We were about ten minutes from landing in Sydney when our oldest, Easton, grabbed my arm. Out the window, maybe a few hundred feet below us, a humpback whale breached clean out of the water. Just the two of us saw it — the rest of the family was distracted with snacks. We looked at each other and didn’t say anything for a second. We didn’t need to.
Australia had already started.
This trip had been on our list for a while. Traveling to Australia with kids had always felt like a big undertaking — the distance, the planning, the long haul flights. But the landscapes, the wildlife found nowhere else on earth, the Indigenous culture, the food scene — there was so much pulling us there. But if we’re being honest, what finally tipped the scales was a koala obsession. Our kids had worked their way through every episode of Izzy’s Koala World and seeing one in real life had become non-negotiable. So we booked the flights, packed our bags, and headed somewhere that ended up exceeding every expectation we had.
It also ended up being the trip that started all of this. Two Dads, No Map didn’t exist before Australia. Somewhere between Sydney and Brisbane and Cairns, the idea went from something we’d talked about to something we knew we were going to do. This is where the journey began a year ago — so it felt right to write about it first.
Australia with Kids — How We Did It
We flew from Kauai to Honolulu the day before and spent the night there — a quiet hotel swim and an early bedtime, because we had a 5am shuttle to catch for our direct 10.5-hour flight to Sydney. Easton, who could tell you the aircraft type, seat configuration, and airline history of almost any flight we’ve ever taken, had been looking forward to flying a wide-body jet — two aisles, overhead bins on both sides, the whole experience. It did not disappoint him.
Three weeks, three cities. We used Sydney as our base for the first week, then spent a week in Brisbane, followed by a week in Cairns up north. Each city offered something completely different, and together they gave us a real feel for how varied this country actually is. We came home feeling like we’d genuinely experienced Australia — not just passed through it.
Dive into each city below:
→ One Week in Sydney with Kids — What We Actually Did and What We’d Skip
The Moments That Stayed With Us
Our youngest, Milo, is an animal kid through and through. He always has been. But watching him meet a koala for the first time — this animal he’d only ever seen on a screen — was something else entirely. Zero hesitation, complete wonder, giant smile. Easton is more of a transportation and adventure kid, so his highlights looked different: the wide-body flight, catching the train into the Sydney city center for the first time and watching the skyline appear out the window of a kid who just came from a small island where that kind of scale just doesn’t exist.
Milo Feeding a Bird
Easton Loving Trains
Traveling as an LGBTQ Family
Australia legalized same-sex marriage in December 2017, and that legal foundation shows up in how the country actually feels on the ground. It consistently ranks among the top LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations in the world, and in our experience that reputation is well earned. LGBTQ inclusion didn’t feel like an afterthought in Australia — it felt integral to everyday life.
Sydney was where we felt it most visible — pride flags flew openly throughout the city, something that still puts me at ease no matter where in the world I see them. Sydney hosted WorldPride in 2023 and has a long, proud history of LGBTQ culture that you can feel just walking around. That ease carried through every city — Brisbane and Cairns felt equally welcoming in their own quieter ways.
Coogee Beach Rainbow
Stairs in Brisbane
The moment that stayed with us most was a brief one. In Brisbane we crossed paths with another two-dad family traveling from Europe with their kids. We chatted for a while, exchanged numbers in case our paths ever cross again. It was a small moment but a meaningful one. There’s something about meeting a family like yours on the other side of the world that makes you feel less alone in a way that’s hard to explain.
As two dads traveling with young kids, what we’re really looking for in any destination isn’t a scene — it’s the ability to just exist. To be called dads by a stranger without a second thought. To not feel watched or uncomfortable. Australia gave us that completely and effortlessly.
Eating Vegan in Australia
We were pleasantly surprised, and then we were just delighted. Australia — especially Sydney and Brisbane — has a thriving plant-based food scene with dedicated vegan restaurants, excellent grocery options, and staff who understood and accommodated our diet. We only wished we had more time in both cities to work through our restaurant lists.
