Growing up I had some pretty exciting holiday destinations - Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong, Amsterdam - as we lived in England twice. But when we were living in Australia we always headed up north for our holidays and those are the memories I really have. Bribie Island and Byron Bay were our regular places and I have such funny memories of loading up the volvo and listening to my parents music choices - my Dad had loads of Beach Boys cassettes (cassettes! I almost wrote CD's then!), my mum had Edith Piaf, we had walkmans that worked until the batteries ran out and we used to dream of what it would be like to watch movies in the car!
My sister, brother and I were squished in the back and no one wanted to sit next to my brother because he had such a heavy head that would fall on you. We used to get carsick and whinge and whine and I can imagine it was the highlight of the year for my parents doing that big drive. Did you guess that I'm the one in the hat and floaties - this is a good one, there are some shockers where my mum has me in a teeny tiny bikini with rolls of fat hanging out!
And now I'm the parent but thank goodness we have a big van and everyone has lots of room now. And it's my turn to organise a little getaway as retro daddy is finally getting a bit time off. It's been a long time coming. The last time we went away was down to country Victoria for uncle Andrew's wedding so it's time to go somewhere warm and sunny.
We've decided on Noosa, accommodation is almost sorted and I want to know your top tips! Where to eat, where to shop, which way should we drive - New England Highway or Pacific Highway, long car ride tips? We learnt the hard way when we flew to melbourne one year that trying to get hire cars with 50 million carseats and minivans as taxi's is not the economical way to travel. I really just want to be able to load up the van and get going.
So give me your best tips........I got so many on Facebook that I know you'll have plenty to give me. And do you have holiday memories like mine - cassettes, walkmans and long car rides!!! Ahhhh those memories.
Hello, I have only recently found your blog and I love seeing the photos of all your little ones. I remember once when my twins were about 3, one of them went to get out of our van in town (we had a big day on) and he had two left shoes on! Same style, but both left feet - this can happen with twins. No trouble I thought, I will just swap one with the other fellow. You guessed it - he wore a different pair that day. Do poor Dan had to cope with two left shoes all day.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the travel, and for my money I would always choose the HE hwy over the Pacific, but why not go one way and back the other and see twice as much.
Have fun.
Sorry, didn't mean to send that comment twice. If I knew how to delete one of them I would.
ReplyDeleteHave a great holiday.
Jen from IHeartOrganizing has some tips on her blod todat that might help a bit and a great printable package-especially good for Keira and the twins could play the bingo!
ReplyDeleteWe drove 7hrs to Adelaide, stayed overnight, had a ultrasounf appt for DD then a Dora concert to attend, then we left from there and drove to the Gold Coast across the Hay Plain and up through the mountains-took 26hrs from Adelaide. DD was 3.5 years. She did not whinge ONCE-we stopped for toilet breaks and meals. We would buy our food then head to a playground and let her run around for a while then head off again. She had a dvd player, cds, magnadoodle, books, little toys (like ponyville etc) and colouring stuff and stickers. She also ha d acamera and took lots of random photos. We left at 5pm and drove through the night which I think helped because it basically halved the trip for her!
WE ARE ON THE SUNSHINE COAST !!!! Did i just shout ??? well just ask away ! Noosa is gorgeous this time of the year, the kids will love it , Don't forget to wave as you go by we are at Bli Bli which is not as out in the sticks as it sounds, just nrth Maroochydore. I think u will love Hastings Street but we particularly love the Noosa River and all it have to offer for kids, good bike paths and parks , lovely pelicans to feed and of course bbq areas. Have a great time getting here , will get my Amber to do a sundance for you x
ReplyDeleteps dont forget to visit Eumundi markets open Sat or even Wed 20 mins i reckon from Noosa
ReplyDeleteFood!!! Find three things game - must be things that can be seen within your children's concentration time and out of a car window. You will never see a dog! I've heard of the reverse psychology rewards where each child gets a packet of snakes but only when they arrive at the destination. Each time they push the boundaries too far one of their snakes goes out the window. Works for some but seems too harsh for me. Regular stops and a good long run around in a park and FOOD. All the best. Cherrie
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great holiday to be had.... When traveling with my tribe I would always buy a new movie for the kids to watch. I always take all our drinks, snacks, drawing material and I would pack breakfast as we often left very early, we would dress the kids in something super comfy the night before and just pick them up out of bed and straight to the car seat, they would always go back to sleep, we would get as much driving as possible done and then stop for breakfast and let the kids have a run around and play. We alway would drive the new England as it is a much nicer trip but the last few times we have driven the pacific as is is quicker .... Have a great time xxx
ReplyDeleteNew England highway for sure! I am pretty sure there are still road works for a large part of the Pacific Highway.
