Eclipse Spectacular in Queensland November 14 2012

Eclipse Spectacular in Queensland November 14 2012

While I would love to say we were up in Queensland relaxing in the sunshine and readying ourselves for the eclipse this week, unfortunately we weren’t one of the lucky thousands of tourists, media and scientists who were there in person to see the eclipse spectacular.

Never fear, if you, like us, weren’t able to be there, we’re sharing the amazing footage supplied by Tourism Queensland so you enjoy the spectacular sight right in the comfort of your home, which is always better than not experiencing something this amazing at all!

It’s estimated that 60,000 eclipse chasers, including scientists, astrologists and the general public swarmed into various venues across Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef to witness the solar eclipse first hand, with this being the first full eclipse of this kind experienced by the region in around 1300 years!

Were you lucky enough to be in attendance? We’d love to hear about it! For those like us who missed out, immerse yourself in the footage below 🙂

Video streaming by UstreamImages & video courtesy of Tourism Queensland


 

 

 

 

 

Lady Elliot Island Increases It’s Eco Credentials

Lady Elliot Island Increases It’s Eco Credentials

You all know we love our family holidays, and we’re really passionate about the environment. We really feel it’s important that both tourists, and tourism industry operators understand the immense value that comes with the process of being eco friendly.

While we haven’t been to this destination, we love Queensland holidays and, the Great Barrier Reef is at the top of our dream destinations to visit and write about one day, so we were really pleased to read this news, and wanted to share it with you all:

Today, it was revealed that  Lady Elliot Island has stopped selling plastic water bottles to help reduce it’s carbon footprint even further.

We think it’s a great initiative, especially as the island is equipped with a water desalination plant that produces perfect, untainted, pure water available for guests from drinking fountains or taps.

lady elliot island holidaysHere’s some interesting information:

“In 2009-10, approximately 373 million water bottles ended up as waste in Australia alone. If we can encourage our guests to live by the mantra of refill not landfill and engage with them to go water bottle free, hopefully this will spread to other communities around Australia and the World.”

“The extracting, packaging and transporting of a litre of bottled water can emit hundreds of times more greenhouse gases than a litre of tap water, so not only are we reducing the amount of bottles but also helping to save the environment. We all need to take a bold stand” said Sonya Mroz, Sales and Marketing Executive of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort.

The resort has many other initiatives in place including the implementation of a solar power station that has reduced fuel burn by over 70%, which makes you really wonder why every resort can’t do the same!

It’s important to think about the big picture:

It’s not only tourist destinations that should be implementing changes such as this, but within our personal lives, or during any holiday journey, it’s really important to be aware of how we may be affecting the environment.

Being environmentally conscious goes much further than putting your rubbish in the bin, it takes real consideration as to how our entire lifestyle choices from production to consumption may affect the environment around us.

About Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot Island is the only resort island on the Great Barrier Reef with a direct flight access to the island airstrip. It’s one of three island resorts located within the Great Barrier Reef, and is situated within the Marine National Park zone. This zoning means that visitors on Lady Elliot are treated to a wonderful year round display of live coral and the iconic Manta Rays along with other amazing wildlife.

There’s lots to do on the island including guided tours in glass bottomed boats, snorkelling, scuba diving, reef walks, beach strolls and even kids activities such as the Reef Rangers Club that runs in NSW/QLD school holiday periods. Seasonal opportunities exist to see dolphins, turtles, whales and a range of bird life.

Lady Elliot Island is on our MUST VISIT destination list (very high up!) we especially can’t wait to see turtle nesting and hatching.

Have you visited the Great Barrier Reef before? We’d love to hear about your experience.

Australia’s Big Things to See in NSW

Australia’s Big Things to See in NSW

Family holidays in NSW offer lots of variety between destinations, from tropics to the red outback.  The state boasts plenty of things to do and see, and without a doubt the most fun goal any traveller can have is to make their way around Australia to uncover the large collection of big things to see.  Traveling NSW and taking in the larger than life sights promises a memorable trip filled with fun and excitement for the entire family. So it’s time to take a look at Australia’s Big Things to see in NSW.

Australia's Big Things in NSWWhile they may be spread out across all corners of NSW, stopping to view big things makes for a unique and memorable trip.  Taking photos in front of huge replicas of everyday objects, animals and even foods makes for a highly entertaining and memorable addition to your family holiday.

If you’re truly adventurous, you could do a massive road trip to take in all the Big Things you can possibly track down, but for most people on holiday, it’s a matter of stopping by a few of these humourous landmarks on the way to other destinations.  Many of the large monuments are located near popular tourist destinations, providing for an interesting and off-beat excursion without much additional travel.  Use your wacky group photo for your family’s holiday cards or simply keep a copy as a memento from your trip.

