. The sun and surf at the Gold Coast's Surfers Paradise could be classified as "pristine". It has plenty of theme parks in one space, with Dreamworld, WhiteWater World, Sea World, Movie World and Wet'n'Wild available to keep kids entertained all holiday long.
Best for for: Thrills, spills and general adventure
Coffs Harbour is right up there with other coastal holiday escapes for families from Sydney or Brisbane searching for a fun road trip. Naturally, you can fly into Coffs as well. The kids can encounter sea lions and dolphins at the marine park and spend their days playing along the beach.
Kangaroo Island is a short flight from Adelaide or a short and scenic ferry from Cape Jervis. You'll find everything paradise is expected to inhabit, from resplendent vistas, native wildlife and powder soft sands. Exploration by quad bike or boat is a must, as is marine-life watching.
Best for: Younger families and wildlife encounters
Canberra offers a laid back, quiet city break with more than a dash of culture and education attached. Visit the War Memorial, Parliament House, National Gallery and Questacon, and then take a foodie break at the Old Bus Depot markets while you wait for your Brodburgers to fry. Canberra is also a good gateway to get to ski resorts like Thredbo and Perisher during the winter months.
If you're heading to Western Australia, or planning to explore your own backyard, a definite contender for family-friendly adventure is Rottnest Island. Teeming with marine life and water activities, kids can splash around at on one of 65 pristine beaches if the weather is warm enough, or hop in a kayak and paddle about from sun up to sun down.
Head inland for a historical and cultural adventure through Kakadu National Park. Start in Darwin and make your way down to explore the unique landscape. It's hot all year round in the Top End, so to cool down, make a well-deserved pit stop at Leanyer Water Park.
Head to the big city over the school holidays and visit Australia's most popular icons. There are always child-friendly activities in Sydney throughout the school holiday periods, be it the Easter Show or Cool Yule during winter.
Rent a car or campervan and drive around Tassie. Hobart is the ideal starting point, as the city offers a more vibrant atmosphere than Launceston and features the Salamanca Markets and spooky ghost tours. Venture further to see Port Arthur and hike through the lush bushland of Cradle Mountain, Freycinet National Park and Tahune Forest.
Best for: Seeing a lot over a short period of time
Family snow and ski holidays are best had at one of Australia's most popular ski resorts. On top of Jindabyne, Perisher and Thredbo, Mount Hotham is a child-friendly resort ideal for anyone coming in from Melbourne. Family activities occur all year round, with the DP Tube Park being a hot favourite with the kids during Easter.
Sand is practically synonymous with summer, so you shouldn't overlook a family getaway to one of Australia's many enviable beaches.
The east coast of the country offers more than its fair share, with stretches of sand from the Gold Coast and Cairns in Queensland to the Central Coast and Bondi Beach in New South Wales.
Head to the other side of the country for Rottnest Island and Eighty Mile Beach in WA, or travel south for Glenelg in South Australia and the Bay of Fires in Tasmania.
As you can tell from our top holiday destinations list above, Australians are spoiled for choice when it comes to beach breaks. Now it's up to you to decide which one you'll visit during the school holidays.
A name that should be on every budget savvy parents' radar, Groupon is a daily deals website that sells it all - from household goods to holidays - and all at a bargain price.
Holiday packages come and go on the site - so keep your eyes peeled because big discounts for large parties are plentiful.
New deals every day
Local escapes from coastal beach breaks to snow trips available
Practically a household name, Flight Centre is one of Australia's biggest travel agencies. What we love about it is that he has a special "family holidays" section online with discounted breaks during those peak school holiday periods.
Packages are broken into September, December, April and June/July to cover all major school holiday dates
Hotels are specially chosen with families in mind with many featuring connecting rooms and self-contained apartments
Home to all things Hamilton Island you can browse a wide variety of accommodation and holiday packages on the official Hamilton Island site. Family packages often include discounted rates, daily breakfast, free activities and tours and the use of non-motorised water sport equipment.
Thinking of changing up the usual fly-and-stay holiday this year and taking the family for an adventure? We've put together some of our favourite road trip itineraries with details on where to stay and what to see along the way.
