How to travel with skateboard-obsessed kids

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
hero media
The best way to see a city with children is to pack skateboards for a more portable commute, as Carla Grossetti explains.

The one thing my sons never leave home without are their skateboards and their skateboard gear from Free Skateshop . Our mantra is: ‘Have skateboard, will travel’. It’s how we roll.

 

The beauty of travelling with skateboards is that we have been better able to convince our two sons to take long walks with us when they know their efforts will be rewarded with a few runs at a new skate park.

 

The fact that many of our favourite getaways include long smooth paths along coastal foreshores means that as well as letting the kids carve it up to their happy place, we all get to enjoy a bit of exercise while exploring a new town or city.

 

When my boys, Fin and Marley, were really little, it was quite often hard work; we would pretzel our spines to push them along. But as well as giving them a feel for rolling on a skateboard, it got us all from A to B.

 

Now they are of an age where they like to ‘pop shove it’ in peace; we are equally happy to leave them momentarily at a skate park while we continue on our merry way.

 

When it comes to planning our day-to-day itineraries, our first move when visiting a new region is to find out where the local skate park is and plan our morning walks accordingly.

 

It often feels like a covert operation, to wake up while the city lights are still winking. But the fact that we all get up around dawn means we also time our runs when the skate parks aren’t too crewed out.

 

My husband grew up skateboarding in drainage ditches in Canberra and what he and I have noticed over the past decade is that many councils have realised that skateboard parks are an attraction: community assets that should be built in picturesque public places.

 

The Cairns City Council has been particularly progressive, with Cairns Skate Park the biggest of its kind in the country, integrating beautifully with a playground and beach volleyball park on the Esplanade.

 

The beauty of many of the newish skate parks is that the transitions and bowls have been built for everyone from rank beginners to world-class skaters.

 

Rather than encourage stealth boarding at the scuzzy end of town, more and more towns and cities are including skate parks to enhance the urban landscape as well as encourage social cohesion.

 

I also love that skateboarding encourages my children to do something that is active, healthy

Where to go for skateboard-friendly walks

• Lake Ginninderra foreshore (next to Belconnen Skate Park) in Canberra, ACT

 

• The Royal Park river-edge boardwalk (near the Royal Sk8 Park) in Launceston, Tas

 

• The green space around Princes Gardens (near Prahran Skate Park) in Prahran, Vic

 

• The walk to Yamba Point (near Yamba Skate Park), Yamba, NSW

 

Visit skateboard.com.au to find a skate park near you and fun while we stick together as a family. While we still occasionally cop a board bite in the Achilles, or have to compromise on our holiday wardrobes in favour of packing their hardware, cruising through the cityscape with our kids away from roads confused with cars and cyclists is a great way to navigate your way around. Stoked.

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
See all articles
nostalgic road trips
Australia

Retro revival: Why nostalgia is powering a new kind of travel

Australians are choosing to slow things down and bring the joy back to holidaying. 

Read more
People swimming at Gunlom Falls in the Northern Territory
Australia

2 Aussie places make New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2026 list

Australia has landed two spots on the New York Times’ influential travel list for 2026.

Read more
australian ice cream for summer
Australia

The battle of Australia’s 18 best summer ice creams

These cult-favourite ice creams prove Australian summers are built on nostalgia, loyalty and strong opinions. 

Read more
People swimming in Cardwell Spa Pools.
Australia

The best natural swimming spots around Australia

Float away the long, summer days in some of the best natural swimming spots around the country.

Read more
hero media

Incredible day spas and hot springs to visit in Victoria

    Katie CarlinBy Katie Carlin
    Continue
    From geothermal pools and luxury spa sanctuaries, Victoria’s mineral-rich waters and restorative landscapes offer total renewal.

    I pass waving coastal spear-grass and coast saltbush as I follow the curving path through 15 hectares of thoughtfully curated gardens at the Mornington Peninsula’s Alba Thermal Springs & Spa . I hang my robe at the entrance and slip into the first sunken geothermal pool I find – feeling the tension from the 90-minute drive from Melbourne melt away as I watch steam dance across the surface in the late afternoon light. There are 31 pools, a mix of geothermal, cold plunge and botanical, that range in temperature and design, spread over six regions.

    a woman relaxing at Alba Thermal Springs & Spa on the Mornington Peninsula
    Alba Thermal Springs & Spa on the Mornington Peninsula. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    I gravitate toward The Hemisphere, with its dry sauna, steam room, cold plunge and dreamy open-air pool called The Hide. But it’s Alba’s brand-new Sanctuary that really elevates the experience. The five luxurious stand-alone villas and two additional studio rooms opened in June 2025 and feature an indoor fireplace, oversized bathtub with views across the bay, a deck and extensive all-inclusive (minus the cocktails) mini-bar.

    After dining at Alba’s Thyme restaurant, I return to my villa, content to fall asleep early listening to the fire crackle, feeling thoroughly restored. While Alba is one of the newest in the region, it’s certainly not the only place to enjoy a soothing soak. Here are others to book for a wellness weekend.

    Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa

    A woman bathes in the new Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa private bathing room with marble tiled walls
    The marble private bathing room is one of five new designs. (Image: Supplied)

    Nestled in the Daylesford region, Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa has been welcoming guests to its historic bathhouse for 130 years. With a $1.7 million renovation now complete (part of the 21st season of Channel 9’s The Block), find five new private bathing rooms, an apothecary experience where guests blend a custom body scrub and all-new spa treatment menu.

    There are three bathing areas: Bathhouse for communal bathing for all ages, adults-only Sanctuary and a private bathing space for a personalised experience – try the skin-softening Mineral Milk Bath.

    Lake House Daylesford

    the pool at Lake House Daylesford
    The main pool at Lake House Daylesford. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Inciting deep exhales, the spa at Alla Wolf-Tasker’s iconic Lake House has long been a beacon of wellness in the region. Tucked into the cottage gardens that wind down to the lake’s edge, the spa is beautifully and deliberately cloistered away from guests and diners visiting the celebrated on-site restaurant.

    From Ayurvedic facials and hydrotherapy that makes use of Daylesford’s mineral waters, to cocooning thermal rituals and massage, treatments here promote tranquillity. While a day spa experience is delightful on its own, staying on the property adds a luxe layer to your corporeal renewal, especially if you’re in your own private spa villa.

    Metung Hot Springs

    the Metung Hot Springs' glamping tents by the river
    Glamping tents at Metung Hot Springs. (Image: Emily Godfrey)

    Imagine immersing yourself in a barrel overflowing with geothermal water, all while taking in views of Gippsland Lakes. It’s one of several unique bathing experiences available at Metung Hot Springs .

    There’s also a floating sauna and a Reflexology Walk constructed with carefully placed stones designed to stimulate the acupressure points in your feet as you walk. The 12-hectare site opened in 2022 with three bathing areas – Bathing Ridge, Lagoon Precinct and Hilltop Escarpment – and premium glamping tents that feature king-size beds and private bathing barrels.

    Four more blissful day spas to visit

    Lon Retreat & Spa is an award-winning, adults-only retreat on the Bellarine Peninsula.

    Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs features sensory caves and cleansing waterfalls in Warrnambool.

    Peninsula Hot Springs renews with 70 bathing and wellness experiences.

    The Benev is an indulgent spa and luxury accommodation in Beechworth.

    the Peninsula Hot Springs
    Bathe in beautiful surroundings at Peninsula Hot Springs. (Image: Tourism Australia/Harry Pope/Two Palms)