Australia Island Family Vacation: Reef, Wildlife, and Sydney

Sydney

Progressive Dining Harbour Cruise

Pictured: Sailing on Sydney Harbour

Day 1: Family Harbor City Welcome

Touch down in Sydney, Australia’s favorite family destination blessed with a temperate climate and the world’s most beautiful harbor. Discover colorful colonial history, miles of family-friendly beaches, historic landmarks, and vibrant culture during your leisurely city tour en route to your harbor-front hotel.

Overnight: Sydney (Four Seasons Sydney)

Day 2: Progressive Dining on the Water

Board the luxury cruiser Ocean Blue for a surreal day on Sydney Harbour, with welcome drinks and stunning views of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Your progressive lunch cruise takes you past Woolloomooloo Bay’s naval base, the expensive homes of Double Bay and Point Piper, and through national park islands.

Stop first at the renowned Doyles on the Beach at Watsons Bay for your entrée, then continue to several waterfront restaurants for an unforgettable harbor dining experience.

Overnight: Sydney (Four Seasons Sydney)

Day 3-4: Family Sydney Adventures

These days unfold however your family chooses. Relax on beautiful family-friendly beaches, browse exclusive boutiques, or venture beyond the city to the spectacular Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley wine region. Seaplane rides over Sydney Harbour with exclusive waterfront restaurant lunches offer another memorable family experience.

Overnight: Sydney (Four Seasons Sydney)

Hamilton Island + Great Barrier Reef

Full-Day Sailing Excursion 

Pictured: Whitehaven Beach

Day 5: Island Paradise

Fly to Hamilton Island, your idyllic family escape nestled among the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef’s edge. Pristine white beaches and kaleidoscopic coral gardens create the perfect base for family reef exploration and world-famous Whitehaven Beach adventures that kids will treasure forever.

Overnight: Hamilton Island (Reef View Hotel)

Day 6: Whitehaven Beach and Island Sailing

Board your spacious 20-meter sailing catamaran designed specifically for Whitsunday adventures. This full-day family sailing cruise incorporates two spectacular destinations: Chalkies Beach on Haslewood Island for snorkeling among vibrant coral, and the pristine silica sands of Whitehaven Beach for pure relaxation.

Overnight: Hamilton Island (Reef View Hotel)

Day 7-8: Family Great Barrier Reef Adventures

Hamilton Island offers endless family-friendly reef exploration opportunities. Discover the underwater world through snorkeling and scuba diving, or soar above on helicopter, plane, or hot air balloon rides that will amaze kids and adults alike. Between adventures, families can unwind by the heated infinity pool, on pristine beaches, or with relaxing spa treatments.

Overnight: Hamilton Island (Reef View Hotel)

Adelaide + Kangaroo Island

Wildlife Tour & Sea Lion Encounter | Remarkable Rocks Excursion

Pictured: Kangaroo Island

Day 9-10: South Australia Discovery

Fly to Adelaide, South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital nestled between hills and ocean. This elegant city buzzes with transformation – lively small bars, world-class festivals, and amazing eco-adventures. Soak up colonial elegance in spacious city squares, join locals at bustling Adelaide Central Markets, or take the tram to Glenelg Beach.

Overnight: Adelaide (Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury) | Meals: Lunch

Day 11: Family Wildlife Encounters

Fly to Kangaroo Island where island life moves at its own pace – drivers wave as they pass, sometimes stopping for a chat. Share a cuppa with homemade treats before taking family walks through country tracks where kids will delight in spotting koalas snoozing overhead in tall eucalyptus trees.

Your family bush walk reveals strangely shaped trees, small wallabies nearly extinct on the mainland, and kangaroos found only on this island. Break for a family lunch at a private bush camp featuring King George whiting, fresh salads, and fine South Australian wines. The day culminates at Seal Bay Conservation Park with a private family tour among Australian sea lions on a beautiful sandy beach – a Galapagos-like experience watching pups nurse and play in the surf that children will never forget.

Overnight: Adelaide (Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury) | Meals: Lunch

Day 12: Remarkable Rocks

Venture into Flinders Chase National Park to witness the massive shapes of Remarkable Rocks – natural sculptures perched impossibly atop granite domes plunging into the ocean. After an elegant bush picnic lunch (or clifftop dining if weather permits), return to Adelaide for your final mainland night.

Overnight: Adelaide (Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury) | Meals: Lunch

Port Lincoln

Coffin Bay National Park Wildlife Tour

Pictured: Port Lincoln, South Australia

Day 13: Seafood Capital

Travel to Port Lincoln, the beautiful township overlooking Boston Bay and surrounded by national parks and farming land. For the adventurous, shark cage diving or swimming with Australian sea lions – the playful puppies of the sea – await. As Australia’s “Seafood Capital,” dining ranges from traditional Aussie hotel fare to specialist restaurants and classic fish and chips.

Overnight: Port Lincoln (Port Lincoln Hotel)

Day 14: Coastal Wilderness

Venture into spectacular Coffin Bay National Park for coastal walks breathing fresh ocean air while watching for kangaroos, emus, sea life, reptiles, and diverse birdlife. End your day at Big Swamp, a listed Wetlands of Australian Significance site, where local wines complement the peace and serenity of this pristine region.

Overnight: Port Lincoln (Port Lincoln Hotel)

Day 15: Farewell to the Islands

After breakfast, begin your journey home carrying precious family memories of Australia’s incredible islands – from the Great Barrier Reef’s underwater wonders to the wild beauty of Kangaroo Island.

Overnight: Port Lincoln (Port Lincoln Hotel)