Planning your trip with kids — start here
We drove around Australia in 2006 with two other families and eight kids between us. What we learned on that trip — and the 30,000km we've covered every year since — is that travelling Australia with children isn't just possible, it's one of the best things you can do for your family. But it takes a different kind of planning.
This guide covers everything we wished we'd known before we left.
Before you leave home
Involve the kids in the planning
Kids who help choose the route are kids who are invested in the trip. Spread a map on the floor and let them pick two or three must-see places. It gives them ownership — and something to look forward to when the novelty of the road wears off around day four.
Pack their bag, not yours
From about age six, kids can pack and carry their own backpack. Give them a list and let them decide. They learn responsibility, and if they forget something they care about, that's a lesson worth having once.
School on the road
If you're travelling for more than a few weeks during school term, contact your state education department about Distance Education or a Leave of Absence. Most schools are supportive of extended travel — the real-world learning that happens on a lap of Australia is genuinely irreplaceable. Keep a simple travel journal going with the kids and that covers a surprising amount of curriculum.
Health and medications
Visit your GP before departure. Stock a proper first aid kit — not a token one. Include any prescription medications with extra supply, antihistamines, rehydration sachets, antiseptic, quality bandages and a good thermometer. Remote areas can be hours from the nearest clinic.
On the road
Managing long driving days
The golden rule: never drive more than four to five hours with kids in the car before a proper break. Not a servo stop — a real break where they can run around. We aim for a maximum of 400km on driving days when the kids were young. The trip takes longer. It's worth it.
Break the drive up with purpose. "We'll stop at the lookout and you can use the binoculars" is more compelling than "we'll stop when I feel like it."
In-car entertainment
Download everything before you leave. Outback Australia has long stretches with no mobile signal. Load tablets with movies, audiobooks, podcasts and games. Rotate access — don't hand screens over the moment you leave the driveway or you'll run out of ammunition fast.
Old-school car games are still brilliant: number plate bingo, I Spy (outback edition — spot a wedge-tail eagle, a road train, a dry creek bed), twenty questions. These work better than screens for keeping kids alert and engaged with the landscape.
Sleeping arrangements
Kids sleep better with routine even on the road. Same bedtime, same wind-down process wherever possible. A familiar pillowcase or stuffed animal matters more than you'd think. In a caravan, assign each child their own bunk space for the whole trip — a little territory goes a long way.
Food and snacks
Hungry kids are difficult kids. Keep a snack box accessible in the car — fruit, crackers, nuts, muesli bars. Set snack times and stick to them rather than making food a boredom fix.
Cooking camp oven meals together at the end of the day is one of the best parts of outback travel with kids. Give them a job — stoking the fire, measuring ingredients, stirring the pot. They eat better when they've helped cook.
Campsite life
Setting up a safe camp
As soon as you arrive at a new camp, walk the perimeter with the kids. Point out hazards — fire pit locations, the drop toilet, any water hazards, boundaries they shouldn't cross without an adult. Make it a routine and they'll start doing it automatically.
Keeping kids busy at camp
Collect firewood, build a dam in the creek, catch yabbies, identify birds, build a cubby from fallen branches. Bring a basic nature identification book — birds, reptiles, wildflowers — and make it a game to find and tick off species.
A cheap fishing rod transforms a campsite stop into an adventure. Even if they catch nothing, kids who fish are kids who are happy to stay put for hours.
Sun, heat and flies
Outback sun is brutal. Hats, SPF50+ sunscreen and long sleeves for midday are non-negotiable. Flies are relentless in certain seasons — kids find them harder to deal with than adults. Bring fly nets for hats and use insect repellent consistently. In extreme heat, plan activities for early morning and late afternoon only.
Safety in remote areas
Tell someone your plan
Always leave a detailed itinerary with someone at home — route, expected check-in dates, what to do if they don't hear from you. In genuinely remote areas, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is essential. They're not expensive and they save lives.
Water and heat safety
Kids dehydrate faster than adults and often don't recognise their own thirst. Enforce regular water drinking especially in heat. Dark urine is your early warning. Carry significantly more water than you think you need — see our water sourcing guide for outback water management.
Wildlife awareness
Teach kids to shake out shoes and clothes before putting them on — not optional in outback Australia. Never put hands into logs, rocks or holes. Keep a torch handy at night. Snakes are rarely aggressive if left alone; the risk is a child who doesn't see one and steps on it.
The honest truth about travelling with kids
Some days are hard. Someone will have a meltdown in the middle of nowhere. Someone will get sick at the worst possible time. This is normal. Push through it.
What you get in return is children who are adaptable, resourceful and curious. Kids who have done a lap of Australia are different kids. They've seen their country, they understand distance and landscape in their bones, and they know their family can handle whatever comes up. It's worth every difficult day.
