How would your little ones fare with the long flight/trip? I don't think I could do it

I'd recommend Adelaide for you and the kids. There are plenty of reasonably priced trips to choose from which depart from the central bus station and a trip on the tram down to the beach at Glenelg.

You really could spend three weeks in Perth, a great place for children lots of lovely beaches. But if you want to limit your time in Western Australia then you must remember that Perth is a long way away from the other major tourist areas of Australia and won't be cheap to find flights for 5 People. I also liked Adelaide but if you have been using the beaches in Perth you may want to go somewhere with a little more available to interest children. I would say Brisbane with it's various attractions such as the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, The Wheel of Brisbane and the Sciencentre. Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo is just a short train ride from Brisbane. Unfortunately Brisbane and Sydney are all the way across the other side of the country so could cost a fair amount to get there and a number of hours flying time.

Sorry, I missed the couple of stops bit. If you fly to Adelaide, you can get flights for about $119 from Webjet.com.au. A week there would be enough to enable you to go up to the Gold Coast where you could have a cracking time. Attractions there are best seen on the VIP Pass which costs about £60 for the year. It gets you into Movie World, Wet'n Wild & Sea World, with unlimited use.

Expensive flying around, but the place is bigger than Europe!

Any questions, just ask.

Thanks for the replies. Sorry, have been distracted by this years holiday...
Flights booked - short stop in Sydney, then over to Perth. I think we may perhaps hire a camper van and venture out of Perth for a few days/week maybe. Lots of time to look into it now.

I'm sure the kids will be ok. It's more than we've travelled before, but I'm not the first, and doubt I'll be the last to do it! Can't wait...

I crossed Australia by coach, a package tour with Australia Pacific from Sydney to Cairns. After staying a couple of weeks with relatives in Townsville I travelled down south on the Greyhound, breaking my journey at Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Kalgoorlie, Coober Pedy, Adelaide and Perth, using something like a 'rover ticket' I can certainly recommend both Perth and Adelaide. I can't remember now who I booked it with but it was a company in Earls Court, London and they were happy to organise as much or as little as I wanted, and gave me contacts to organise the rest myself when I was out there.

On the other hand a camper van would give you the freedom to set your own pace and might make life easier with the children, particularly the youngest one.

Hey,

Western Australia is amazing! I would suggest that you arrive at your friends place and stay for a few days. In Perth you can rent a bigger motorhome and travel through the south west via Margaret River, the Southern Forests, Wave Rock, Albany, Esperance, Lucky Bay, Kalgoorlie Boulder and through the desert back to Perth (a nice round trip. The distances there are not too long for young kids and on the way will always be loads to explore. There are beaches, tree top walks, zoos, caves, many campsites to stay overnight. This could be an amazing trip that all of you will enjoy!

Cheers

Not long now!

Can anybody point me in the direction of short term childcare in Sydney. None of the boys are old enough to climb the bridge - we'd love to go up though.
I've pinged off an email to Dial an Angel, would welcome any more suggestions though.

Some of the hotels around the harbour do offer childcare - at a price. The Marriott is one.

Thanks, got a couple of options on the table now.

Thanks for the pointers - just back & had a great time.

For those that search the forums - I'll leave my solution to the childcare thing...

Used a company called Dial an Angel after emailing a few. Found their customer service to be best/most helpful. They set me up with a minder who came to the hotel and looked after the kids for 6 hours or so. She was willing to be flexible, take them out, took care of meals etc, and even brought DVDs that her nieces used to pass the time. Like all things in Oz, it wasn't cheap, but what price do you put on a night out without the kids??

We did 3 nights in Sydney, then over to Perth. Kids weren't any trouble flying, they weren't much trouble at all. The youngest turned out to the lowest maintenance.
In Sydney we visited:
The Opera House
Climbed the bridge. Returned later with the kids to climb the pylons. They found it easy (even the 3 year old).
Powerhouse museum (big hit with the kids)
Bondi Beach (another big hit for the kids)
Bus tour - tip the 555 bus runs free in the centre of town, great for getting you from A to B.
Sealife centre

Perth:
Zoo - great day out
Mint - kids loved watching the gold being poured
Kings Park
Rottnest Island
Museum of WA
Maritime Museum
Cohunu Koala Park
Adventure World (so good we did it twice!)

Few days down by Margaret River, Ngligi Caves, lighthouse visit, day at Bussleton Beach (fantastic). Walked the longest pier in the southern hemisphere, visited the underwater bit at the end. Visited vineyward, kids maze, chocolate and nougat centres (big hit with the adults ;-))

You could rent a Motorhome and travel in the south-west of WA. Is is really beautiful, not too many people and the distances aren't too long. But it is quite a big task to look after 3 kids. And I also wouldn't stay at a friends place for 3 weeks in a row with 3 kids unless they have a seperate area in the house with your own bathroom and kitchen. Or you book a holiday appartment for 3 weeks and do day trip. I guess that would be the best for everyone and not too stressful.

Glad you liked the travel Are the prices in Australia high? I'm taking it into consideration for next holidays

Excatly ...3 kids .. looking after them would be a great task like a war.