INSIDE: The Best Things to Do in Australia with Kids. Updated 2024.
Roam the Gnome is a one-stop shop for ALL THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN AUSTRALIA with kids!
We answer all your questions about planning an Australia trip including:
- When is the best time to go to Australia?
- When is the best time to visit Australia?
- Why should I visit Australia?
- What are the main attractions in Australia?
- Whats the best way to travel in Australia?
- What are some interesting things to do and see in Australia?
- Is Australia a good travel destination?
- What travel insurance do I need in Australia?
- What travel accessories are a must in Australia?
The one question we can’t help you with is: how to travel Australia with NO money?
Even when you take advantage of the free camping in Australia (and there’s LOTS), you need some savings, for food and petrol, and car repairs.
The roads in the Australian outback are not kind to vehicles!
This country is giant-sized, so we’re continually adding to the list of places to visit in Australia too, including the Great Barrier Reef, and more off the beaten track and adventure travel too.
Pop back regularly to see what’s new.
Disclosure: This article, written by a real human (me), without AI input, may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, we may receive a small commission at NO COST to you. For our Disclosure and Disclaimer statements, and an explanation of our Advertising policy please click here
BEST THINGS TO DO IN AUSTRALIA WITH KIDS
Correct at time of publication on Roam the Gnome. Please check with venue for updates. We apologise in advance if there have been any changes we are unaware of. All prices in AUD, unless otherwise stated
We’ve also published lots of useful tips to help plan your family vacation itinerary in Australia, including information on Australian visas for tourists, and the best healthy road trip snacks to take with you on Australian road trips, and the best Australian food and food gifts to buy.
Take a look at our list of the best Australia tourist attractions to visit with kids.
And our epic guide to the best Australian souvenirs and gifts to collect as you travel.
This list includes unique, cool ideas including fashion, footwear, art, design, handmade goods, and more. Not the junky stuff made in China.
READ MORE: Best Australian souvenirs for family and friends (UNIQUE FINDS!)
No.1: BEST THINGS TO DO IN SYDNEY WITH KIDS
Sydney is a BIG city, so planning your day out with kids in Sydney is vital. It’s one city where a google map search may lead you up the proverbial garden path.
Things LOOK close together, but they are not.
Or the attractions in Sydney you want to visit are one or two kilometres apart, BUT the traffic congestion to get from one place to another doubles or triples your estimated travel time.
Which is why we are in the process of writing up a bunch of our favourite Sydney itineraries to help. (Check back soon!)
In the meantime, we definitely suggest:
- a day in the CBD, starting at the Powerhouse Museum, walking through Chinatown, and up to Darling Harbour (check out the playground there) and taking in the view of the Opera House anywhere you can
- A day trip around the Watsons Bay area to visit all the Sydney Harbour beaches and swimming spots
- Take the scooters in the car when you go to Luna Park (Coney Island wooden slides are a must do). When you are finished with the rides and funfair fun of Luna Park, grab the scooters from the boot and ride your way around to Wendy Whitley’s Secret Garden, then over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Barangaroo sandstone shoreline.
Hot tip: catch a cab back to the car. The kids will be exhausted!
READ MORE: Best things to do in Sydney with kids
No.2: BEST THINGS TO DO IN BRISBANE WITH KIDS
Brisbane is our top city in Australia to visit with kids, and lots of you think so too!
We think it’s because of the combination of a few things. The glorious warm weather and bright blue sunny skies, coupled with the exceptionally family-friendly CBD zone with world-class shopping on one side of the river, and Southbank entertainment zone, with the popular Streets Beach swimming pools and Southbank adventure playgrounds on the other.
People are friendly, there’s a laid-back feel, and the traffic is non-existent when compared to other big Australian cities. You can actually get from place to place in the time it should take!
We love it, and visit OFTEN as it’s just “up the road” (1 hour, 45 from Byron Bay shire where we live.)
Brisbane, you’re the best.
READ MORE: Best things to do in Brisbane with kids
No.3: BEST THINGS TO DO IN BYRON BAY WITH KIDS
Byron Bay is the epicentre of hippie happiness (although the traffic IS starting to grate on everyone’s nerves).
The first thing you notice is the GLOW.
No joke.
We’ve lived close by for 11 years, in a town just up the road, and everyone we meet shines a light.
It’s the yoga, and healthy eating, and the sunshine, and the ocean swimming, and bliss balls, and farmer’s markets every day of the week. No wonder half the world wants to move here.
