Plan Your Trip
Family Travel
Australia for Kids
Don’t underestimate the vast distances in Australia: the open road may be just the tonic for stressed-out parents, but it’s probably not numero uno on the kids’ hit list. Australia’s cities, however, abound with attractions designed for bright young minds and bodies of boundless energy: museums, zoos, aquariums, interactive technology centres, amusement parks…
Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children contains a wealth of useful information, hints and tips.
Sleeping & Eating
Top-end hotels and many (but not all) midrange hotels cater for children. B&Bs, however, often market themselves as sanctuaries from all things child-related.
Dining with children in Australia is relatively easy. At all but the flashiest places children are commonly seen. Kids are usually more than welcome at cafes, while bistros and clubs often see families dining early. Many fine-dining restaurants discourage small children (assuming that they’re all ill-behaved).
Most places that do welcome children don’t have kids’ menus, and those that do usually offer everything straight from the deep fryer – crumbed chicken and chips etc. You might be best finding something on the normal menu (say a pasta or salad) and asking the kitchen to adapt it to your child’s needs.
Medical & Safety
Australia has high-standard medical services and facilities: items such as baby formula and disposable nappies (diapers) are widely available.
Major hire-car companies will supply and fit child safety seats, charging a one-off fee of around $25 or a per-day rate. Call taxi companies in advance to organise child safety seats. The rules for travelling in taxis with kids vary from state to state: in most places safety seats aren’t legally required, but must be used if available.
oBest for KidsChange Facilities & Babysitters
Most shopping centres and all cities and major towns have public baby-change facilities; ask the local tourist office or city council for details. It is your legal right to publicly breastfeed anywhere in Australia.
If you want to leave Junior behind for a few hours, many of Australia’s licensed childcare agencies offer casual care. Search for ‘Baby Sitters’ and ‘Child Care Centres’ in the online Yellow Pages, or contact the local council for listings.
Kids’ Discounts
Child and family concessions often apply to accommodation, tours, admission fees and transport, with discounts as high as 50% off the adult rate. However, the definition of ‘child’ varies from under 12 years to under 18 years. Accommodation concessions generally apply to children under 12 years sharing the same room as adults. On the major airlines, infants travel free provided they don’t occupy a seat − child fares usually apply between the ages of two and 11 years.