Our Long-Awaited Family Trip to Australia

In December 2025, we finally did it. We took that big family trip to Australia we’d been talking about for years and years, usually starting with “one day, when the kids are older…”

My brother has lived in Australia for 25 years. I’ve visited lots of times over the years and even lived there briefly myself, but somehow we’d never made the journey as a full family. Now that the kids are 6 and 5 (with our youngest actually turning 5 while we were there), it finally felt like the right moment.

The Trip That Almost Was

This trip has been a long time coming. We were actually meant to go back in March 2020, when our oldest was just 9 months old. My brother had never met him, and we were so excited.

To make it even better, a friend who works as cabin crew had managed to swap her shift to be on our flight and surprised us with an upgrade to business class. Yes. Business class. With a baby. I still think about that sometimes.

Then, the week we were meant to fly, the first COVID lockdown happened. The trip was cancelled, and with it went what was probably my one and only chance to fly business class. But that’s life, isn’t it?

The Flight: Better Than Expected

Fast forward to December 2025, and we were… nervous. Really nervous. How would the kids cope with such a long flight? Would they get restless? Would they sleep? Would my son, who can be particularly boisterous, completely lose the plot at 35,000 feet?

As it turns out, we were incredibly lucky. My kids love two things above all else: snacks and TV. They’d become obsessed with Bluey towards the end of last year, and honestly, that alone carried us a long way.

They watched TV, played games, ate snacks, and—miraculously—even slept when we asked them to. Apart from a few dramatic “your foot is on me” and “your leg is touching me” moments (which were swiftly dealt with), everyone managed to get at least a bit of sleep.

We flew Emirates from Edinburgh to Dubai, then on to Sydney, and they were fantastic with the kids. They brought around little activity packs with drawing materials, puzzles, and pencils, and at one point they even came round with instant cameras taking photos. The kids absolutely loved that.

One thing I’d do differently next time: we took a nighttime flight to Dubai thinking it would help the kids sleep. In reality, the 7-hour leg was filled with excitement over all the new entertainment, and then we had to wake them up basically in the middle of their night to transfer to the 14-and-a-half-hour second leg. In hindsight, a daytime flight to Dubai makes much more sense—let them burn off the excitement early, then hopefully sleep on the long stretch.

The only real disappointment was the kids’ meals. My two aren’t fussy eaters at all, but the food just wasn’t very appealing. They mostly ate the bread rolls and cheese and skipped the mains, even though they were things like pasta bolognese that they’d normally demolish. But it’s airplane food—what can you expect? Luckily, we’d packed plenty of snacks, and there were yogurts and crackers available too.

Arriving in Sydney

My brother picked us up and drove us to his home in Little Bay, just outside Sydney in New South Wales. It was my first time seeing his house, and my first time back in Australia in 11 years.

There’s something about landing in Sydney that has always felt like coming home to me. I know that sounds strange, because it isn’t home, but it’s always felt like somewhere I was meant to be. That feeling was still there when I stepped off the plane—though I do wish it wasn’t quite so far away.

The first day was spent fighting jet lag and trying to stay awake. There was lots of catching up, and the kids very quickly discovered that my brother has a pool, which instantly became their favourite place on earth. Early December in New South Wales means temperatures anywhere between 20 and 35 degrees, and the weather was absolutely beautiful.

Taronga Zoo

One of our first big outings was to Taronga Zoo. Getting there is surprisingly easy now that Sydney has a tram system (a massive improvement from the bus-heavy public transport I remembered). We took a bus to a tram stop, then the tram to Circular Quay, and from there hopped on a ferry to the zoo.

Top tip: buy your tickets online. They’re cheaper than at the door, and booking ahead saved us a bit.

The ferry ride alone felt like an adventure. The kids were running around asking endless questions about the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. That’s how I know they’re really engaged—when the questions don’t stop.

Taronga Zoo itself is spectacular. Set on a cliffside with incredible views, it feels really immersive. The tiger enclosure was a highlight. It’s set up like you’re in India, complete with an old safari jeep inside the enclosure. The kids can climb into the jeep while the tigers lounge on top of it, separated by a glass pane. My kids thought this was the best thing ever.

It’s a big zoo, and getting around takes time. If it’s particularly warm or your kids are very little, I’d recommend either going on a cooler day or bringing buggies. We focused on the animals the kids were most excited about—Australian animals, koalas, kangaroos, and especially the dingoes.