Byron Bay is not known for its’ kid friendliness, but if you dig just below the surface, you’ll find HEAPS of things to do in Byron Bay with kids.
CIRCUS ARTS in Byron Bay is but one fun adventure place. Start there.
READ MORE: Best things to do in Byron Bay with kids
No.4: BEST THINGS TO DO ON THE GOLD COAST WITH KIDS
The Gold Coast is where I grew up.
It’s now transformed from a medium-sized still-sleepy-in-some-parts beach town, into a cosmopolitan city to rival Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – with better weather AND arguably, the best beaches in Australia.
The Gold Coast stretches from Coolangatta at the southern tip, right up to Paradise Point in the north, and west to Oxenford and Coomera, the home of Dreamworld, Movie World, and Wet ‘n’ Wild theme parks.
Surfers Paradise is the unofficial ‘capital’ of town, at the midpoint of the long stretch of Gold Coast beach.
Just south of there, you can soak up the atmosphere of the beachside suburbs of:
- Broadbeach
- Nobbys Beach
- Burleigh Heads
- Tallebudgera Creek
- Palm Beach
- Currumbin
- and Tugun.
Then there’s the Hinterland behind – you can take a day trip to visit the mountain magic and quaint shopping streets of Tamborine Mountain, drink in the views from Springbrook Mountain, and hike around Binna Burra at the top of Beechmont.
You’ll never be bored on the Gold Coast with kids!
READ MORE: Best things to do on the Gold Coast with kids
No.5: BEST THINGS TO DO IN MELBOURNE WITH KIDS
Melbourne is FULL of epic adventures for kids including street art, themed high teas, epic playgrounds, trampoline parks, kid-friendly science museums and art galleries.
Melbourne is FULL of heaps of cool things for parents to do too.
Shopping for one.
Eating for another.
Eating in Melbourne is about non-stop flavour and choices.
Hot tip: Stop by the Lygon street Italian restaurants at least once.
READ MORE: Best things to do in Melbourne with kids
No.6: BEST THINGS TO DO IN CANBERRA WITH KIDS
The most surprising of all the states and territories in Australia, Canberra should be one of your top three cities in Australia to visit with kids.
I know it sounds strange, but it’s TRUE.
This place has it all for kids!
READ MORE: Best things to do in Canberra with kids
NO.7: BEST THINGS TO DO ON THE SUNSHINE COAST WITH KIDS
The Sunshine Coast is home to Australia Zoo.
Need we say more?
No. But yes.
The Sunshine Coast has bright shiny-clean beaches, boutique shopping, mangrove boardwalks, cycle paths, camping and more.
Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland, and Caloundra are relaxed and family-friendly beach towns. Noosa and Coolum are more upmarket, but equally as fun.
Head inland to visit the cute town of Eumundi, (and the weekly Eumundi markets), and into mountain country to see Montville, Maleny and Mapleton. (Check out our guide below to find the best playgrounds in Eumundi.)
The “Sunny coast” is a great place for a family holiday in Australia, the Gold Coast’s less flashy cousin, just 1 hour and 20 minutes north of Brisbane via the M1.
No.8: BEST THINGS TO DO IN PERTH WITH KIDS
Perth is the most underrated city in Australia, probably because most people never get there in their lifetime. It seems SOOOO far from the east coast of Australia, and it’s expensive to get there when you can fly to Bali for half the price.
But Perth and Freemantle (Freo to those in the know) has so much going for it.
Art and music, culture, mountain air, cafes, coffee and a fabulous food scene.
It’s clean, the weather is divine, there’s blue sky and turquoise oceans to swim in. Plus, Rottnest Island has QUOKKAS.
Put Perth on your bucket list of Australian adventures to take. It’s the starting point for a trip north to the Kimberleys, Broome and Coral Bay or south to giant tree forest of Denmark, the wine country of Margaret River, and the whale haven of Esperance.
Or you can hop on the Indian Pacific for a journey east across the Nullarbor – one of our favourite train trips in the world.
No.9: BEST THINGS TO DO IN HOBART WITH KIDS
Hobart is one of the most beautiful destinations in Australia, and with the opening of MONA, (The Museum of Old and New Art) in 2011, people are finally catching on.
Don’t wait too long.
Book a trip now.
Years ago, I did the overnight crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania while on a year-long trip around Australia.
I love boat crossings, and sleeping in cabins on giant ships.
Take my word for it.
This overnight journey is epic fun for kids.
FAQ ABOUT AUSTRALIA
No.1: When is the best time to go to Australia?
