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Looking for school holiday activities to do with the kids? We give you our best picks of things to do in the holidays from each of the Australian states.

The kids have made it to the end of the year. The wonderful thing about the autumn school holidays is that the weather is mostly warm, which still makes it a wonderful time to be outside.

It doesn’t matter if you’ll be at home with the children, putting them into vacation care, palming them off to other family members. Our list of fun things to do will ensure the kids have a good time these school holidays.

Relevant: School holiday activities: Tips for parents to keep sane 

Here are some of the best school holiday activities by state.

Queensland | Victoria | New South Wales | Australian Capital Territory | Western Australia | Northern Territory | South Australia | Tasmania

Queensland things to do in the holidays

Autumn is the perfect time for some school holiday fun with the kids. There’s plenty of cheap school holiday activities but if you’re looking for something a little bit more special:

Spellbound magic and illusion show

Source: Illusionist Anthony Street

Location: various

Cost: from $60

Witness levitations, impossible vanishes, mentalism and a death-defying escape as illusionist Anthony Street pushes the boundaries of reality and distorts your senses. With magic and thrills suitable for all ages, this family-friendly show will leave you wondering: Will you dare to believe your eyes?

Playtopia

Source: Visit Brisbane

Location: Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane

Cost: free

Designed to captivate children aged 5–12, Playtopia offers a diverse range of activities tailored to ignite their imagination, foster creativity and encourage social interaction. Each day introduces new themes, ensuring an ever-evolving landscape of fun and learning. 

Dirranbandi Show

Source: Dirranbandi Show

Location: Dirranbandi

Cost: from $5 for children 17 years and under

With horse, cattle and sheep events, fashion parades and entertainment, the Dirranbandi Show is good fun for the entire family. You can also enjoy an impressive display of arts and crafts, cooking, preserves, floral art, wool, cut flowers and much more.

Victoria school holiday ideas

You could spend some quality time with your children exploring the many Melbourne laneways while sipping hot chocolate these autumn school holidays. Or you could up the adrenaline with a vigorous game of laser tag. For other things to do in the holidays in Victoria:

Festival of Sails

Source: World Surf League

Location: Bells Beach

Cost: various

The longest-running event on the World Surf League’s (WSL) elite Championship Tour. Bells Beach means history and heritage for both world surfing and Australian sport. This is the first stop of the Australian leg of the WSL Championship Tour.

Speedcubing competition

Source: Speedcubing Australia

Location: Melbourne & Sale

Cost: free for spectators

If your child is interested in the Rubik’s Cube or speedcubing, they can choose to participate or spectate. The speedcubing competitions are open to everyone, regardless of their solving speed. Competitors range from 5 to 85 years old, with a majority falling between 10 and 20 years old. While the word competition might suggest intense rivalry, these events actually provide the opportunity to meet fellow cubers, make new friends, set official times, and learn new skills.

BBC Earth Experience

Source: BBC Earth Experience

Location: Melbourne

Cost: $24.90 for a family ticket

Travel the natural world and journey across the seven continents in one epic experience narrated by David Attenborough. This immersive event brings together state of the art audio visual technology and breathtaking footage from BBC Studios Seven Worlds, One Planet on an unrivalled scale.

New South Wales school holiday activities 2024

There’s plenty happening in Sydney and surrounds to ensure plenty of school holiday fun. Spend the day exploring the Sydney harbour area for a cheap school holiday idea. There’s plenty to see around the Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbour and the Rocks without breaking the bank.

Other things to do include:

Sydney Kidz Fest

Source: Sydney Kidz Fest

Location: Sydney

Cost: from $50 for a family pass

Looking for the perfect school holiday escape? Sydney Kidz Fest has it all! Rides, shows, animals & more! There’s even a daily paw patrol stage with opportunities to get close to Marshall and Chase.

Mega Ceatures

Source: Hunter Valley Gardens

Location: Hunter Valley Gardens

Cost: from $136 for a family pass

Step into an immersive prehistoric world filled with giant and fantastical beasts! Discover amazing dinosaurs, giant insects and mythical creatures, including T-rex, stegosaurus, spinosaurus, triceratops and more!

Relevant: Day trips from Sydney with kids: Hunter Valley Gardens 

Tuff Nutterz

Source: Tuff Nutterz

Location: St Ives Showground

Cost: from $25

Tuff Nutterz is a fantastic family-friendly event that promises a day filled with fun and excitement for everyone. The event features Australia’s biggest inflatable obstacle course (300m long) and other inflatable games, which are sure to provide an exhilarating experience for both kids and adults alike.  

Things to do in the holidays: ACT 2024

The Australian Capital Territory is the perfect spot for some school holiday fun with the kids. If you’re in Sydney, you could even pop in for a long weekend.

Falling Leaf Festival

Source: Falling Leaf Festival

Location: Tumut

Cost: free

Technically not in the ACT, but with a free rocking stage, delicious food and drinks, kids entertainment, market stalls, roving entertainment, fun run, live theatre, cultural and creative workshops and so much more, the Falling Leaf Festival is worth the drive to experience.