So if you’re heading off on a NSW family holiday, don’t forget to allow some extra time to add a few “Big Things” stops into your itinerary

Below is a list of big things you and your family can visit in NSW, we may have missed some, but we’ll be updating our list when we can, and I can’t wait to get photos standing beside each of Australia’s Big Things!

  • Big Ant (Broken Hill)
  • Big Apple (Batlow)
  • Big Apple (Yerrinbool)
  • Big Avocado (Duranbah)
  • The Big Axe (Kew)
  • Big Ayers Rock (North Arm Cove)
  • The Big Banana (Coffs Harbour)
  • The Big Beer Can (Cobar)
  • Big Bench (Broken Hill)
  • The Big Blue Heeler (Muswellbrook)
  • Big Bowls (Lake Cathie)
  • Big Bull (Wauchope)
  • The Big Bicycle (Chullora)
  • Big Cheese (Bodalla)
  • Big Chook (Moonbi)
  • Big Chook 2 (Mount Vernon)
  • Big Flower (Ourimbah)
  • The Big Gold Panner (Bathurst)
  • The Big Golden Guitar (Tarnworth)
  • The Big Knight (Knockrow)
  • The Big Lamb (Guyra)
  • The Big Merino (Goulburn)
  • The Big Miner’s Lamp (Lithgow)
  • Big Mosquito (Hexham)
  • Big Murray Cod (Tocumwal)
  • Big Orange (Tenterfield)
  • The Big Oyster (Taree)
  • The Big Playable Guitar (Narrandera)
  • The Big Potato (Robertson)
  • The Big Poo (Kiama)
  • The Big Prawn (Ballina)
  • Big Rubik’s Cube (Maroubra)
  • The Big Soldier (Uralla)
  • The Big Spider (Urana)
  • The World’s Biggest Sundial (Singleton)
  • Big Tennis Racquet (Barellan)
  • The Big Trout (Adaminaby)
  • The Big Trout (Oberon)
  • The Big Windmill (Coffs Harbour)
  • The Big Wine Bottle (Pokolbin)
  • The Big Wine Cask (Mourquong)

How many of these big things have you visited? Have we missed any?

Sydney for Families – Holiday & Activity Ideas

Sydney for Families – Holiday & Activity Ideas

Welcome to Sydney For Families

Sydney offers families an entire range of activities, eateries, attractions and accommodation styles that truly do offer something for everyone. The Capital City of NSW has won numerous awards for being one of the world’s most favoured cities, the most recent being voted in the CondĂ© Nast readers choice as one of the world’s best cities, coming in at number 6.

It’s not just international travellers who love Sydney, there’s plenty of reasons for families to love Sydney too, so let’s take a look at what you can get up to with the kids in this gorgeous world class city!

Great Sydney Beaches For Families

It wouldn’t be a Sydney travel guide without mentioning the best beaches for families to visit.

  • Bondi Beach – While Bondi itself can be prone to rips, head to the west side for the Bondi pools. This is a  perfect area for kids to splash around in safely and offer peace of mind to parents that the kids can swim in a safe, supervised area.
  • Whale Beach – This beach also offers a rock pool that is really great for kids. Time your visit, because it generally only fills at high tide. There’s also a playground nearby to burn off some extra energy.
  • Cronulla – While the main beach is generally not a great family swim beach and is better suited to surfers, Shelly Beach offers another great rock pool and a large picnic area with bbq’s
Great Outdoor Family Activities in Sydney
  • Sydney Park – This gorgeous 110 acre area in St Peters offers a gorgeous duck pond, gorgeous parks, sculptures, a heritage area, a 360 degree view over the city, playgrounds,  and best of all, a bike track for the kids complete with traffic signs.
  • Iron Cove Bay Walking Area – If getting out and about in nature is something you’re keen to do then this area provides a flat walk that is easy for young children, prams and bikes. During the walk you’ll take in sights like beaches, mangroves, and the harbour.
  • Ride the Manly Ferry – For 155 years the Manly ferry has been taking people on a journey across the waves. Don’t miss out on this iconic excursion, enjoy the ride and once you get to Manly, treat the kids to a few hours at Oceanworld.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens – This gorgeous garden area is one that just shouldn’t be missed. When planning your visit to the Botanic Gardens, a little bit of research to see what’s on in the gardens is a good idea, there’s always events, tours and activities taking place.

 

Great Family Attractions in Sydney

There are so many great attractions available to visitors in Sydney. We’re taking a quick look at some of the best for kids.