As locals, we’d suggest visiting the northern parts of Australia from the Northern Rivers, Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Queensland, Darwin, Broome and Kakadu in the late winter months, around mid-late August and early spring, or late Autumn in May.
This is when the temperatures are a comfortable 18-25 °C degrees celsius (66 – 75 °F) during the day, with cooler temperatures in the late afternoon and evening.
For most locals, this is the best part of the year, with crystal clear waters still warmish enough to swim in on a glorious day, and with magnificent blue skies for days on end.
Locals wear shorts and t-shirts, and keep a cardigan or light sweater in the car, just in case.
Do NOT visit northern Australia during the “build-up” to the rainy season (October, November) unless you want to sweat your entire day’s fluid intake out from your pores. It’s gross.
For the southern states of Australia, flip this around, and visit in the warmer months.
September to November, or March and April are good times of the year to visit Tasmania, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth, Western Australia.
It’s not too cold, but you skip most of the iciest part of the year. Some days in late January, and February are STINKING HOT in Melbourne and extremely unpleasant unless you are in air conditioning but it’s hard to pick exactly when the hot blast will happen. Best to avoid.
No.2: Where should I travel in Australia if I have two weeks?
If you have limited time, do the East Coast.
Fly into Sydney, spend a few days checking out the Sydney attractions (see the Ultimate Guide to Sydney attractions above), then hire a car and do an East Coast road trip up via the coastal towns of NSW.
There’s also plenty of day trips you can take from Sydney – the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, and Kiama Blowhole, Berry & Kangaroo Valley.
Finish your road trip with a couple of days in the fabulous Byron Bay, and on the family friendly Gold Coast.
End your adventure with a quick flight to Cairns and explore the Great Barrier Reef.
Or if you prefer an outback experience, fly to Darwin and do a quick tour to Kakadu and Litchfield National Park!
The distances in Australia from city to city are huge. Don’t waste too much time driving. Fly internally as much as you can.
No.3: What kind of visa do I need for Australia?
Find out all the information so you can organise the correct one here: Australian visas for tourists.
No.4: What do I gift someone travelling to Australia?
If they are going to Uluru and Alice Springs, a fly mesh hat is a necessity. You ditch the fashion sensibility pretty quickly when hundreds of flies start getting up your nose! This is our best Australia travel guide tip bar none.
This is the most important of ALL the Australia travel tips!
No.5: What travel insurance do I need in Australia?
Never travel without travel insurance. Our motto is ‘if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel’.
It’s not worth the risk, especially when you travel with kids in Australia.
Note that if you plan to drive in Australia, or do any of the action sports in Australia such as scuba diving, jumping out of an airplane over Byron Bay, swimming with sharks, riding dune buggies on Fraser Island or hiring a 4WD to tackle the beach highways on Moreton Island, you’ll need to check your policy and add on the extras as needed.
No.6: What travel products do I need in Australia?
Here’s a few things we never leave home without.
- broad brimmed hats
- sunglasses
- fly mesh hat covers
- beach towels – you will swim, a LOT!
- sunscreen
- light long-sleeved shirts and long pants for bushwalking adventures
- travel packing cubes (we don’t go anywhere without these vital travel accessories)
- stingose gel or spray for ant bites, and beestings
- a homeopathic first aid kit
- powerboard
- Australian travel adapter
AUSTRALIAN HISTORY LESSON – INTRODUCING PLAY SCHOOL CAST & GUEST PRESENTERS
Benita, John, Alex, Rhys, Justine, Monica, and Don come to my mind.
Can you name more?
There’s been tonnes of different faces in the Play School Cast!
Read our comprehensive Guide to PLAY SCHOOL CAST & guest presenters from 1966 to now. it’s full of fun facts too!
Cast of Play School Australia over 53 Years
53 years of Play School doesn’t seem possible, until you see the original episodes of the Play School TV Show.
Here’s a few fun facts about Playschool TV Show!
- When the brand new show first began, it was shown in black and white.
- The early presenters spoke in an English accent
- The early show was prim and proper. The outfits were conservative, and the presenters spoke to one another and the camera ever so politely.
The early years of the show was much more formal, as suited the times.
These days, it’s a lot more casual, reflecting our current society.
It’s hard to believe this was the norm 50 years ago!
BUY NOW: 50 Best Songs from 50 Years of Play School ABC Show
ABC Play School TV Show Song
Watch this Playschool Youtube clip!
The best thing is they still use the same old signature tune from day one.
This one:
“There’s a Bear in there, and a chair as well.