Questacon: National Science and Technology Centre

Source: Questacon

Location: Canberra

Cost: $73.40 for a family pass

With its many interactive and colourful galleries celebrating and teaching science and technology, Questacon is a fantastic visit for the whole family.

Jet Flight Simulator

Location: Lyneham

Cost: from $110

This is the perfect experience for older kids or any Top Gun fan. Escape into a virtual world of aviation, where they will captain and have control of the most popular commercial plane in the world.

Museum of Australian Democracy: PlayUP

Source: Museum of Australian Democracy

Location: Parkes, Canberra

Cost: free

PlayUP is the Museum of Australian Democracy’s imaginative family space with activities to educate, excite and challenge young minds. With listening pods and a roleplay Kindness Café, a fuzzy felt wall and facilitated craft activities, PlayUP has a range of exciting and immersive experiences that flip the traditional idea of museums completely on its head.

Western Australia 2024 school holiday ideas

Whether it’s a visit to the local library or a family weekend away, there are plenty of things to do in the holidays in Western Australia.

Visit Rottnest Island

Source: Rottnest Island

Location: Rottnest Island

Cost: Varies

Sitting just offshore from Perth, the entire family will love visiting this protected nature reserve, home to the adorable quokka. You can travel to the island by air or water (90 minutes from Perth) and while you could technically make a day trip out of it, why would you with so many things on offer in Western Australia for young kids and old?

Giants of Mandurah

Source: Giants of Mandurah

Location: Mandurah

Cost: free

Arguably one of his most ambitious projects to date, the “Giants of Mandurah” is an outdoor exhibition and game of self-discovery that celebrates and champions the protection of the Peel region’s extraordinary natural environment.

Western Australia Margaret River Pro

Source: .westernaustralia.com

Location: Margaret River

Cost: free

Margaret River is a battle against the elements. Raw open ocean swells slam the rugged coastline, the cold waters teem with wildlife, and even the world’s best surfers feel small against the untamed power of Western Australia.

Northern Territory school holiday activities

There’s much to do this school holiday in the Northern Territory. Even with the temperatures cooling, school holiday fun up north can still involve being in the water (unless there are crocs).

Wave Lagoon

Source: Wave Lagoon

Location: Darwin

Cost: Free

There’s something about the water that practically all kids love. We also approve of the chance to tire the kids out before bedtime. Hanging out at Wave Lagoon is probably one of the best free school holiday activities to do in Darwin. This safe wave and swimming lagoon rolls out different wave patterns and includes a shallow water play area for younger children. Just make sure you know all about water safety for kids.

Camel rides in the Alice

Location: Alice Springs

Cost: from $45 for kids

Pony rides are so yesterday. Instead, enjoy a camel tour around the Alice and appreciate the magic and serenity of the desert with the family.

Fish feeding at Aquascene

Source: Aquascene

Location: Darwin

Cost: $43 for a family pass

Kids can choose to feed the fish from the comfort of the concrete stairs of the viewing platform or wade into the water and have them tickle their feet at this wonderful sanctuary.

Things do to in the holidays in South Australia

There’s plenty on offer over the Adelaide school holidays. The hardest part may be choosing what to do.

Pick your own apples

Source: At Lenswood Pick Your Own

Location: Lenswood, Adelaide Hills

Cost: from $3

Pick your own apples in the Adelaide Hills. Enjoy a day out immersed in agriculture through learning about how apples are grown and seeing the behind-the-scenes working of the commercial apple orchard.  

Tree Climb

Source: Tree Climb

Location: Adelaide

Cost: from $32

Australia’s first inner-city aerial adventure park built within the natural environment of the Adelaide City Park Lands. There are over 70 obstacles in eight courses to choose from, and this place is open rain, hail or shine. The area also has public BMX bike tracks, a playground, basketball and netball courts, sporting fields, plus an athletics track for your kids to burn off even more energy.

Copper Coast Miniature Train Rides

Source: southaustralia.com

Location: Yorke Peninsula

Cost: from $3

This handmade track operates twice a month on the grounds around the Copper Coast Visitor Information Centre and is suitable for all ages. Covered foot wear is required. 

Tasmania holiday ideas 2024

Coming up with things to do in the holidays can be a challenge, but here are some of the best things to do in Tasmania with the kids.

Sheffield Steam Train Rides

Source: Discover Tasmania

Location: Sheffield

Cost: from $4

The Redwater Creek Steam and Heritage Society offer a heritage rail experience through the regular operation of a century-old Krauss locomotive. A miniature train and a number of different model gauge trains are also open

Tasmazia

Location: Promised Land

Cost: $85 for a family pass

With any luck, the children will be so lost, you don’t have to claim them back till after the school holidays end. In all seriousness, the kids will enjoy exploring one of the world’s largest maze complexes, with a total of eight magical mazes, each completely different from the last! There’s also the quirky model village of Lower Crackpot, built to one-fifth scale, with plenty of unusual sights to see.

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs

Newdegate Cave tour

Location: Hastings

Cost: $60 for a family cave tour

If getting lost above ground isn’t your thing, try going underground to the Hastings Caves instead. An easy day trip from Hobart, the area is also home to some thermal springs, with a year-round temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.


Unsure when the next school holidays are? Check out our calendar.

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