Very green travellers with little knowledge

Leave the kids with the grandparents and enjoy the trip.

With 5 kids the stops would have to be pretty close so that they can get out and wear themselves out and stretch their legs. As even with their ages the rear seats are not really meant for long distance travelling.
So I'd take your time and stop regularly.

Cheers Kev

in the time it took me to write this the naysayers and the doom and gloom brigade have come out to play. You obviously enjoy having children so forget the negative comments which you get when you have a large family and get out and give it a go. We didnt have any problems with space in the rear and rotated the kids regularly.
Evan

I'm with 1arm - yes you can do it.

To go all the way around is about 10 - 15 thousand km, depending on where you go. That's maybe 100 - 150 km a day average.

Kids will need to stop in one place for a few nights occasionally - a nice beach, somewhere exciting, just a place where they can run. You will want to do some of the big sights, and all that takes time. So maybe on your traveling days you'll have to do a few hundred km. You can do that in 5 or 6 hours driving, but make sure you find the playground that is in every town when you stop for a break - or the pool.

We have seen young families on the wallaby and we just see kids getting experience that will be great for them and having a ball.

Sister in law is a teacher, and she has to convince parents doing a trip like yours not to worry about school work - maybe a trip diary for those that are at school, with distances, drawings of what they have seen and a few words about what they have enjoyed each day. They will come back having learned more than they'd get in school. What geography lesson could equal seeing whales at Head of the Bight? The activities that 1arm suggests will keep them busy in the car too.

Probably best to keep in mind that you can cut the trip shorter when you get to the top if its getting too much of a drag and you need to slow it down - coming down the centre, or doing the Matilda Highway instead of the Queensland coast for example are still exciting and interesting, but can give you more time in camp or at interesting places.

What to see and do? If you've not done so already, ring the tourist office for each state (or get onto their web sites) and request some booklets. They will give you lots of ideas, something for the kids to look over as you travel and they can suggest what you need see, and cutting out pictures or maps from them will help with their diaries.

Have a wonderful time - but be warned the kids may grow up wanting to keep on traveling!!

Max

Go for it!
We never did a BIG trip with our four lads - nor did we have a caravan etc - but had a Hiace Camper van and 7x4 home made trailer (when I got game to tow) with tent(s) and we all had a ball.
Lads were born 1973, 1974, 1975 & 1978 so were close together. We just made sure we had good tucker, plenty of water, good protective clothes for what ever weather and plenty of shade / shelter from elements when required.
Activities always included the kids level interest and plenty of what adults might think were stupid games when travelling were conducted.
We were both teachers then (I am out of that now - but wife is still there) and we had fun stuff like truck counts, model of vehicle variations etc and ad nauseum. The kids now grown and two have own families still have a love of the outdoors with one doing walking guiding in Cradle Mt for summer "work". Another does adventure hiking and rafting for fun and relaxation.
Our biggest mistake was try to push too far for a day - that really causes kids some irrits!
Most likely the biggest problem was me - the impatient Dad!
Cheers - Mobi

Not everybody has solar panels and unless your going outbush you probably dont need them. we had a powered site when we camped and recharged anything that needed charging from that.

Our kids made friends with out kids at the parks but then again we didint let them wander off too far and they always went everywhere together.

Most taps at parks will have a sign letting you know if it is unsuitable for drinking.

In regards to the camper swaying you may need to redistribute the weight a bit or put on anti sway bars ( i think).

We didnt have any trouble in our 6 weeks on the road and people tend to look out for each other. That said there is that element of people in society that will do what they want regardless. Make sure you dont leave any valuables ie cameras, wallets, etc in the van when your not there. Lock them in the car if necessary.

UHF we didnt carry one but we didnt go off road at all or anywhere remote. We stuck to the highways.

You should be fine with diesel on the nullabour . The longest between roadhouses was a couple of hundred kms.
This is based on my experience only. Other people may see it differently.

What state are you starting from if I may ask

Evan

1arm has answered all your questions, however in relation to the UHF if you stick to the main highways and byways they are not necessary however we find them very handy to communicate with large vehicles such as road trains etc. if you need to overtake them.

We are coming from WA. Thank you so much all of the feedback has been very helpful.

Yes, get a UHF , they are not expensive. Not only will you be able to talk to others to make it easier to overtake them, but faster traffic will be able to talk to you and you will be able to call them through.

Of course, if you are towing a caravan you have to follow the caravan code .... display in big letters on the back which channels you are using EG: UHF 40 & 15 ...then leave the radio turned off for the entire trip!!