82 best family holiday destinations in Australia

Looking for the ultimate family escape? These Australian family holiday ideas will delight the kids and impress the adults. Happy travels!

From its red heart to its sparkling coastline lapped by shimmering blue seas, nothing compares to our great southern land. Australia is a place of mystical natural beauty with an embarrassment of brilliant beaches, snow-capped mountains, sprawling deserts, ancient rainforests, a celebrated rock, the world’s most famous reef and some of the world’s most unique wildlife. It’s a country of vibrant modern cities and a rich Indigenous history that dates back over 60,000 years. And we’re lucky enough to call it home.

The magic of our great big backyard is the sense of freedom you get when every road leads to something new and every person you meet has a story to tell. Whether your family is ready to off-road through the outback, plunge into some of the world’s clearest waters, or simply chase a quiet spot off the beaten track, these dazzling destinations might just be your next adventure waiting to happen.

There’s never been a better time for Australians to get out and explore our big beautiful backyard so we’re sharing the best family holiday destinations in Australia to get you on the road to your next great Australian family escape.

Canberra with a twist

Whatever the season, Canberra is a cornucopia of cool. You’ll find science museums, Australia’s best zoo, history lessons, sports facilities, miniature gardens and cool suburbs.

Ourdoor weather too hot? Too cold? Too wet? Don’t fret! Whether your kid is a dinosaur enthusiast, a science wiz or partial to a thrill, there’s a bounty of indoor attractions begging to be discovered and explored across Canberra.

If you love to get little sun on your skin and fresh air in your lungs you can breathe easy knowing Canberra is brimming with electrifying, outdoorsy things to do too.

With an airport and its convenient location between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra is a great family holiday destination in Australia. Once you’ve taken a holiday to Canberra with kids, you’ll know why so many families come back again and again.

Read: The best things to do in Canberra with kids

Norfolk Island

Whether your crew likes their holidays mild or wild, picturesque Norfolk Island ticks all the boxes. So welcoming and safe that people leave their cars unlocked with the keys in the ignition, visitors can unwind and soak up the sun or hit the surf on picture-perfect beaches, snorkel in turquoise lagoons, ride a horse along rolling green hills or yomp through forests of enormous Moreton Bay figs and soaring Norfolk pines. Just as rich in history as it is in natural beauty, Norfolk Island is home to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and the island’s boutique museums offer fascinating stories of the island’s Polynesian, convict, Bounty and maritime past.

Read: Norfolk Island family-friendly travel guide

Christmas Island

Christmas Island will delight adventurous wildlife fans. The little Aussie island in the Indian Ocean is one of the best family holiday destinations in Australia.

It is home to unique endemic species, rainforest walks, waterfalls, secret grottoes, blowholes and hidden beaches.

3 amazing things to do on Christmas Island

1. Snorkel or scuba dive Flying Fish Cove to see 200 fish species and pristine coral reefs. You’ll also see creatures such as manta rays, turtles, silky sharks and spinner dolphins. Whale sharks visit between November and April each year. Flying Fish Cove has been named the best shore dive in the world.

2. Follow one of the self-guided hiking trails through the rainforest. You might find yourself outnumbered by land crabs by 50 million to one. The crabs’ annual summer migration has been described by David Attenborough as one of his great TV moments. Then cool down in a hidden waterfall or at The Grotto, a tidal cave with a sandy bottom. Look down to see blue crabs and giant robber crabs, and up for Abbott’s boobies, Christmas goshawks and Christmas Island frigate birds.

3. The coastline is spectacular, with secluded white sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs, blowholes and several caves and grottos to explore. Look among the rocks for nesting brown boobies and into the sky to spot the golden bosun or red-tailed tropic bird, one of the world’s prettiest birds.

This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.

Keep reading:

• The best holiday parks in Australia
• Northern Territory family-friendly travel guide

Australia family accommodation