Sea World Resort and Water Park on the Gold Coast has been repeatedly recognised as one of the prime Australian resorts for families. Being familiar with the resort’s reputation, when I heard about a fantastic deal including theme park tickets and dining discounts I snapped one up. Our vacation at Sea World Resort was a…
Character experiences featured prominently on our recent trip to Queensland’s Gold Coast. Sponge Bob Square Pants was an elusive target that thankfully made an appearance on our last morning at the Sea World Resort. My two year old found Dora the Explorer a little scary but was particularly fond of Boots the monkey. I don’t…
Have you checked out the Family Friendly Accommodation website yet? Melbourne mum Amanda launched the website last year allowing parents to post reviews of family friendly accommodation in Australia and around the world. The most recent post on the site’s blog Family Gathering is by yours truly. On the blog I write about why a…
I really miss my grandma. She died last year, in her nineties. I never lived in the same city as my grandparents however our close relationship was forged during vacations with “Gar and Nandy”, my mother’s parents during my youth. Long languid summers spent with them at their apartment in Burleigh Heads, Christmases in Sydney…
Asthma is a part of our family life, whether we are at home or traveling. My eldest son, who is four years old has required treatment in hospital for his asthma on numerous occasions. It is important that parents who, like us have a child with asthma take steps to protect the health of their…
Think Australia and north America share a common language? Think again. I remember being blown away by the different use of common terms when I moved to the United States in my early twenties. Although I am a dual Australian-USA citizen most of my life has been spent in Australia. Fresh off the plane to…
When traveling with your kids do you seek out accommodation that purposefully caters to the needs of families, or do other features attract you to properties? My own preference is very much for family friendly properties, not just because of the facilities they offer, but because the attitude of staff and patrons is more likely…
Since the recent outbreak of a new strain of avian influenza (bird flu) among humans in China was announced many people are concerned about the risk posed to themselves and their families. As a public health physician and recent traveller to China I thought it important to provide informed advice about the outbreak to other…
What do you think of when you think of Tropical North Queensland? The beach, or the Great Barrier Reef? I think about the rainforest. Tropical North Queensland’s village of Kuranda sits within World Heritage listed rainforest and offers families all manner of opportunity to explore and discover the Wet Tropics together. Getting to…
China’s Heilongjiang Province borders Inner Mongolia to the west and Russia to the north and east. We ventured to Yabuli ski resort in Heliongjiang Province for a family snow holiday. It raised a few eyebrows when I told people we were heading to China for a snow holiday as skiing is more strongly associated…