There’s people with games, and stories to tell.
Open wide, come inside,
it’s Play School….”
I hear it, and I’m straight back in our lounge room at home, with John Hamblin and Benita Collings singing to my sisters and I through the screen.
Original Play School Cast Members
Since 1966, Play School is hosted by a team of talented professional actors from stage and screen.
There’s been quite a number of musicians on the show, and songwriters too.
Plus, a huge number of special guest presenters.
The cast features a huge variety of people from different backgrounds, cultures, of differing abilities, and countries of birth, including Indigenous Australians, as the show aims to be inclusive of all cultures, religions, skin colour, ability, and heritage so that ALL children living in Australia & overseas who watch the show feel heard, seen and met.
It was first aired on 18th July, 1966!
Playschool Cast Originals?
The first Play School presenter cast members were Alister Smart (1966-1984; 68 episodes) and Dianne Dorgan (1966-1969: 36 episodes), who greeted us on grainy black and white screens.
Play School Cast Teo Gebert is the longest running cast member, in his role from 2004 to 2020, with 167 episodes under his belt and counting.
Take a look at this list, featuring some of the best.
Play School 1966
The Play School Cast 1966 originals included Anne Haddy (best known as Rosie Daniels on Sons & Daughters and later, as Helen Daniels on Neighbours), Alister Smart, and Lorraine Bailey (better known as the matriarch Grace Sullivan from the Nine Network series, The Sullivans.)
- Anne Haddy 1966- 1970 (25 episodes)
- Lorraine Bayley 1966- 1976 ( 69 episodes)
- Alister Smart 1966-1984 (68 episodes)
- Dianne Dorgan 1966-1969 (36 episodes)
Play School Cast 1970s
This is a round up of the best from 1970 – 1980 ish.
- Don Spencer 1968 – 1999 (73 episodes)
- Benita Collings 1969 – 1999 (122 episodes)
- Ruth Cracknell 1969 (4 episodes)
- John Hamblin 1971-1997 (120 episodes)
- John Walters 1972-1986 (18 episodes)
- Peter Sumner 1974-1976 (6 episodes)
- Noni Hazlehurst 1978- 2001 (84 episodes)
Play School Cast 1980’s
The Play School cast 2018 included these actors:
- Philip Quast 1982-1996 (29 episodes)
- Colin Buchanan 1983- 1999 (72 episodes)
- Monica Trapaga 1983 -1998 (74 episodes)
- Jenny Ludlam 1984-1986 (12 episodes)
- Simon Burke 1991- 2013 (83 episodes)
- Trisha Goddard 1991- 1998 (48 episodes)
- George Spartels 1991- 1999 (72 episodes)
Play School Cast 1990’s
Some of these Play School Host presenters are the most well known.
The from 1998 and all through the 2000’s into the 2010’s include:
- Deborah Mailman 1998-2002 (21 episodes)
- Karen Pang 1999-2019 (134 episodes)
Play School Cast 2000
These are some of the top Play School presenters 2000’s style.
- Andrew McFarlane 2000 -2019 (103 episodes)
- Jay Laga’aia 2000-2014 (78 episodes)
- Justine Clarke -2000 to 2018 (141 episodes)
- Rhys Muldoon 2000-2012 (44 episodes)
- Leah Vandenberg 2000-2019 (100 episodes)
- Matt passmore 2002-2020 (38 episodes)
- Teo Gebert – 2004 to 2020 (167 episodes and counting)
- Alex Papps – 2008 – 2019 (138 episodes)
- Brooke Satchwell 2008-2009 (4 episodes)
- Abi Tucker 2009-2019 (23 episodes)
- Georgie Parker 2009- 2010 (15 episodes)
- Hugh Sheridan 2010-2014 (5 episodes)
- Emma Palmer 2011-2019 (71 episodes)
- Eddie Perfect 2015-2016 (19 episodes)
- Miranda Tapsell 2016-2019 (12 episodes)
Play School Presenters 2019
- Hunter Page-Lochard 2018-2019 (7 episodes)
- Kaeng Chang 2018-2019 (6 episodes)
- Zindzi Okenyo 2013- 2019 (46 episodes)
- Luke Carroll 2010-2019 (38 episodes)
- Nicholas Brown 2017-2019 (12 episodes)
- Kiruna Stamell 2018-2019 6 episodes
Play School Cast 2020
- Matt Backer 2017-2020 (15 episodes & counting)
- Michelle Lim Davidson 2013-2020 (45 episodes & counting)
- Rachael Coopes 2011- 2020 (54 episodes)
Click here for the full list of current presenters from 2019 to 2020.
