Australia east coast

[CATTY15]

Hi,
We are planning to go to the east coast of Australia in 2021.
Due to school holidays etc, we are thinking the best time to go would be easter for 3 weeks.
We will have 3 teenagers with us and were thinking it may be better to stay in self catering holiday homes with a pool.
We want to go to Sydney for a few days, to the Great barrier reef, rain forest, Australia zoo and koala sanctuary and are open to other suggestions.
I'm just after advice on the best way to do it as only just starting to plan.
Is it better to fly to different destinations or drive? Where would be the best area to stay?
Any advice would be great thank you!

The Gold Coast is the tackiest touristy part of Australia. I'd fly from Sydney to Cairns and spend some time exploring the hinterland around far north Queensland.

We flew to Sydney via Singapore, where we did a 36 hour stopover. After a few days in Sydney we flew to Townsville, had a few days on Magnetic Island, then picked up a car and drove north with a couple of stops on the way, finishing in Port Douglas. I really enjoyed the driving and it didn't feel too much. We flew back from Cairns, again via Singapore but with a short stopover.

You've had lots of good info but I just wanted to add a bit of extra information about climate.

Firstly, August isn't one month out of winter, it IS winter. Not great for Sydney.

Second, I was looking at Sydney temperatures in April only last week, as I'm visiting relatives at Easter and they have a pool. Top daytime temperatures last April ranged from 20 to 32, so really quite variable but you'd be very unlucky not to get some nice swimming days.

Yeah, driving Townsville to Port Douglas is totally doable, a nice drive. One day leisurely or half a day straight through pedal to the metal via the coast. OR take the Atherton tablelands route, longer and okay if you are a foodie but if you want to get to Port Douglas sooner for touristy stuff take the coast road.

I live in Sydney and we have a pool. I can only think of probably two years in the last decade where we have been able to swim over Easter and then only a lucky day here or there, not a stretch. Also, unless the pool is heated an odd day over 30 is not that great, you want a bit of a stretch of warmth or the water takes too long to warm up so while the odd day might be nice it’s not enough to heat the water when proceeding weather has been cool. If it’s heated though, no probs.

If you're looking at family accommodation in Sydney, take a look at the Meriton Suites on Pitt Street. We stayed in a two bedroomed apartment and it was very comfortable and perfectly situated for walking to all the tourist sites in Sydney. Having a washing machine & dryer was really handy, as were the dishwasher and the cooking facilities. Tea, coffee and toiletries were also supplied and a maid came in each day to service the apartment. There was an indoor pool too and we thought it was very good value for the four nights that we stayed there. Don't miss The Convict Museum in Sydney, it was fab.

Thanks everyone , this is all really useful!
Definitely set on Easter I think as August is obviously not good.
The pool business is not a deal breaker, I just thought it would be nice but we're going to Australia to see as much as we can without it being too exhausting but I expect we'll be out every day seeing and doing stuff. I've taken on board that the Australian schools will be on holiday too and the need to book early.
I've been reading on trip advisor reviews about the different GBR operator's, we definitely want a smaller more personal trip.
Lots to think about and research...thanks again!

Another thing to consider is if any of you smoke or vape? A packet of cigarettes in Aus is about £18.20!!! You are only allowed to take in 1 closed packet up to 25 cigs, plus 1 open packet. , so don't try taking duty free cartons in!

If you vape, the rules vary between NSW and QLD! You cannot legally buy vape liquids containing nicotine anywhere is Aus, but can take it in for personal use. Qld is the only state which its even illegal to smoke vape with nicotine in it. I'm unsure is anyone has ever been prosecuted, nor if you'd even get the police stop you in the street to analyse your liquids though!

I'm unsure if you have been before, but they are very strict on bringing in food, wood and anything organic (soil, dirt, sand etc). Generally, processed foods with labelling are fine- as long as you declare them. On arrival you each complete a customs declaration. Despite this being written in 15+ languages, people still lie and don't consider things as food- when they clearly are. (Ever seen the show border security?) If you are unsure, tick yes and they will check. In my experience, if you are taking any food, say a jar of jam, chocolates or something small, keep it in hand luggage. Declare it and you can easily show it on arrival. In some cases, if that is all you need to declare, they will wave you through. Otherwise, they might X-ray and inspect inside all suitcases.

