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Broad, bronzed and open-skied, Australia is built for family travel – a dazzlingly diverse country strewn with tropical reefs, surf beaches and snowy heights. The vast distances between A and B can test parental patience, but with some savvy planning you can focus on the delights of exploring with people much closer to ground level than you are.

Leaf through the new edition of ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼’s Travel With Children for practical tips, or check out our list of top 10 family-friendly destinations to get you started.

Sydney Harbour

Australia’s biggest city would be just another sprawling metropolis without Sydney Harbour, the endlessly photogenic waterway around which city life circulates. Pile the kids onto a bumbling old Sydney and check it out. Eyeball the from the water; chug under the ; have a picnic on or ; take a high-speed catamaran to for a surfing lesson; or disembark with your darlings at Darling Harbour for the Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling Quarter Playground, and .

Touring Tasmania

compact size, engaging history and accessible wilderness make for a brilliant family driving holiday: hop into a campervan for a ‘lap of the map’. Highlights include camping in , sea-kayaking around , beachcombing along Ocean Beach on the wild west coast, scaling the treetops at the and careening down on a mountain bike. After dark, meet °Õ²¹²õ³¾²¹²Ô¾±²¹â€™s ghosts (there are a few) on spooky tours of , and . On rainy days (there are also a few), Hobart’s excellent museums come to the rescue: , , – take your pick.

Darwin and the Top End national parks

is really hot – a cooling swim is a daily ritual here. Dunk the kids in the at the Waterfront Precinct, or drive an hour down the highway to to splash around under waterfalls. has some remote swimming holes too, but the park’s primary lures are its astonishing indigenous rock-art galleries and its wildlife (implausible numbers of snapping crocs and flapping birds). Further south is Nitmiluk National Park, where you can swim and kayak around gorgeous Katherine Gorge (actually 13 gorges). Back in Darwin, the and provide after-dark diversions. And if you didn’t spy a croc in Kakadu, in downtown Darwin will get you far closer to one than seems sensible.

Far north Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef

Launch your expedition from or , with a high-speed catamaran trip to an inner-reef atoll or an extended day trip to the pristine outer reef. Either way, snorkeling over this hyper-coloured world is mind-blowing. Scuba diving is an option for teens; a sedate sail in a glass-bottom boat will help the little ones to see into the sea. Back on dry land, far north resorts are geared for family function, with structured activities, pools, waterslides, wave skis, paddleboards and kids’ food options all standard issue.

Canberra

Ditch your preconceptions: is much more than a political filing cabinet these days. The nation’s capital is a really good city for kids, with easy parking, myriad picnic spots and plenty of space to run around. Get earnest at the , then go silly at the , with the ‘beauty of trees’ at the fore. For older kids, (aka the National Science and Technology Centre) is laced with stimulating exhibits. Equally invigorating are a few joyous somersaults atop the grassy dome of Parliament House, while more complex ideologies collide in the chambers below.

Gold Coast theme parks

With an ego the size of Queensland, the is its own biggest fan. But don’t the kids love it! There are five humongous theme parks here: , , , and . Get wet on a muggy Queensland afternoon, meet some nautical critters or lose your lunch on a rollercoaster. A VIP Pass will save a few dollars; an early start will save a long walk across the car park. The Gold Coast’s beach suburbs are kid-centric too, with surf lessons, jet-skiing, sea-kayaking, whale-watching… Alternatively, the much-hyped is two hours north (and it actually lives up to the hype).

Victoria’s High Country

Given the otherwise sunstroked state of the nation, the classy skiing options in Victoria’s may come as either a surprise or a relief. The big resorts here – Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham – are riddled with runs for everyone from short-arse snow bunnies to teen-scene snowboarders. It can be a pricey exercise getting here from , hiring gear, staying in mountaintop lodges… but the payoff is a unique Australian family experience. Come back in summer for mountain biking, camping, bushwalking and assessing the bakeries in fetching high-country towns such as Beechworth, Mansfield and Bright.

Kangaroo Island

A short hop south of , roll onto a car ferry and bob across Backstairs Passage to , South Australia’s most underrated weekender. Big-ticket enticements for kids here include the stinky, grumpy residents at and the appropriately named Remarkable Rocks in Flinders Chase National Park. In between you’ll find sand dunes (sandboarding!), surf beaches, , , fishing jetties, and – plenty of kiddie distractions until it’s time for some fish and chips (and a KI wine or two) at the pub in Kingscote.

Brisbane

Is Australia’s most kid-friendly city? The Brisbane River is a big plus: ride a around central Brisbane, or chug out to the endearing to hug one of the inmates. Back in the city, the riverside South Bank Parklands offer lawns, BBQs, playgrounds and the slow-spinning . The man-made, lifeguard-patrolled is here too, with shallow water for small swimmers. Further along the riverbank is the amazing treehouse playground at . Too humid for the park? The , and all have dedicated kids’ activity rooms, interactive experiences and school holiday programs.

Southwest Western Australia

Like Tasmania, southwest is a bite-sized zone that removes the adults-only appeal of lost, empty highways from the travel equation. Don’t miss the astounding near Denmark (no, not in Scandinavia) – a 600m-long treetop walk through enormous tingle trees. Other natural enticements for the kids include surfing at Ocean Beach near Walpole, hiking to lookouts in , climbing the 68m Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree in Warren National Park, beachcombing along near Esperance, and going underground at near Margaret River and near Yallingup. For mum and dad, offerings from the southwest wine scene will help you reconstitute once the kids are in bed.

Pick up the new edition of ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼’s Travel With Children .

For inspiration on how to keep your young explorers entertained whilst on the road – or at home – sign up to the .