Australia with little kids

[GetUpStandUp4]

I haven't actually thought this through much at all yet - more an idea that came to me in the night, but we're looking for a holiday for next year before our youngest turns 2 at the end of June, and before we have to start going during school holidays as our eldest starts school next September.

I've never actually been fussed about going to Australia but my husband has always wanted to go and its a special birthday for him next year. He has a friend based in Sydney that he'd want to see but they're probably not close enough for us to stay with them.

How feasible is a trip that far with an almost 2 year old and a just turned 4 year old? Where in Aus would we go? and what's the minimum duration we'd need?

Honestly I would wait a couple of years until the kids are a bit older. But if it’s something you really want to do Australia is great. It depends how much you want to see because the country is huge, I would say at Least two weeks. You can see a rainforest, the outback, a city, beaches. More information is needed to make recommendations.

It would be winter in Australia. Have you checked the weather?

Also have you considered the length of the journey? Would you pay for your younger child to have a seat or sit them on your lap for a 24 hour flight?

It can be an amazing trip especially if combined with flights to Cairns and Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tablelands and the wildlife, Daintree etc but flights with a 1 and 4 year old would be tough. Would say min 3 weeks including flight time. Definitely would not want 1 year old on your lap. We flew direct with BA and via their multi flight option got Quantas flights to Cairns. Kids also won't remember it but you will have the pictures. I would do when older, ours were 11 and 12 and that age was great, remember it, participate and before you hit the living on mobile phone age.

I've gone backwards and forwards between UK and Australia on several occasions with our kids, ever since they were born. My in-laws live there so there is just no way for us to avoid doing the journey. It is awfully long, and hard work with kids (even at 8 and 11 as mine are now), but it's manageable. I recommend.a stop-over enroute to break it up a bit. Personally I wouldn't go for less than 3 weeks as it takes pretty much a week to get over the jet-lag. I'd also favour travelling April/May time before winter sets in. Maybe you could start in Sydney and do a few stops on the East coast. If you are wanting to do the Great Barrier Reef there are a handful of islands with resorts where you can snorkel on the reef from the beach, I'm thinking Heron Island and Green Island, otherwise the reef is generally an hour by boat each way from the mainland and that's possibly not ideal with kids as young as yours. Otherwise Noosa and/or Fraser Island are interesting on the East coast, but there are many other places too. Uluru is another obvious contender for a visit, I think doable with young kids, but imagine you'd need to hire a car and drive yourselves. I have to confess I've not yet taken mine there.

If you do go, for the adults - and maybe one tablet for kids? See label - our kids 9 + 12 took one - I really really recommend Calming Formula https://uk.iherb.com/pr/superior-source-calming-formula-60-microlingual-instant-dissolve-tablets/98876?gclid=CjwKCAjwgZCoBhBnEiwAz35Rwj88h7JXLuIS7AaxA_CQyUPUU2yJKT1F4Gu0Wv_nW3m2FWazQrKlQRoCNFcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We went to Seoul/New Zealand with our kids at Easter, we had no jet lag thanks to this! We woke up in the middle of the night very alert, took one/two of these, boom! Back to sleep. Made it so much better, had no "black mist" of tiredness in the day as always before

Australia is a fab place to visit, but, unless you need to take them to visit Grandparents there or something, there is no way in the world I would consider taking 2 dc that small on such long flights.

Thanks all. I've definitely changed my mind after your comments- particularly having toddler on my lap for such a long flight. Now, where else to go instead? hmm