Educational Resources for Travellers
This list is ever evolving as we continue travel, be sure to follow on facebook or follow by email on our blog so you don’t miss anything. By the time we finish it will be a comprehensive educational resource for other travellers and homeschoolers.
We shall provide blog posts and note and tag that there is additional information on a post beside the entries. We have travelled a lot of Australia already, but before digital camera era so we will have to re-do it so we can provide images – the pain of it all!)
Some of these are recommendations are from other travellers we meet. If you know of one you think we should add let us know here. Feel free to share with friends and family.
Wherever your off too – don’t forget to check out Cake and Eat it 3 Kids Travel Worksheets to enhance your children’s learning on the road!
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Albany WA Whale Centre. Go on a real whaling boat, tour the factory could be super educational.
Otc and Space Museum Carnarvon WA
Scitech Perth Sign up to their newsletters before you go they have excellent school holiday programs but fill up fast.
Peel Zoo, Pinjarra – fantastic opportunity for animal lovers! Experience the life of a professional Zookeeper for a day. Learn about animal husbandry, feeding, animal handling, and captive breeding. Get up close and personal with Tasmanian Devils, Koalas, Quolls, and so much more. Zookeeper 4 A Day; a unique, unforgettable, hands on experience, only at Peel Zoo.
Perth Zoo Great Zoo, get there early for easy parking, reasonable rate (was $5 all day in 2016).
Kings Park Perth. Stunning park, free kids entertainment and educational opportunity. Fantastic photo opportunity of Perth City. Cake and Eat it 3 Blog Post
Fremantle Prison. Fantastic educational opportunity and great tours available. Website has great resources for leading up to your visit for home schoolers. Cake and Eat it 3 Blog Post
Cottesloe Beach A Beautiful view to Rottnest Island, most popular for watching a beautiful sunset, get there early
Rottnest Island Home of the gorgeous Quokka
The Perth Mint Watch a gold bar be poured
Marine Parks & Reserves Western Australia This link shows them all. There are many in Western Australia and great opportunities for educational visits that the kids will Love! They have amazing resources including the Discover Western Australia Marine Parks Activity Book.
Araluen Botanic Park Just 35klms from Perth They often have school holiday activities of workshops you can book your kids in for. There is an admission fee but minimal and even cheaper on a tuesday, BBQ’s to use and August/September the Tulips will be in bloom.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Telegraph Station Alice Springs
Gemtree Caravan Park and Fossicking Tours in Alice Springs.
Palmerston Water Park Free fun day for the whole family went here so many times fantastic facility and a great way to cool off!
QUEENSLAND
Dinosaur Exploring Queensland has some amazing opportunities fro Dinosaur lovers, here is just a few
Richmond – Australia’s Dinosaur Trail Meet ‘Penny’ the Richmond plesiosaur – Australia’s best vertebrate fossil, ‘Krono’ Kronosaurus queenslandicus – a 10 metre, giant marine reptile and ‘Wanda’ – Australia’s largest fossilised fish.
Mon Repos Turtle Rookery Bargara QLD
Glow worm Caves in Tamborine QLD
Brisbane Botanic Gardens 56 hectare botanic gardens are open every day of the year between 8am-5.30pm from September to March and 8am-5pm from April to August.
Thunderbird Park Tree Top Challenge
Mount Hay Fossicking for thunder eggs at Mt Hay in Queensland
Wetside Waterpark is located on the foreshore at the junction of Main Street and the Esplanade, Pialba, Hervey Bay and is a fun, eco-friendly public asset designed around water ‘infotainment’. FREE ENTRY into WetSide.
Australia Zoo Crikey! Everyone knows about Australia Zoo been many times over the years and love it.
Jondaryan Woolshed is a heritage-listed shearing shed at Evanslea Road, Jondaryan, Queensland Historical museum and park. Includes historic buildings, machinery, equipment and collections.
Cosmos Centre. Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Observatory is dedicated to ensuring visitors enjoy the wonder of the outback night sky. The guides at the Cosmos Centre share their knowledge and you will observe binary stars, star clusters, planets and the Moon.