ReplyDeleteHave fun on the Sunshine Coast. Noosa is lovely.
When we traveled between Mount Gambier to Melbourne when our girls were small we used to leave early, I mean really early, 3 or 4 in the morning, they would sleep for the first part of the journey and then we would stop for breakfast and it was a lot easier on the kids.
ReplyDeleteEumundi Markets are great, they are Wednesday and Saturday...Underwater World at Mooloolaba. We live not far from the Sunny Coast and it is great for a drive or a close weekend away!
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with Amy Rea - definitely pacific highway. I grew up driving the NE highway from Brisbane to Gosford as it was quieter and the pacific highway was dangerous and windy. Well, throughout the noughties there was lots of work on the PH and a large part of it is dual carriageway. On a whim a couple of years ago I drove the NE Hwy - OMG it was HORRID. Compared with the new PHwy, the NE Hwy is windy, single laned and slow. The PH has a slump in the northern rivers region, but improves around Byron and you can now get from Brisbane to byron in just a shave under two hours! Unheard of! When I was growing up it was 3+ hours.
ReplyDeleteWe now live in northern NSW and travel back to Sydney a lot to see family. Six of one half a dozen of the other for the New England and Pacific Highway both could do with a lot of work, don't drive on either at night the trucks are a law unto themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest tip would be to pack food. There are only fast food outlets and they don't really appeal to us. There are lots of rest places if you pack your own food. There is nothing worse than going into a service centre type place because the kids want to play not eat then they get back in the car and are hungry five minutes out or feel sick!!!
Take lots of breaks and take care on the roads.
ha snap corrie, we are doing Noosa holiday soon although we are in melbourne so will be flyin. we plan a trip to the Eumundi markets, Australia Zoo, a national park, perhaps a bit of strawberry picking and heaps of lazying about the resort pool! But i remember many a car trip and me and my brother would sing songs, draw, do puzzle books and then the general crazy antics that are almost essential on all trips. i think i was the one that constantly said I had to go to the toilet about 100 times....yes now as the parent karma comes back hey! have fun and good luck xx
ReplyDeleteHooray for holidays! We've done quite a few road trips over the past few years with the kids. I agree it's much easier to load up your car and drive somewhere than fly and hire a car with 3 (or in your case, 5) car seats. Our longest road trip with kids, so far, was Melbourne to Byron bay when the twins were 22 months old. Let's just say that the drive was character building. It was fine once we got there. I wrote down some tips here http://sevendoggydog.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/unsolicited-advice.html
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'd add is that someone WILL vomit and/or have a poo explosion during the trip. Have a supply of rags, cloth nappies, wipes etc and plastic bags, changes of clothes for everyone in an accessible bag and put an old towel on the floor (at the start of the trip) so you don't have to clean spills/vomit/poo out of the carpet later on.
We did the trip last December from Newcastle with our 3 boys. We started and had dinner on the road about 2 hours into the trip. We then travelled until about midnight and stayed the night. Then a quick breakfast in the morning and hit the road again by 7am. We had a stop at Ballina then we went non stop past Brisbane. Once you get past Brunswick Heads we found there isn't many stops for a couple of hours unless you want a big detour from the highway. We went the Pacific Highway and it was quick and easy. We purchased our first DVD player for the car (I said I would never have one) but it was fantastic we brought it out at Tweed Heads and it gave the kids that bit of entertainment to get us thru to the next pit stop.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip.. I didn't want to leave!!!