The attractions we’ve mentioned here are, for the most part in the city, which makes it easy for those focused on enjoying the city centre, we’ll be covering more around the greater Sydney region shortly:

  • Luna Park – A true icon, this amusement park was restored and still holds much of it’s 1930’s charm. With something for all ages, from rides to sideshow attractions an experience well worth it.
  • Taronga Zoo – The best way to get to the Zoo is by experiencing the Circular Quay Ferry. You’ll be amazed and greeted by a wide range of animals, and learn about the conservation initiatives undertaken by and suppported by the Zoo.
  • Darling Harbour Attractions – You won’t be disappointed with things to do in Darling Harbour with kids. There’s plenty of free play areas, but for a true experience, head to WILD LIFE Sydney, Sydney SEA LIFE Aquarium and Madam Tussaud’s. Check out their websites for all in one passes to save lots of money.

As you can see, we’ve just touched the very tip of the amazing family activities that Sydney has to offer on your next family holiday. For Accommodation Sydneyalso has a great range of options, from caravan parks in the outer suburbs to a range of budget hotels through to family luxury hotels. You can easily take a day trip by train or plane, or within driving distance if you’re lucky enough. If you’re planning to stay, it definitely pays to plan a little in advance and be sure to stay somewhere nice and convenient to the main attractions you’re planning to visit.

Much thanks to Accommodation.com for this great post about the Sydney Region.

 

What are your favourite family friendly Sydney hot spots?

Aussie Lawn Mower Racing Fun!

Aussie Lawn Mower Racing Fun!

I love rural areas, because you can bet there’s always something a little unexpected on the cards when they put on an event.

This year we headed up to Comboyne Village Fair, and one of the highlights was Lawn Mower Racing.  Who knew that there was such a thing. When I looked it up, there’s actually an Australian Ride on Lawn Mower Association, go figure! It’s fun to watch and this is the second time we’ve seen it. I only had my iPhone video on me, but you get the idea 🙂

More to come on the other great parts of the fair soon, but for now, here’s a bit of fun for you 🙂

 

Holidaying in Queensland, Popular Spots for Families during the Holidays

Holidaying in Queensland, Popular Spots for Families during the Holidays

Known for the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Park as well as its many beaches, holidaying in Queensland is a popular paradise for winter holidays and family excursions. The climate is tropical to subtropical on the coast and arid and dry to the west. With many things to see and do, there’s something here to ensure that every member of the family has a great time. Here are some of the best places in Queensland for family holidays:

Arlie Beach – For visiting the amazing Whitsunday Islands, Arlie Beach is a beach resort town in the Whitsunday Region. The scenic harbor provides easy access by boat to Gloucester Island and Whitsunday Islands National Parks. Three other national parks are also reachable by water or land. These National Parks are Dryander, Molle and Conway. Area beaches, lagoons and reef are spectacular. These natural places have wide spaces for families to gather and take part in any kind of water sport, picnics and BBQs as well as relaxing on the sands.

Brisbane – The lovely city of Brisbane has much to offer adults and children taking a break together. Downtown and South Bank Parklands offer hours of free fun for all from parks and playgrounds to covered BBQ areas with nearby cafes, restaurants and museums. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a terrific to get close to native wild animals. Mt. Coot-tha and the Botanic Gardens at its base provide a place for easy and adventure hiking and many opportunities for photographing the views.

Cairns – One of the best cities from which to take day trips to explore the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns has play areas like Muddy’s Playground and the Esplanade Swimming Lagoon as well as numerous places to discover nature. Some of the nearby natural spots of interest are the Botanic Gardens, the Atherton Tablelands and islands like Fitzroy.

Gold Coast – Just less than 100 kilometers south from Brisbane, this city has shopping as well as beaches and outstanding resorts. For families on Gold Coast holidays, the beautiful coastal area offers many attractions like Rockpools and Springbrook. Rockpools is a superb water park where children can play in the water and the playground equipment. Springbrook National Park has a remarkable natural bridge and waterfall, a great place for hiking and nature photography.

Port Douglas – About 70 kilometers to the north of Cairns, Port Douglas is a good place to stay for trips of discovery into the Daintree Rainforest. The coastal village is bordered by the natural port area offering a peaceful beach, cafes and water sports. Fishing and boat tours are especially popular. Horseback riding, golfing and watching native birds and animals in the Wildlife Habitat are some of the other pursuits in the region.

So no matter what type of holiday you’re searching for, Queensland offers a great range of options for anyone looking for a memorable family holiday. Whether you’re heading off on an epic adventure around Australia with kids, or just taking a well-earned family holiday there’s something in Queensland for every family.