Travel guide Western Australia for Family Friendly

  There’s an old saying that 'good things come in small packages' and when you look at the humble size of Balingup’s population, you can rest assured it’s all good. This delightful rural town in the southwestern part of Western Australia is a rare gem, filled with friendly people, fun-filled festivals and events, and beautiful scenery.   Situated on the edge of Balingup Brook, close to the Margaret River, the town is a part of the world famous Bibbulmun Track, where you can pack your bags and trek for weeks between Kalamunda and Albany. If you prefer to stay closer to town, there are plenty of festivities, ranging from the annual Small Farm Field Day in April, to a Medieval Carnival in August and the Bibbulmun Track outdoor concert in November. But even if yo... Read more

A recent visitor to the area referred to the town as “Pamperton” and for those who enjoy the finer things in life, like wine, art, spas, and gourmet food, a trip to Pemberton is a dream. Yet for those who prefer simple pleasures, like a walk through a forest, throwing a fishing line or swimming in a dam, Pemberton is a relaxing yet exhilarating break. Located in a region of Western Australia known as the South West, Pemberton is a delightful town close to the Margaret River. Like many towns in this region, it has gone through a series of changes, having first been settled as an agricultural town. Later, it became known for its timber, while today tourism and wine are its lifeblood.      Things to do:   Indulge:  Local spas offer relaxing treatments ... Read more

 If you’ve ever watched the classic Aussie movie The Man From Snowy River, you may have found yourself longing to grab a horse and head out on an equine adventure.  When we dig deeper into Australia’s great movie vault, we discover many films featuring horse riding throughout the country. While for many films, this is logical given they are period pieces, the reality of our vast, ever-changing landscapes simply make horse riding a fun thing to do in this country. This is why, whether you are a complete novice or ride horses on a regular basis, you might want to consider including a ride into the sunset on your next holiday break.  New to horse riding? Before you book yourself on a week-long horse riding excursion in the Snowy Mountains, it’s importan... Read more

Sometimes, the name of a place does not do it justice. For example, when a person hears ‘Green Head’ do they immediately conjure up images of wildflowers, beaches, and sea lions? Are they likely to imagine surfing, bush walking and snorkelling? Probably not. But one small area of Green Head that does have a worthy name is ‘Dynamite Bay’. Perhaps this would be a better name for this gorgeous town on the Coral Coast of Western Australia because Green Head really is a dynamite place to visit.   Only a short drive from such wonders as The Pinnacles, and with local reefs perfect for snorkelling and diving, as well as an abundance of delicious fresh seafood like rock lobsters waiting in the ocean, Green Head truly is paradise. There is so much for water enthusiasts... Read more

Undertaking a four month journey around Australia with two young girls requires careful planning and preparation. Our WAECO Products have made our camping life much more enjoyable. CoolFreeze CF-80 The most essential item is our CF-80 fridge/freezer. The biggest benefit of the CF-80 is the ability to combine a fridge and freezer in one unit. Having a freezer has enabled us to stock up on meat and other frozen products on special saving us a great deal of money. With the children, it has also meant we can carry food items that can be prepared quickly to satisfy hungry tummies.   The large 80 litre capacity has enabled us to carry a huge range of foods and drinks such as frozen meat, ice creams, ice cubes, juice, margarine, deli meats, left-overs, beer and wine, all at appropriate t... Read more

Asus Eee PC 1005HA-H Seashell Review Reviewed 4-18th November 2009   The Asus Eee PC 1005HA-H Seashell is the perfect little laptop to take on your next family holiday. It is small, lightweight, yet still able to complete all of the holiday tasks while you are away.   The Eee PC is great for viewing those holiday snaps at the end of the day with the 10.1" LED screen and MMC/SD (SDHC) card reader (the memory card from your camera). You can delete the ones the kids took of the ground and the back of each other's heads (!) and transfer the rest onto the 250GB hard drive (yes, that'll hold a lot of photos) ready for the next day's adventures. The long battery life of this fantastic netbook is also a winner while on holidays. As I write, the battery is at 96% capacity wit... Read more

This is a travel version of the popular Smart Ass board game and is perfect for taking on car trips to keep the kids happy. It comes in a colourful and durable tin and has 200 cards, split between the four categories… Who am I, What am I, Where am I and Smart Ass. We took the game on a teambuilding weekend and it was the perfect way to relax after dinner on the first night and get everyone talking and laughing. The beauty of this version is the compact size and as there is no game board, you don’t even need a table to play. The winner is the first person to collect 4 cards. It is easy to play – one person reads out the questions (perfect for kids, who probably won’t know the majority of the answers) and the other members of the group call out their answer. If... Read more

Here are the 2009 state winners for the leading holiday rentals across Australia, with guests rating their favourite hotels, motels, hostels, B&Bs and accommodation parks.    TakeABreak.com.au, Australia’s only independent boutique accommodation website, presents the “Best Places to Stay” awards for the tourism industry, which recognise outstanding service in specialist segment categories.    State winners were selected via an exhaustive process from over 13,000 properties in 1400 localities and 39 accommodation types. National winners were announced in November.   18 categories were judged in total with winners awarded in segments such as Beach, Budget, Eco-friendly, Gro... Read more

Best Aussie Adventures Where do you think is the best adventure holiday destination in Australia? The 2009 votes are still being counted to find the best place to take yourself and your friends, partner or family on an adventure holiday. Where are the best places to go, things to do and things to see? TakeABreak.com.au, Australia’s only independent holiday rental website, has initiated a first time ‘Best Places to Stay’ award for Australian destinations, which recognises towns and cities that have outstanding facilities in specialist segment categories. Winners will be voted on by the public with 8 categories presenting finalists across each state. Just some of the TakeABreak Adventure Destination finalists… Freycinet P... Read more

The bronzed Aussie with a nose covered in zinc cream, a surfboard, and big happy grin is a stereotype held by many people throughout the world. The bronzed part is easy enough – even with sunblock, t-shirts, and hats, lovely tans are hard to avoid given our abundance of sunshine. The zinc cream is our way of saying, “Hey – it’s cool to be sun-safe – protect yourself!” The surfboard (or fishing rods, scuba gear etc) is because there are so many adventures to be had at each of our beaches. And the big happy grin? Hey – when you have thousands of kilometres of coastline, you just can’t stop smiling. For this reason, Australia welcomes millions of visitors to our shores, all hoping to catch a taste of the Aussie life, even if only for a week. ... Read more