Lucy loves Australia

It’s worth thinking about when school holidays are and aren’t when you plan and book your holiday to Australia

Because the seasons are back to front in most of Australia then it’s not actually back to school time Down Under. In the the southern half of Australia the seasons are reversed, while the top half of Australia is ‘tropical’ so has ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ instead of more recognisable Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Anyway as I was saying, because the seasons are ‘back to front’ then our summer holidays coming to an end does not mean its back to School for Australian small people. In fact they have all been at school throughout August!

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Small person splashing  ‘Between the Flags’

The iconic yellow and red of the Australian lifesavers on patrolled beaches can’t be missed. And being a big fan of all things Australian I couldn’t resist these super cute little lifesaver swimsuits.

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Want to leave footprints like this? Run Uluru!

Firstly, I have to point out this is not a plea for sponsorship! Much as I do go out for a ‘run’ (jog!) once or twice a week, a marathon runner I am not Even Mr Loves Australia who happily sprints off for a 12km run like it’s a stroll in the park hasn’t competed in a Marathon.

BUT if you’re a long distance runner, and are happiest with a 26-mile stretch in front of you, then this has my vote! Here’s more about the Outback Marathon which is taking place this weekend (31st July)…

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Splashing in the HUGE pool at the Sea Temple in Palm Cove

We stayed in some amazing accommodation while visiting Tropical North Queensland last month. Obviously I do a fair bit (OK tons!) of research before we go, but I also got a lot of help from the fabulous team at Bridge and Wickers. I like booking my holidays to Australia with Bridge and Wickers as it’s pretty much a no-brainer as they have high standards like me As you can imagine I am a reasonably (alright, very!) demanding client so anyone with the patience to deal with me must be good.

Actually I do have to add that Bridge & Wickers have in fact just won the ultimate ‘Ozcar‘ from Tourism Australia as the best travel company so you don’t just have to take my word for it!

So here’s where we stayed and a mini review of each place:

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Baby on seaplane flight over Heart Reef. Start that GBR experience early, I say!

I’ve seen the Great Barrier Reef in lots of different ways – from the air (in a seaplane), from a boat, from an island, on foot (yes!), snorkelling, in a semi-submersible, and of course if I was a little more accomplished I could have also seen it from a dive.

There are lots of ways and places to access the Great Barrier Reef – but here are my tips for getting there with babies and children.

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Small person in a big rainforest

When you think Rainforest then you might immediately conjure up an image that’s more ‘jungle’ than what’s sometimes the case. Now of course parts of the Rainforest in Australia are in the Tropics in Queensland, and it can definitely get quite hot and steamy in there, but you still don’t need to be an intrepid explorer to enjoy them.

Here’s my mini guide to how you can ‘rein in’ the rainforest – and when I say ‘easy’ ways to explore the rainforest I mean ’so easy you can take your baby and small children with you easy’…

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My ideal diet: prawns & bubbles!

I got asked a question this week (thanks Frank!) that I actually get asked all the time… why am I not living in Australia? (given that I am clearly quite taken with the place!). Well the answer is…

… actually there are a few parts to this answer, and in explaining it I’ll showcase exactly why I love Australia.

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Our Cathay Pacific 747 about to depart London

OK, it’s joint first place with Singapore Airlines, but I couldn’t call it! Cathay Pacific were really great to fly with to Australia and the stopover options are really good…

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Just a quick “G’day” from Down Under! Yes I am in Australia. I am ‘loving it’.

Have heaps to tell you soon, but first I need a little bit more sleep (oh, and a cold beer!)…

Quick summary of what’s to come…

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If you are traveling with infants, toddlers or children to Australia, chances are your criteria for choosing a flight are going to be a little bit different to, say, a backpacker. But if you are after the cheapest fare you can get, you might want to have a quick think about what that might mean… a longer stopover en route, a less comfortable airline, a lower standard of facilities on board, less choice of flight times…, etc.

Flying as a family to Australia is no mean feat and it’s a very good idea to book your flight wisely!

Here are my tips…

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The Australian school holidays can mean busy beaches and expensive accommodation…

It’s that time of year again — holiday planning time! With the (freezing where I am!) cold weather upon us, and a year of resolutions to uphold (mine always include travel), January is well known as peak holiday planning time.

Something to consider when planning a trip Down Under is the school holidays in Australia, as like anywhere this will add to road, rail and air traffic, and of course to the price of places to stay.

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Unfortunately the free eye mask doesn’t send your toddler instantly to sleep on long haul flights!

Along with flights to Australia at Christmas, the other questions I get asked a LOT are about travelling long-haul to Australia, and “how to manage the trip (usually meaning ‘how do we survive the flight?’) with babies, toddlers and small people”.

Here are some of the more recent questions, and my answers…

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One of my questions this week (you can ask me anything you like about flights and holidays to Australia here, by the way) was ideas of places to stay in New South Wales with 4—5 hours drive North of Sydney.

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My latest inbox updates, and research, have found some even cheaper flight prices to Australia available to buy now, if you are thinking of taking a trip in 2009.

These low prices are all on quality airlines too – Singapore, Emirates, Malaysian and Qantas – so expect good service, direct routes AND low prices.

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Something new for my wish list on my next visit to Sydney — a trip to Cockatoo Island.

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Australian kids really do get fantastic views from their playgrounds. This one is in Robe, South Australia (that’s me and Alex sitting on the grass).

Being that they live in such a GREAT country, then it’s hardly surprising that a lot of Australians choose to take their holidays ‘at home’. Now this is great for the Aussies, as they are already in my favourite country for a vacation but for the rest of us visiting from overseas, we might like to explore when it’s a bit quieter.

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Just got back from Mauritius…

The sun sets on Turtle Beach at the Maritim Hotel, Mauritius (while I enjoy a piña colada!)

Wish I was still there… although another day longer, and the effect of the all-inclusive delicious food and yummy piña coladas would have meant no doing my jeans up for a while As it is, they are pretty tight!

So while we ‘only’ went to Mauritius on this trip, I know that you can easily incorporate it with a trip to Australia as Air Mauritius have connections through to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. There are some prices here with Austravel from £875 return with the option to stop in Mauritius in both directions.

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Travelling with a baby or toddler to Australia can be fun (honest — it’s not that bad!), and I’ve got some tips we’ve worked out to make it a bit easier. I’ve written about travelling with babies lots before here, here and here for example, but I’ve got a few new hints…

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I received an email the other day, with lots of questions regarding flying with babies (in this case twin five-and-a-half month-old boys!) from Brisbane back to the UK. The questions touched on some subjects I have already written about in past blog postings, but they also raised some new points that I haven’t yet written about, and so I felt I should share these answers in case they help anyone else. When you’ve got a long flight on a plane with a small person to face, sometimes there can never be too much advice!

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Technically, I am not sure Alex is still a ‘baby’, as she is approaching the ‘toddler’ stage, but as she still counts as an infant for a plane fare, and fits into a bassinet, then baby she is for this purpose!

We are flying Singapore Airlines for this trip (to Adelaide, and returning from Melbourne), and while I have said it before, I will say it again… Singapore Airlines are brilliant with infants and children.

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