Ex smokers now so that's lucky!!
I'd heard about how strict they are about bringing in food , a friend of mine was taken off by the border control people at the airport as she had an apple in her handbag she'd forgotten about

They do sometimes have sniffer dogs in the airport to check for undeclared food in bags. I always say, if you are unsure, declare it. If you do, you generally wouldnt get any fine, whereas if you tried to hide something, you might. I've taken jam, gravy mix, biscuits, a harrod plum pudding and many sorts of packaged UK products there without issue- but I've ALWAYS declared and shown them. The vast majority of the time they see its a sealed, commercial packet and wave me through without looking twice. Its only fresh fruit/veg, meat, diary, honey, plants etc that they will likely confiscate, or offer to fumigate if applicable.

Brit, now living in OZ.
I'd fly in and out of SYD, when you see the bridge/opera house you realise you're 'actually in Australia'
Sydney
Harbour (bridge climb)
Aquarium
Zoo (Amazing, even just for the views - consider roar and snore)
Icebergs
Bondi/coogee - for beaches
Be aware you/especially the kids will feel crap for the first couple of days, so include downtime.

Cairns
You can get a nice air bnb sleeps 7 with a pool for around $1.8k for 4 nights. (Over Easter)
Definitely book ahead peak season for Australian's and the rest of the world, so we attract lots of tourists.
Any GBR tour will be excellent - you will be sick on the way out if your even slightly prone to seasickness/motion sickness. So take that into account.
Lots of good day trips to the rain forest.

Brisbane/Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast
Noosa is beautiful and you can get amazing houses there, you could think about getting one on sunrise beach - absolutely breathtaking.
Also can commute from there to Australia Zoo, which is good but not a must do if you've done the one in Sydney. However you can only cuddle koala's in QLD not NSW.
It will be warm enough to swim in Easter, so plenty of beach days.
Teens will love surf lessons and paddle boarding through the noosa river surrounded by multi-million dollar homes.
Don't discount the GC, yes it's tacky but in a fabulous way. Stay in Broadbeach, not surfers. Kids will love the theme parks.
Sky tower is great at sunset.
Shopping is great and it will be going into our winter, so you'll be able to buy here to wear at home.
Take a day trip down to rick shores for a boozy adult lunch. Leave the kids on the beach !
Don't discount Brisbane, it isn't the boring city everyone thinks!!

Take into account OZ can be expensive. It will still be hot at Easter, especially up north. Theme parks/experiences are expensive and will quickly add up over the course of 3 weeks. So think about maybe 'gifting' some special experiences as Christmas gifts.
'Swim with sharks in the Sydney aquarium'
'Scale the harbour bridge'
'Cuddle a koala at Australia zoo'
Easter weekend, plan a 'staycation on those days' everything closes on Good Friday. You can eat out but at a 15/20% premium because it's a public holiday. Pubs/bars are closed. But you can eat at a restaurant, with a 2 hour limit.
Service/shops will be limited on Sunday/Monday too and often incur the surcharge. So staying in a nice house over that weekend would be a good idea.

One side note to think about is luggage. If you travel with a big carrier and get 30kg allowance. Be aware that the smaller internal carriers (tiger/ Jetstar - budget airlines or qantas/virgin) will only give you 23kg.... be mindful !!

Have an amazing trip OP, let me know if you have any Q's.

If only, thank you for that brilliant run down, really useful information in there, I'll shout if I think of any questions!
Really glad I started this thread, thanks everyone! X

Think of Sydney as the harbour, animals, ferries, theatre, food, shopping, big city etc component of the trip and Queensland as the beach/ pool/swimming part of the trip. This will keep everyone's expectations appropriate.

Hi,
Just to update you, following all the brilliant advice we have now booked 3 different properties in April.
Sydney first, then cairns and finish up in Broadbeach.
I'm very impressed with the huge range of properties on Airbnb and am very pleased with what we have booked.
Am now busy researching all the different attractions we will visit during our trip.
We are all very excited, thanks to everyone for your advice!