We live in Brisbane but my family are all in Adelaide, so we make the long trip via car, for the same reasons you are doing it. It's SO EXPENSIVE to try and transport a large family & travel around on holidays in anything other than your own vehicle. We do travel some at night which always makes me nervous - kangaroos and trucks - but the kids usually sleep. For the trip we pack lots of food and drinks, dvds, electronic games, books and colouring pens and usually make a fun stop along the way - last time we went to the Dubbo Zoo. The kids all enjoyed the trip. No matter how you end up doing it or which way you go, it is a long drive - best of luck and enjoy the memories you are creating for your own kids - it is so worth it!!
ReplyDeleteWow, your stories are so much like my childhood trips, although there were four of us and we travelled every year from Vic to QLD!
ReplyDeleteMy parents are up in Maroochydore for three months do I have just been up there twice, such a nice part of the world.
My tips are the Emundi markets, fish and chips at the the Noosa Marina and the Mooloolaba River Fisheries, the kids will love the train trip at the ginger factory.
Oh and the Saturday market at the Big Pineapple is great, lots of yummy food.
You willkie have a great time, enjoy!
Sally
We always had and still have long car drives to our summer destinations. When my kids were little I used to take a bag with me full of little, cheap, toys and games. And I had a timer like the ones we use in the kitchen. It was set at 60 minutes. When it went off, each kid got something from the bag. It didn´t matter what it was...it was something new. For the next hour they were entertained by themselves or they swapped the toy with a sibling. If they were asleep, I changed the timer off course! LOL
ReplyDeleteThey´ve grown now but still remember my bag!!!!
Even though we are just in Brisbane we haven't been up to Noosa since Baby C was born!
ReplyDeleteI am sure my list of things to do would be completely different now that Baby C is on the scene...he doesn't much like getting a coffee on Hastings Street and watching the world go by!
We had one long family road trip where my sister and I insisted on listening to The Monkees Greatest Hits on repeat. I don't know why my parents didn't eject the tape!
As primary school aged kids, our family would always go camping interstate (QLD, NSW or SA), which would involve LONG drives with me and my two brothers jammed in the back seat - and I was always in the middle... One holiday we drove from Melbourne to a little north of Cairns, in a Magna. We drove for a day, put up our massive tent (took over an hour), stayed for three nights, then pulled down the tent and drove for another day and repeat. I have since found journals that I wrote in the car on that trip, where I counted dead kangaroos. I got over 200 I think! We used to sing along to cassettes (lots of Billy Joel, I recall), play I Spy etc. That was long before the days of portable DVD players and the like.
ReplyDeleteYou better go to the french patisserie in Cooroy (not far from Noosa) it is the best and you will love it. You will also enjoy a drive to Montville for lunch.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have always know that Keira and Finn look just like their daddy.......but now that we have seen your baby picture, we can rest assured that Tillie looks JUST like you. All of your children are beautiful. Have fun on your travels.
ReplyDeleteI live on the Sunny Coast and our favourite Breakfast spot in Noosa is Bistro C - I am sure you will love it there - and it is kid friendly and has a lovely ocean/beach view. You will find it smack bank in the middle of Hastings Street on the beachfront. Hope you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid my Dad was a big night driver. We kids used to go to bed in our clothes and they would just pick us up out of bed at the olotted time, usually around 4am, and buckle us in and off we went, usually asleep for the first part of the journey.
ReplyDeleteIf you are taking kids to the sunshine coast, you have to go to Australia Zoo. My kids love it. We have been twice now on two separate holidays. It always remains a favourite.
Oh definitely the pacific highway. About three years ago I took our three kids on a road trip (on my own eek!) from north brisbane to sydney. The pacific highway was soooo beautiful! and we saw whales along the way!
ReplyDeleteWe love the Noosa area and in particular Eummundi markets, The Ginger factory and Australia zoo would be our picks too.
