10 Things For Kids To See In The Outback Before They Turn 10

Open your child’s eyes to the beauty, resilience and history of Australia’s outback by visiting these top 10 attractions for kids under 10.

1. Lark Quarry, Qld

Around 95 million years ago, a large herd of dinosaurs fled across mud flats to escape a predator, and you can see their fossilised footprints at Lark Quarry Conservation Park, near Winton.

The site is the only recorded dinosaur stampede in the world (how cool is that?), and there are more than 3000 footprints of the two-legged dinosaurs. The Dinosaur Trackways, as it’s been dubbed, is part of Lark Quarry, and you can join a guided tour to make the most of your visit.

Lake Quarry Queensland — Visit the location of the only recorded dinosaur stampede in the world.

2. Mount Isa, Qld

Embrace the mining life of Mt Isa in the Mini Miner School program at outback at Isa. Aimed at children aged seven to 14 years, there are plenty of fun activities, including an underground tour where you can have a go of a rock drill.

The Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Museum is also worth checking out. Built during the 1940s in response to the bombing of Darwin, the hospital is a fascinating attraction, especially for primary-aged kids.

Mt Isa mining museum — Embrace the mining life in Mt Isa.

3. Charleville, Qld

Wow your little (or big) one with amazing views of the Milky Way from the Charleville Cosmos Centre. The centre’s roof rolls back and visitors can gaze at moon craters, the rings of Saturn and the beautiful strip that is the Milky Way through powerful telescopes.

There are five one-hour viewing sessions each night over summer and if you can’t make it during the evening, you can still head along to enjoy the new Astrodome Planetarium.

4. Uluru, NT

You really can’t go past riding a camel at sunset in the shadow of Uluru. It’s cliché, we know, but we love it because it suits nearly all ages (under fives not allowed). It’s also a fun way to see the desert and beats walking, or so the littlies think.

Check out Uluru Camel Tours, home to the Uluru Camel Cup in May, and take your pick of a range of camel ride times.

5. Alice Springs, NT

Tagged the “capital of the outback", Alice Springs is a great introduction to Australia’s desert. There’s the Royal Flying Doctor Service , the Alice Springs Reptile Centre and Alice Springs Desert Park, but we reckon kids under 10 will relish getting up close to red kangaroos at The Kangaroo Sanctuary.

Join a guided sunset tour of the wildlife reserve (Tues-Fri); they go for up to three hours (so pack snacks for toddlers), you need to book a spot, and bus transfers to and from town are available.

Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs — Make some friends at the Kangaroo Sanctuary.

6. Silverton “ghost town", NSW

Journey back in time with a trip to Silverton, a tiny, ramshackle former miners’ village around 26 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill. There’s still a tiny population of residents but Silverton is often referred to as a ghost town thanks to its historic buildings and dusty, relatively empty, streets.

You will find a few businesses – shops and galleries – catering to tourists and the kids will have a ball spinning tales of ghouls in the Silverton Hotel (featured in numerous films), jail, churches and school.

A Mad Max-inspired VW beetle sits outside the iconic Silverton Hotel.

7. Perry Hills and Wentworth, NSW

The idea of mega-fauna is mind-blowing for adults, so imagine what kids must think when they learn of giant wombats that used to roam the Earth.

Skeletons of mega-fauna have been found at Perry Sandhills, 400 acres of shifting dunes, which are worth checking out in themselves (and you can go sand boarding). Follow a visit to the dunes with a stop into Pioneer Museum in Wentworth to see replicas of the giant emus, kangaroos and other mega-fauna.

8. Kalgoorlie, WA

In the Goldfields of Western Australia, Kalgoorlie is home to the mammoth Super Pit, Australia’s largest gold-producing mine. You’ll be gobsmacked by the size of this pit, as well as the giant dump trucks, viewed from the safety of a bus.

If your child (or you) catches gold fever, you can also sign the family up to gold nugget and goldrush tours.

Kargoolie mine — Go digging for gold in Kalgoorlie.

9. Lake Hillier, WA

An island is far from that iconic outback image most of us have, but what if we swapped red earth for pink water? Kids and parents will be amazed by the bubblegum colour of Lake Hillier, one of WA’s pink lakes.

Located on Middle Island, off the coast of Esperance, the lake is 600 metres long and is bound to impress not just budding scientists but the entire family. Check out the view from above with a scenic flight from Esperance Airport.

Esperance lake hillier from above — An aerial view of Lake Hillier in Western Australia.

10. Coober Pedy, SA

It doesn’t get more “outback" and quirky in South Australia than the underground town of Coober Pedy.

That’s right, people live underground, and you can check out a typical home on a tour that also teaches visitors about residents’ fascination (or perhaps obsession) with mining for opals. It’s a bit of a trek to get there (a six-hour drive north-west of Whyalla) but is plenty of fun and will open your children’s eyes to another Aussie way of living.

Coober Pedy, South Australia, Outback — The old cars here are part of the Coober Pedy furniture. (Image: Jonathan Cami)

Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

walking trails in the Yarra Valley — You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy — Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy — A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate , I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate — Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

kangaroos in Yarra Valley — Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

the Yarra Valley vineyards — Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway — The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

Playing there

the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley — Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art . Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

Eating and drinking there

Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station — The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)

10 outback places to see before you turn 10