Trying to plan our first trip to Australia / New Zealand over paternity leave

[Guest]

We'll have a 2 month old and a 2 yr old. We are doing Sydney, Auckland, and Queenstown for sure, and trying to choose one or maybe two other places in Australia. What would you recommend?

At first we were set on Cairns - the Great Barrier Reef! But as I played that out in my mind, I realized that being on a boat with a tiny baby and an active toddler, trying to take turns with Dad so we both get to snorkel / diving, sounds not fun at all.

I do still think somewhere with opportunities to see / interact with wildlife would be great. We are normally really active travelers and love hiking, but something less rigorous is probably more sensible for this particular trip.

Any advice you can offer about traveling with two littles would be much appreciated as well! Our 2yo has done a lot of traveling but I know that adding a second will be a whole new game. Thank you!

[Emily]

I recommend visiting Tasmania; it was a highlight of our trip, along with a few days traveling The Great Ocean Road.

[Rae]

There’s a wildlife park near Cairns where you can watch them feed crocodiles and then you have the opportunity to feed kangaroos and see Cassowaries the world’s deadliest bird. It’s also one of the few places in Australia you can take a photo with a koala if you don’t find that objectionable.

[Tracy]

The Great Ocean Road is beautiful. The Australia Zoo is amazing!

[Laura]

Consider Melbourne and Victoria in addition to Sydney. There is the penguin parade at Phillip Island and the Healsville sanctuary in addition to the great ocean road. Melbourne is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city and very easy to navigate.