fun things to do with kids in australia - family travel    
  Travel for Kids
   
     
    Australia
Kid and koala in Australia
Where else can kids pet koalas and kangaroos, hobnob with platypuses or emus, snorkel amidst tropical fish, and catch glimpses of fairy penguins and Tasmanian devils? Traveling with your family in Australia, you'll have a field day!
Tip: Don't miss our top picks for children's books on Australia, recommended by the staff of Travel for Kids, see below.
    Sydney
    Warrumbungle National Park – Warrumbungle National Park, 550km west of Sydney, has an amazing rocky landscape, left over from volcanoes millions of years ago. Great camping and day hiking. The campsites are not very formal and animals such as kangaroos, emus and wallabies wander through the camp.
    Carnarvon National Park (Queensland) – Carnarvon Gorge in the National Park is a spectacular deep gorge with clear streams and lots of wildlife. Look for platypus in Carnarvon Creek at twilight. Mt. Moffatt within the park has aboriginal art sites. Tip: In the national parks, there are often set times to feed the birds. You can purchase birdseed in the campground stores and feed parrots and kookaburras up close.
family tours australia

Australia offers fabulously diverse experiences, but it's a big county. With experienced guides, take a wildlife safari to see koalas and kangaroos, hike through the outback, ride high over the rain forest, visit an aboriginal village and learn how to make traditional tools on this Australia family tour:

    Journeys for Families
Do your kids want to bike through the rain forests, paddle kayaks, go wildlife spotting for parrots and giant lizards, sail on a catamaran and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef? When you book a family tour that specializes in multi-sport trips, they'll provide everything you'll need for a great trip:
   
kids books
     
Where the Forest Meets the Sea - kids books Australia  

A trip through primeval rain forest in Queensland, "my father knows a place we can only reach by boat." Gorgeous mixed-media collages are so life-like, each tangled creeper, nubby branch, hanging root, squiggly snake or vanished dinosaur seems real. (Picture book)

 

     
Uluru
Caroline Arnold, Arthur Arnold

In the heart of Australia is Uluru (Ayers Rock). Excellent overview of Uluru, not only as a geological wonder (the world's biggest single rock), but as a sacred place of the Aboriginal people, connected to creation time stories, and a home to desert wildlife. (Illustrated chapter book)

 

 
Uluru - kids books Australia
     
Big Rain Coming - kids books Australia  
Big Rain Coming
Katrina Germein, Bronwyn Bancroft

Water is life in dry, dusty Australia, and everyone waits for the rain – an old man snoozes in the shade of the tree, dogs dig holes to keep cool, kids swim in the billabong, frogs lap up the smallest drops of water, and then … "there was rain." Colorful illustrations, like Aboriginal art. (Picture book)

 

     

Explore the fascinating marine life of Australia – reef sharks, blue ringed octopus, hawksbill turtles, leafy sea dragons, lionfish, dugongs, sea wasps, and salt water crocodiles. Assemble each ocean animal and set them up in a stunning diorama! (Activity book)

 

 
The Field Guide to Ocean Animals - kids books australia
     
Here is the Coral Reef  
Here is the Coral Reef
Madeleine Dunphy

Find out about the colorful creatures that live in the Great Barrier Reef – clownfish, wrasses, anemones, parrotfish, manta rays, coral, sponges, eels, turtles. Gorgeously illustrated. (Picture book)

 

   

Wild adventures of Andrew and his cousin Judy in the Australian rain forest and desert. Shrunk to the size of bugs, the kids are nearly lunch for a carnivorous plant in the jungle. Meat eater ants in the desert think the kids are a snack, but they’re saved by a lumpy lizard. (Easy reader)

 

 
     
Toad Heaven - kids books Australia
 
Toad Heaven
Morris Gleitzman

Limpey, a warty cane toad, is looking for a better home for himself and his rellies (relatives). Accompanied by his sister Charm and cousin Goliath, Limpey searches for a national park where there are brilliant mud slides, fragrant swamps and every living thing is protected, even cane toads. A fun read. (Chapter book)

Don't miss Limpey's first adventure: Toad Rage

 

     
The Snow Pony
Alison Lester

Dusty loves life on a remote cattle ranch, especially her Snow Pony, a wild mountain horse that she tamed and trained. Up on the high plains, when her dad is injured, it's up to Dusty and the Snow Pony to go for help. A fun read for older kids. (Chapter book)

 

 
The Snow Pony - kids books Australia
     
 
The Australian Boomerang Bonanza
(Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures)
Jeff Brown

Flat Stanley's shape is perfect for surfing and snorkeling at the beach, but when Stanley is tossed in the air like a boomerang, he lands in desert outback. Lost in the bush, will hopping like a kangaroo get him home? (Easy reader)

 

     
Over in Australia
Marianne Berkes, Jill Dubin

“Over in Australia in a eucalyptus tree, lived a cuddly gray koala and her little joeys three.” A rhyming story with gorgeous collages takes you to the forests, grasslands and deserts of Australia. Ten different animals, plus a hidden animal in every collage. (Picture book)

 

 
     
Possum Magic - kids books Australia  
Possum Magic
Mem Fox, Julie Vivas

Adorable story of two possums, Hush and Grandma Poss. Grandma Poss made Hush invisible so he'd be safe from snakes, but when the two possums travel around Australia, munching on people food, like magic, you can see Hush again. (Picture book)

And two other charming tales by Mem Fox: Koala Lou and Hunwick's Egg

 

     
Outback Odyssey
Amanda Lumry and Laura Hurwitz

Riley and Alice are off to Australia to a sheep station, where they find poddy lambs and the life of the cowboy, along with dingoes, kookaburras, kangaroos and koalas in the fast-disappearing eucalyptus trees. Importance of conservation, and super photographs of all the animals. (Picture book)

And their next adventure at the Great Barrier Reef: Riddle of the Reef

 

 
Outback Odyssey
     
This is Australia  

Take a trip around Australia, the largest island or the smallest continent, Sydney's sail-shaped opera house and famous bridge, strange animals in the Taronga Zoo, into the outback, mines and a 2,280 ounces gold nugget, deserts, beaches, falling coconuts in Darwin, and more. Whimsical illustrations, this is a classic. (Picture book)

 

     
Spotlight on Australia
Bobbie Kalman

Get to know the landscape, people and culture of Australia – outback and beaches, amazing animals, indigenous peoples and art, history, cities, and sports. (Picture book)

 

 
Spotlight on Australia
     
Are we there yet? - kids books Australia  
Are we there yet?
Alison Lester

"At Eucla we had sandy sandwiches near the ruins of the old telegraph station." Charming family road trip around Australia – snorkeling in Turquoise Bay, an underground river at Tunnel Creek, bushwalking in the Blue Mountains and more. A wonderful introduction to Australia, based on the author's childhood travels. (Picture book)

 

(More children's books on other Australia pages)
travel for kids | australia