Anna Ciddor - 1000 Great Places to Travel with Kids in Australia (B&W)

This book is dedicated to all my family, who haveshared my explorations of Australia, from my parents,who introduced me to the joys of travel, to thenewest member, our precious little Amelie.

Thank you to Heidi Marfurt for her dedicated and inspiredediting, to my nieces Sophie and Ariele, who helped me outwhen time was running short, and to my wonderfuldaughter Elissa, who designed the outstanding cover,and collaborated with me over the illustrations.

At the age of eleven, as I was leaving for a holiday with my family, my best friend handed me a gift a travel journal. The moment I was on board the plane, I excitedly opened the book to the first page and began to record my impressions: the prickly feel of the seat under my bare knees, the fun of the little fold-down table, the basket of lollies the flight steward was offering aroundMy obsession with travel writing had begun!

1000 Great Places to Travel with Kids in Australia is based on my own travels both as a child, and as a parent along with contributions from countless other kids and parents. My original intention was to write a book that covered 100 great places, but I quickly realised 100 would have to expand to 1000and in fact I ended up including so many that I lost count!

However, this book is far more than a list of places. Ive had fun including fabulous facts about the history, oddities and enchantments that make up Australia, as well as tantalising questions and challenges. Why do echidnas snort a lot? Do rainforests really have a lot of rain? Why were the images of the first men walking on the moon broadcast from tracking stations in Australia? As you skim these pages to find places to take your own kids, I hope you are inspired by how much there is to marvel at, and cherish, in Australia.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH KIDS

Anticipation is half the fun

If possible, get the whole family involved in planning where to go and what to see. Explore websites together, read books set in different locations Ive included a few suggestions and find YouTube videos about the places you are visiting.

Keep them snap-happy

Give the kids the chance to take their own photos its amazing how much this adds to their enjoyment and appreciation of sights and events. Encourage them to keep diaries or travel blogs and incorporate these photos. Plan to print a book with their photos and comments when you get home.

Its not just the destination

When my cousin took her two small kids on a 24-hour bus journey, she packaged up a tiny, cheap present to give each of them every hour. This was so successful in keeping them entertained that they begged to return the same way! You may not be planning such a long haul, but it just goes to show how a bit of preparation allows the whole family to enjoy the journey as well as the destination.

To keep car journeys fun:

Organise the back seat with lap-top tables, convenient rubbish bags and a variety of entertainment options that are easy to access.

Make frequent stops.

Try some family activities such as singalongs, I-spy games, and hangman spelling quizzes.

The free website www.toiletmap.gov.au is a great help for finding emergency toilet stops.

Always consider different transport options. When youre in the planning stages, keep in mind that it can be fun and more environmentally friendly to travel by train instead of by road or air. Trains also give kids more of an opportunity to move around.

The right place at the right time

Kids can be more sensitive to weather extremes than adults. Some destinations have off seasons and I have indicated this in their introductions. If you travel to the north of Australia during the hot, humid season, you may find that all your kids want to do is play in the hotel pool. Likewise, if you travel to Tasmania in the depths of winter, they may be too cold to appreciate anything.

Be aware that school holiday dates vary from state to state; see www.australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures for links to school and public holidays throughout Australia. If you choose to travel during school holidays, not only will you find that most attractions listed in this book run fabulous extra activities, but many places not listed have special kid-friendly activities for a few weeks. Check out whats on offer in historic houses, art galleries and local libraries. Regional tourism websites are a good source of information. The downside of travelling in school holidays is that attractions are usually more crowded at those times and you may need to book accommodation well in advance.

For all destinations, I have tried to include indoor, wet-weather options. Even if these sound enticing, try to keep them in reserve for rainy days and do the outdoor activities while the weather is fine. Make sure everyone brings effective wet-weather gear, though, so if you have a really long run of rainy days, you can plough ahead with outdoor activities.

Sticking together

In your everyday lives you already have techniques in place to minimise the risk of your kids getting lost. When you set off on this new adventure, you may want to add a few extra strategies, such as supplying the kids with whistles, mobile phones or even tracking devices. In crowded places make sure they have a bit of money, a note with your current address, and your mobile phone number (some people write this on their kids arms). Plan with the kids what to do if they get separated from you think of various scenarios where this might happen, such as boarding trains or getting out of lifts.

To keep track of your possessions as you move around, get everyone into the habit of checking carefully to make sure nothing has been left behind before moving on. This applies to restaurants, planes and airport lounges as well as accommodation. Our technique when leaving accommodation is for one adult to take the kids outside with the packed suitcases, while the other pulls all the bedding off the beds to look for cuddly toys or pyjamas, checks the bathroom for clothes left drying and does a quick skim-through of drawers, cupboards and under furniture.

A timetable to suit kids

When you discover all the wonderful things there are to see and do in a place, it is so tempting to get carried away and try to squeeze in too much! You are the best judge of how many big activities your kids can manage in a day so remember this when you plan each 24 hours.

Pick your favourite activities and then try to plan the best way to enjoy them. For example, if you choose the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island (which is an evening activity), work out if it would be best for your kids to see this as a day trip from Melbourne, or whether it would be better to stay a night or two on Phillip Island. If you choose a bus tour from Melbourne, should the kids have a quiet day first and then take a late tour directly to the Penguin Parade, or would it be better to take a whole-day tour that includes other activities?