Family travel on a budget

Forgot to mention, would love to hear any words of wisdom from anyone who has done a trip like this with kids!

yes, those flights and helicopter rides must soon add up! We were looking to do an Aboriginal Culture evening that we saw mentioned on the 'net. It was on Getaway a couple of weeks ago (I think it was the same one) and it was quoted as $150 adult and $110 kid... Am I going to to spend $520, probably not!

The good thing about kids, well young ones like mine, is a good playground or swim is all they need to be happy. Went to Ballarat over Cup weekend and after taking them to Soveriegn Hill for the day including several of the extra things, the highlight of the weekend for both of them was the Bouncy Pillow at the van park (Windmill Big 4).

Cheers, Nige

Howdy,
The best $400 that I have ever spent re kids is one of those portable DVD players with two screens that mount on the rear side of the front seats. On days when you are getting k's done its worth thousands.
Cable up some ear phones, kids watch a flick - mum and dad chat and listen to music. Everybody's happy :)
Wire it up to the aux battery and the movie wont stop when if you have to turn the motor off, e.g. refuelling.

Our kids respond really well to having a trip itinerary and a verbal daily plan / review of maps.
give em a big picture itinerary in writing e.g. broad locations /destination / attractions and discuss the days plans withem each day. Having knowledge on what to expect helps them plan / develop expectations their own day mentally.
They know how much time will be in the vehicle, and what the might see and do.
The older one(possibly both) can then start to place movements on maps etc - picking up some further skills subtly.

Paul.

Teach the kids to fish [ and yabbie ]

Look for camp grounds and caravan parks with kids activities. They are often free or very low cost and give the kids something to do for a while so you can have a break too. On I can recommend is Macdonnel Ranges CP in Alice Springs. It is pretty flash but the kids activities were great. Ours especially enjoyed the astronomy night and getting to look through a telescope at Venus and a few other things.

Use camp kitchens and involve the kids in the process of preparing meals and cleaning up. At 9 and 11 they should be more than capable of doing the dishes etc. This has additional benefits when you get home. While you are in the camp kitchens you will meet all kinds of characters with a story to tell and the kids will love the interaction with other campers.

Don't be afraid to stay in places that are less than 5 star. As well as being cheaper they are usually more fun.

As for the DVD thing, we did our first big trip in 96, 15,000km in 6 weeks. The kids were 8,3 and 4 we had no DVD. In fact the only in car entertainment we had was a radio/cassette (remember them?). Our kids looked out the window, slept played I spy and other travel games, we even made up a few new ones. Most of all they learned heaps.

The first homework the 8 yr old got on returning to school was a project on Edward John Eyre. Having just driven the Eyre Highway twice in 6 weeks she pretty well had it covered. Topped the class with a project decorated with her own photos. I thought that was pretty cool.

Duncs

Buy 'Camps Australia Wide' to find free camps (if you are self sufficient) or recommended camps. You'd be amazed at how much you save.

Buy a cheap boat and small outboard. This will take you where a lot of boat cruises go and you can fish and travel at your own pace as well.

Most flights that go over places such as the Bungles are expensive so if you are prepared for a bit of a walk you can get to a lot of lookouts and peaks to see similar.

For the kids;
As mentioned above - we take a dozen yabbie pots with us and setup whenever near water. Get all sorts of critters in them including fish, yabbies, turtles, shrimps and crabs. Kids love them and some fish are big enough to eat.

We also have a small inflatable ($40) boat for the kids. Kids and water = hours of fun. I have a metal detector that the kids use to go around old abandoned towns / homesteads / beaches etc to look for relics and coins. They learn a lot about the area and can make some pocket money or a great discovery.

I also buy cheap glow sticks from eBay ($30 for 50 freighted) that we give to the kids in the evening (not everynight though). They have fun running around at night and if you give them a different colour you can tell where each is.

We are thinking about a small DVD player as we will drive long distances in one go so as to maximise our time in the area we want to holiday. So far we have done fine without but there are times where I think it would be the clincher in getting tose few extra k's in.

Regards
David

There are heaps of things to see without paying a cent - wildflowers, trees, animals, birds reptiles, mines and minerals. Then there is the aboriginal and European hiostory of the areas that you are travelling in. Astronomy, weather patterns, navigation. Invest in a few books on topics that are of interest, add a digital camera and some writing gear to record what has happened. Learn and be curious with them and you will all learn heaps and have a great time. Around camp the kids can help gathering firewood, setting the fire, getting water - and learn to appreciate the simple things, basic safety and much more. A magnifying glass and binoculars will add interest.