Available on select dates on destinations including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Hobart. Minimum spend of $300 required. Activities include hot air balloon flights, skydives and high teas. T&Cs apply.
Available on hot air balloon flights, skydiving, lunch cruises, jet boat rides and attraction passes on Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, SkyPoint Observation Deck, SEA LIFE Aquarium, Madame Tussauds and more. Minimum spend of $350 is required. T&Cs apply.
Available on activities like hot air balloon flights, skydiving, lunch cruises, passes to attractions including Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, SkyPoint Observation Deck, SEA LIFE Aquarium, Madam Tussauds and more. Minimum spend of $300 is required. T&Cs apply.
Available when you spend a minimum of $250 on activities such as hot air balloon flights, rally driving, skydives, high teas and more. Destinations include Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Hobart. T&Cs apply.
Available on activities including skydives, whale watching cruises, day tours and getaways. Must purchase 2 or more vouchers. Destinations include Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. T&Cs apply.
Save on your next holiday and get up to $1,059 bonus value when you book your next trip on Flight Centre. Destinations include Gold Coast, Cook Islands, Bali, Fitzroy Island and more. Limited availability and for select dates only. T&Cs apply.
Available on select travel dates across Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and more. Activities include day tours, zoo and animal interactions, tandem skydives, hot air balloon flights and jet boat rides.
Available on select dates when you spend a minimum of $300. Activities include winery tours, getaways, high teas, spas, sightseeing cruises and helicopter flights. T&Cs apply.
Available for travel on select dates and locations at TripAdvisor. Experience activities like land adventures, wine tours, water sports, and more T&Cs apply.
Available for travel on select dates and locations at TripAdvisor. Experience activities like land adventures, wine tours, water sports, and more T&Cs apply.
Save more and get access to 2, 3, or 4 activities with this one pass. Sydney Zoo Admission Ticket, Taronga Zoo Sydney General Entry Ticket, Sydney Harbour Jet Boat Adventure, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium Ticket and more. T&Cs apply.
Available for travel on select dates across Australia at Expedia. Destinations include Sydney, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Gold Coast, and more. T&Cs apply.
Save $10 when you grab the 14-day Village Roadshow Mega Pass at Experience Oz. Enjoy 14 days unlimited entry to Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World, Paradise Country, and Wet'nWild at Gold Coast. T&Cs apply. Limited time offer.
Sea World Gold Coast Helicopter Scenic Flights: $159
Soar over Sea World, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and more when you book a 5, 10, 15 or 20 minute helicopter flight from Experience Oz. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
Book a sightseeing buffet lunch cruise in Gold Coast through the Sea World Cruises for $89 per person at Experience Oz. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
Book a sightseeing dinner cruise in Gold Coast through the Sea World Cruises for $199 per person at Experience Oz. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
Available on select travel dates until 2023, including Easter and school holidays. Activities include whale- and dolphin-watching and lunch and sunset cruises in Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne.
Cirque du Soleil Crystal with Premium Fan Experience tickets from $269 per person
Grab the Cirque du Soleil Crystal with Premium Fan Experience tickets at Luxury Escapes for only $269 per person. Available in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Sign up with your email address and unlock Sneaky Saver deals. Activities include day tours, attraction passes and hop-on hop-off bus tours. Destinations include Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. T&Cs apply.
Things to do in Canberra from $15 + an extra 5% off with code
Available on select dates when you buy 2 or more vouchers. Activities include tandem skydives, dinning experiences, getaways, spas, wine tastings and more. T&Cs apply.
Book the best tours and activities and get huge discounts that will end soon. Travel destinations include Port Douglas, Cairns, Perth, Gold Coast, and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on activities in 2023 including hop-on hop-off tours, wine tours, sightseeing cruises, zoo and animal interactions, hot air balloon flights and more. Sample rate is a general entry to the Chinese Garden of Friendship.
Stephanie Yip was the travel editor at Finder and has been writing about travel and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for a range of travel publications including Thomas Cook Magazine and Showpo. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and has visited over 50 countries (and counting). She has a passion for sharing her experiences and knowledge of travel and helping consumers stretch their travel cash while on holiday.
Dive into adventure with these 7 tour companies that are similar to Contiki.
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