We caught a dingo talk from one of the keepers, and it was absolutely fascinating. I learned so much. I’d highly recommend Taronga Zoo if you get the chance.

The Australian Museum

We also visited the Australian Museum in Sydney city centre. They had a Lego display on that we paid extra for, and it was completely worth it. It was set up like a treasure hunt, with Lego builds hidden throughout the museum—inside old speedboats, a piano, even a fridge.

The kids loved it, and at the end there was a section where they could sit and play with Lego while we adults could actually sit down for once. The café had decent coffee too, which is always a win. Being right in the city centre made it really easy to get to and turn into a full day out if you wanted.

Beach Days

We visited several beaches during our stay. First up was Coogee Beach, mainly for nostalgic reasons, as I used to live nearby. It was absolutely packed—even on a Tuesday—but it was the nicest day of the week, and lots of people were clearly on holiday.

The waves were big and choppy, but the kids absolutely loved running into them with their dad. Next to Coogee Beach is Coogee Pavilion. Upstairs there are some fancier restaurants, but downstairs there’s a more family-friendly space with a big kids’ area at the back. This includes a little soft play area with a small house, Duplo sections, and a climbing area—perfect for getting the kids out of the sun for a bit.

Coogee has so much going on. Tons of restaurants, cafés, bars, and a couple of parks just behind the schools. It feels very lived-in as well as touristy. We even stumbled across a little hidden square just off Coogee Bay Road with a Mexican restaurant called Beach Burrito. They do a happy hour with $5 tacos. I wasn’t expecting much, but they were delicious, and the place was brilliant with kids—card games, drawing stuff, and a very relaxed vibe.

My favourite beach, though, was Little Bay Beach. It’s a gorgeous little cove you reach by walking down a whole lot of stairs (so maybe not the most accessible if you have mobility issues). There are rock pools to explore, a lovely stretch of beach, and if you climb over some rocks, another beach beyond.

It wasn’t as busy as Coogee and just felt calmer and more holiday-like. At the top of the stairs there’s a coffee van, and it’s right next to a golf course where you can eat in the restaurant without being a member. The food was great and reasonably priced too.

The Coogee to Bondi Walk

We attempted the famous Coogee to Bondi coastal walk, though with a 6-year-old and a 5-year-old, we only managed part of it before heading back. In pre-kid days, we used to walk all the way to Bondi and get the bus back, which is definitely preferable to retracing your steps.

One of the most overwhelming moments of our trip was being there during the Bondi shootings. It happened at 6:30 in the evening, the day before we’d planned to do the walk. My brother lives not far from Bondi, and it was frightening to be so close to it—especially in a country like Australia, where you don’t expect something like that. It was really tragic.

We did still do part of the walk the next day. We were nervous, but we only had so many days left, and I really wanted to show the kids Gordon’s Bay. My other brother is called Gordon, and it’s my favourite beach in that area. There’s nothing particularly special about it—it’s quite a rough little beach with rowboats on the shore—but it’s my favourite spot for taking photos.

Berry and Jamberoo

We spent a few days in a house near Berry, down the coast in beautiful farmland. The house was huge—easily big enough for our two families (eight people total), and it could have comfortably fit twelve.

The town of Berry gave me major New England, Cape Cod vibes, even though I’ve never actually been to Cape Cod. The nearby coastline is absolutely stunning.

On the way back, we stopped at Jamberoo Waterpark, and the kids absolutely loved it. My eldest could go on most of the rides, while my youngest was perfectly happy pottering around the smaller areas and going down the gentler slides.

It’s very expensive, I won’t lie, but the kids had such a good time. We made a full day of it and even got a cabana, though in hindsight you probably don’t need one if you’re moving around a lot. There are lockers, restaurants, ice cream shops, and loads for kids under five.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. The kids had an absolute ball. We had… somewhat of a ball. It definitely wasn’t restful, but trips with young children never are, are they?

For the next Aussie trip, we’d probably spend more time right by the beach and still travel around a bit. I’d love to show the kids Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and maybe Fraser Island. And we’d definitely choose a daytime flight to Dubai instead of a nighttime one.

But the most important thing? The kids had a great time.

And really, that’s the whole point.