Play School Actors & Guest Presenters Australia
All of these guest presenters appeared on one show!
- Sean Choolburra, Aboriginal entertainer and comedian
- Kate Miller-Heidke, singer
- Katie Noonan, singer
- Ken Done, painter
- Scott McGregor, train enthusiast
- Katrina Warren, vet
- Tara Morice, actor “Strictly Ballroom”
- Colin Friels, actor
More Play School Hosts
Remember these names and faces?
- Jonny Pasvolsky 2011-2012 (4 episodes)
- Takaya Honda 2015-2016 (4 episodes)
- Sofya Gollan 1993-2017 (28 episodes)
- Jolene Anderson 2010-2011 (12 episodes)
12 Fun Facts about ABC Kids Play School Show
No.1: How often does Play School show every day?
The show now screens FOUR times a day, seven days a week.
No.2: How many people watch Play School each week?
More than ONE MILLION Australians tune in to watch the Play School program each week!
No.3: Best Way to Watch Play School?
Play School is versatile and keeping up with the times!
You can now:
- download it
- stream it on demand
- watch spin-off series
- find episodes on youtube, or
- engage with it using special apps.
No. 4: What was the inspiration behind the Play School TV show ?
Play School was adapted from an original program airing on the BBC in England in 1964 but it has long outlived that show, which ceased production in 1988.
Play School rocks!
No. 5: Play School Play Time
The words to the Opening Title Sequence have always stayed the same… BUT there have been many different singers, arrangements, and images to go with them.
Take a look at the one above!
No.6: Play School Books
More than 1130 books have been read on Play School since 1966.
Play School Presenters sit on the comfy red chair, or on a cushion.
Sometimes the Playschool Toys – Jemima, Big Ted and Little Ted especially – are called in to help tell it.
No.7: Play School Games
Everyday, from 1966 to 2010, they looked at the calendar to see what day of the week it was.
Each day of the week had a theme:
- Monday was ‘Useful Box’ day
- Tuesday was ‘Dressing up’ day
- Wednesday was ‘Animals’ day
- Thursday was ‘Imagination’ day and
- Friday was ‘Finding Out’ day.
But with all the recent technological advances changing the way we view television, this calendar became confusing, so they ditched it in 2011.
No.8: The Best Play School Toys
The Gang of Toys are the real stars of the show, ready to help out and assist in games and activities.
Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima, Humpty, and the rest of the gang are HOUSEHOLD NAMES in Australia!
No. 9: Information about the Play School Rocket Clock
Play School presenters tell the time every single day.
It is a favourite segment of young kids.
There have been plenty of different clocks, including the old favourite: The Play School Rocket Clock.
No.10: What is the Play School Clock Song?
(Listen to it above!)
Today’s episodes feature the Hickory Dickory Dock Clock, or the Train Clock.
No.11: The Play School Flower Clock
The colourful timber Flower Clock appeared in 1976.
It was introduced to the Play School set to make the most of colour television, which had arrived in Australia the previous year!
No.12: Play School Windows
Going through the windows is another key scene in each Play School episode.
The three original shapes were Round, Square and Arched.
When a fourth, Diamond, window was added in 2000, it caused controversy!
Strange but true.
Play School in the real world!
The windows help children to engage with the ever-changing world outside, and meet new people, new places and see new things.
We visited the travelling Play School 50th Birthday Celebrations Exhibition back in 2017.
The exhibition featured original props used in daily Play School episodes over 50 years of Play School including:
- the familiar Play School Rocket Clock
- the Flower Clock
- the Day of the Week calendar
- the famous Play School windows
- lots of interactive displays and kids activities
Play School 50th Birthday Exhibition Activities for Kids
Activities included the chance to:
- use recycled materials and small boxes to make a car to drive around Box City
- watch archival footage from old episodes
- interact with the Play School app via ipads
- make a Rocket Clock or Dress Up Hat
- dress up in Play School outfits and take a snapshot of yourself in a ‘digital’ window!
- sit in the Play School Reading Chair with Big Ted, Little Ted and Jemima
- play hands-on games
Play School Exhibition
The free exhibition travelled around Australia during 2016-2017, and was in place at the Gold Coast Arts Centre (HOTA) at 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise, QLD in February 2017.
There was a little gift shop at the exit, celebrating 50 years of ABC Play School.
It sold:
- Play School Books
- Play School Jemima
- Little Ted, Big Ted and Humpty dolls