Cairns had fewer options, so we cooked in more often there, which honestly wasn’t a hardship given the kitchens in our accommodations. And while we were there we discovered vegan Biscoff frozen yogurt. The kids were obsessed. We may have had it more times than we’re prepared to admit publicly, and we may still think about it.
One thing we noticed: the packaged vegan food in Australian grocery stores had noticeably fewer preservatives than what we’re used to at home, and the taste reflected that. It felt cleaner. We also tried to shop organic where we could — though organic options were harder to find.
→ Full Sydney Vegan Restaurant Guide
The Budget
Australia felt genuinely affordable — especially compared to Hawaii, which is admittedly a high bar. The exchange rate worked in our favor at roughly 60 US cents to the Australian dollar, which made dining out, activities, and groceries feel like a real bargain. Coffee especially.
The biggest budget items were flights and accommodations. We flew Jetstar to Sydney and between cities — note that they no longer operate out of Honolulu as of our last research, so check current routes before planning. Jetstar is Qantas’s budget airline and we found it comfortable with no issues. For accommodations, we deliberately chose apartment-style hotels with at least one bedroom, a pull-out sofa, and a kitchen.
Brisbane had two full bedrooms. Having a kitchen in each place helped us manage costs and keep our vegan eating on track, but it also gave us something less obvious and equally important: a place to decompress. After long days of exploring with kids, being able to put them to bed and sit in a separate room to watch something, plan the next day, or just breathe — that’s worth paying attention to when you book. Apartment hotels are common and similarly priced to standard hotels throughout Australia. We’d strongly recommend that setup for any family doing a trip this length.
Beyond the Cities
Three weeks gave us room to get outside the urban areas and into some experiences that became highlights of the whole trip. A day on Green Island off the coast of Cairns, and time up Tamborine Mountain and along the Gold Coast — both very different in feel and both completely worth it.
→ Green Island with Kids — A Day on the Great Barrier Reef
Ferry to Green Island
Gold Coast – Surfers Paradise
Before You Go
A few practical things we wish we’d known or would tell another family planning this trip:
Time of year: Australia’s seasons are flipped from ours. We traveled in their winter, which made Sydney cooler than we expected — layers were necessary, and the wind caught us off guard. If we could do it again we’d pack gloves, which sounds ridiculous coming from a family that lives in Hawaii, but Sydney in July will humble you. Brisbane and Cairns up north were beautiful and warm. If you’re coming from somewhere tropical and want to stay comfortable, heading north is the right call.
How long you need: We’d recommend a minimum of one week per city if you’re traveling from far away. The jet lag is real, and you need a few days just to settle in before you can really enjoy a place.
Visa: Yes, you need one — but it’s easy to sort out in advance via the Australian ETA mobile app. Don’t wait until the last minute, but don’t stress about it either.
Food for the flight: If you’re vegan, pack more snacks than you think you need. The flights had options but they were limited, and smaller airports — including those in Hawaii — can be even more sparse. We came prepared and were glad we did.
Driving: If you’re renting a car like we did in Brisbane and Cairns, keep in mind that the driver’s seat is on the right side and Australians drive on the left side of the road. Even knowing this going in, I still walked to the wrong side of the car the first few days. And coming home to Hawaii, driving on the right side felt briefly strange all over again — which we did not expect.
Would We Go Back?
We asked the kids this when we got home. They answered before we finished the question. YES.
There’s still so much of Australia we want to see. Melbourne — widely considered the vegan capital of Australia — is high on the list. So is Tasmania, and Perth. We skipped those this time partly because we didn’t want to deal with cooler weather and partly because we didn’t want to stretch ourselves too thin. Heading north felt right for this trip, and it was.
An Australia and New Zealand combo trip is firmly in the dream pile. One day.
For now — we hope this helps you start planning yours. We’ll be publishing detailed posts from each part of this trip over the coming weeks — check back soon. Or if you don’t want to miss anything, follow along as we keep going — new trips, honest guides, and the occasional “we can’t believe we found that” food moment. We’d love to have you on our email list.
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