I did one way of the trip with a stop in Nambucca Heads (near Coffs harbour) well worth the visit!! and drove the return trip in one day (eek!) we make sure we stop every two hours for a run around in a park and a toilet break.
Have fun.
We are taking things up a notch this year and taking ours to the USA for five weeks!! whoop!
We had a trip to Noosa from NZ in April. Stunning place. We all loved the marina at Tewantin(nice family friendly restaurants there)take the Ferry up the river from Hastings St or it also picks up all along the river. Gorgeous shopping and restaurants along Gympie Terrace too on the river front. We didn't care so much for Hastings St, would be nicer if shopping without the kids in tow though!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the deal with that comment further up re Boycotting American Women?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Bistro C is the place to eat. VERY child friendly but fantastic food. Tip though, go early for dinner otherwise you might feel a little rushed. They do great kids cocktails. Fabulous for breakfast as well but you can't book for Brekky. SEASONS is also child friendly, but again, go earlier with the kids for dinner. Whilst we were waiting for the adult meals to arrive, we were salivating over the kids food. It's that good. There's another place right down the end of Hastings St past the Surf Club on the right which is more cheap and cheerful and caters well for kids. Massimo's Gelati is the bomb!
I would highly recommmend the Gelato shop just near the surf club! Absolutely delicious!! Also the Eumundi Markets.....fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteI love Noosa, we went there in April this year. It is great for kids, beaches perfect, footpaths great for scooters and good shopping for mums. We always stay on hastings street just because it is easier for us. We also drove in April. The kids were great, plenty of drawings, games and of course the ipads kept them going. We stopped along the way to street out legs and stayed a couple of night in Bluey's beach and Byron on way up and Yamba and crescent head on our way home.
ReplyDeleteMassimo's is the ice cream place you need to do at least daily, surf clubs in the area have great meals for adults and kids but get there as soon as it opens.
Eumundi Markets are a must as is a drive through the hinterland near the glasshouse mountains. Australia Zoo is a big day but fun for all aged kids. There are so many great things about Noosa and the areas nearby.
Enjoy you'll love it.
Oh Corrie, road trip! We actually did the same drive up to the Sunshine Coast in January. It was so much fun, but I am totally taking my hat off to you, doing it with five little ones! If you can possibly get down to Maroochydore Beach, I'd strongly reccommend it, for the beach AND the brilliant surf club. It's huge, family friendly, spectacular views & delicious food. Coolum Beach is another beauty & great for a day trip. As for the drive, we just relied on the DVD player & lots of books...oh and stops!! It's all about the stopping isn't it!? Love those pics of your family holidays from childhood. You were a real cutie xo
ReplyDeleteWould love to know what you drive! We are probably becoming a family with four kids soon. Car hunting isn't fun!
ReplyDeleteWe do this trip from Canberra to Brisbane every couple of months as my husband lives up there, so i'm pretty adapt at driving 4 children (often with 4 bikes & a German Shepherd.) I like to do the loop, up via Sydney then along the Pacific Highway (so many towns are now bypassed like Ballina - with the Big Prawn - & Byron.) We either do Canberra to Sydney, then Sydney Brisbane in a day, it's Ok, even on my own, with young children. I used to do it in the Landcruiser, that didn't have any DVD players, cruise control, nothing. Now we have the glorious people mover, tonnes of room, all the gadgets, including IPads for movies. This is all very new to me, after 13 years of parenting & long trips.
ReplyDeleteThen i come home via the New England Highway, it's longer but seems calmer.
Top tip, plan to stop at Mooney's Beach near Coffs Harbour (i think) it's is glorious, great beaches for children. Ah yes, that is my trick to driving 3500km solo with children, stop at beaches, it only takes about 40 minutes of splashing or swimming, then they are ready to drive another 4 hours.
Another tip, i don't feed or let my guys snack, just sip on water only, avoids any car sickness or spills. I used to have to stop to breastfeed, i'd take sandwiches & crackers as the only snacks, never lollies.
Finally, weeing on the side of the road is faster & cleaner & safter than a toilet block, especially if ONLY one needs to wee, simple as that, i loathe public toilets. Love Posie