Australian Road Trip 2011

We did our first full on road trip this year. We covered over 3, 400 kilometers over a two week period! Best family holiday we’ve had yet. Below is a map of our travels.  I’ll be updating this page with many other links and tips for driving holidays so come visit again soon.

{click picture to enlarge}

{Australian road trip in pictures}

L to R:

1. Brisbane, QLD

2. Coffs Harbour, NSW

3. Fredos Pies, Frederickton, NSW

4. Sydney, NSW

5. Moruya, NSW

6. Mogo Zoo, Mogo, NSW

7. Broulee, NSW

8.  Hanging Mountain, Wamban, NSW

9. Bodalla, NSW

10. Nerrigundah Gold Mine, Nerrigundah, NSW

11. Central Tilba, NSW

12. Mystery Bay, NSW

13. Bega, NSW

14. Snowy Mountains, NSW

15. Telstra Tower, Canberra, ACT

16. The Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, ACT

17. Australian War Memorial Museum, Canberra, ACT

18. The Dish, Parkes, NSW

19. Warrumbungle Observatory, NSW

20. Gunnedah, NSW

21. Bald Rock National Park, NSW

22. Stanthorpe, QLD

23. Toowoomba, QLD

24. Brisbane, QLD

Favourites Places

I loved every place we visited but there were a few highlights for me.

Moruya

Moruya is not a big town but it served as a great base point that enabled us to do day trips to places like Broulee, Central Tilba, Mystery Bay, Hanging Mountain, Mogo Zoo and Nerrigundah Gold Mine.

{Moruya sunset}

Central Tilba

I adored Central Tilba. It was a quite little place, with a village feel and a street full of cute shops. Central Tilba is tucked up between mountainous terrain, yet only 10 minutes from the beach, so for me, it holds every charm possible.

{Central Tilba: Image from here)

The Snowy Mountains

We only spent one day in the snow, but what a blast! Such a unique experience for us Queensanders! We didn’t ski but we did toboggan and make snowmen on the snow play area (which is free).

{Perisher Blue, Snowy Mountains}

Canberra — Black Mountain (Telstra) Tower

I wish we could have explored Canberra a little more. There are a lot of interesting things to do and museums to see. We had fun at the Black Mountain (Telstra) Tower. It was really windy and the kids had a blast. Lovely views.

{windy at the Black Mountain Tower, Canberra}

Warrumbungle Observatory

Peter Starr (very appropriate last name) runs a small observatory called Warrumbungle Observatory. He was FANTASIC! What we saw through the telescope lens was astounding!  I’m saying to everyone who reads this: put this on your things to do.  Such an amazing experience!  Peter even let us attach our camera to the telescope so we could get the pictures below. It turned out to be a very affordable night-time activity to do with the children.

{Eta Carinae}

{Omega Centauri}

{The Jewel Box}

We spent so much time together, in the car and out and about.  We came home closer, and are even more determined to invest in our family unit as we have adventures together. Can’t wait for our next driving holiday.

Other Relevant Links

How to Save Money on a Family Holiday

Take a walk down memory lane

Planning a family holiday

Entertaining Kids when Travelling

Holiday Packing Lists