Charleville Bilby Experience. Learn all about this endangered marsupial and the challenges our wildlife are facing and how we are fighting to save them. Charleville is the bilby capital of Australia and is proud to have a breeding population of bilbies. Educational fact sheet and teachers resources here too.
NEW SOUTH WALES
The Clog Barn in Coffs Harbour. Miniature village out the back and they do clog making demonstrations at certain times.
Devil Arc at Barrington
Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra
The Age of Fishes Museum at Canowindra – Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the mighty rivers of the Central West teemed with bizarre ancient fishes – armoured fishes, fishes with lungs, and some huge predators with jaws like crocodiles. Thousands of their fossils were found at Canowindra and give us a unique glimpse into life during the Devonian Period – the ‘Age of Fishes’.
The Dish at Parkes (and support by watching the movie The Dish)
Piliga Scrub Pilliga Forest is an iconic Australian landscape offering rugged beauty on a grand scale. Explore the trail network by car or on foot, take a guided tour and camp out.
Sliding Spring observatory at Coonabarabran
Mutton Bird Island at Coffs Harbour
Hopetoun Falls Walking Track
Blessing of the Fleet Festival (Ulladulla NSW)
Sapphire Coast Learn a lot about whaling history and oyster farming, site also has other points of interest
Wellington Caves Teacher and Info packs avail for download saved into Geography Wellington caves
Jerilderi (NSW – Ned Kelly walk)
The Narrandera Fisheries Centre 6 km east of Narrandera, was opened in 1962 as a research centre to study the breeding biology and ecology of inland aquatic systems.
The Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum has extensive and interesting displays including The original Las Balsas Raft, Port Of Ballina and local history, Interactive maritime displays, Largest collection of Naval and Merchant Ships in Australia, Tribute to women in the Navy
Coffs Harbour Holiday Park Dolphin Marine Magic offers hands-on learning about marine life and environmental conservation each day through our animal interactions and marine magic presentations.
Snowy Mountains are very well known thanks to the poem, The Man from Snowy River which will be a great tie in to your visit before hand. Amazing scenery and so much to see be sure to add it to your list and enjoy a hike or two.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Questacon Canberra Website has great planning your visit resources
Dinosaur Museum in Canberra
Canberra Deep Space The link here is for the Kids Club which is a great place to start before you arrive so the kids get the most out of their visit.
VICTORIA
Cape Otway Lightstation on Great Ocean Road
Melba Gully near Apollo Bay in Vic has glow worms easily visible from the walking track after dark.
Maremma Dogs Warrnambool (watch Movie Oddball before you go to give kids an idea)
Tower Hill Volcanic Crater Warrnambool Vic PDF available on Tower Hill to discuss before going
Malden (vic) Steam train
Turning of the Leaves Festival (Bright VIC)
Jewish Museum Melbourne
Swan Hill Under education tab excellent teacher notes to discuss prior to going
Point Cook RAAF Museum, flight days are Thurs and Sat
Sovereign Hill and the Sovereign Hill Blog which has amazing teacher resources PDFs to download before you go or as a followup after visiting.
The Australian Ex prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat. In these magnificent Botanical Gardens the Memorial is a place of quiet reflection and a place to remember loved ones and to mourn those 8,600 Prisoners of War that died in captivity and remain buried on foreign shores.
Walhalla – Long Tunnel Mine On website go into school tours and there are some resources to download
Phillip island – Seal Rocks, Nature Reserve Penguin parade and info centre
Scienceworks Melbourne is a world-renowned science museum in Melbourne, Australia. It is a venue of Museum Victoria which administers the cultural and scientific collections of the State of Victoria
National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne they offer kids festivals at different times that are specifically family friendly
Melbourne Museum Look for the school programs and resources tab!
City Circle Tram Perfect if you have never been before. Its a free and convenient way to see the sights of central Melbourne and the Docklands while experiencing a ride on one of the city’s much loved heritage trams.An audio commentary provides details of city landmarks and major attractions such as the City Museum, Parliament House, Docklands and more
Old Melbourne Goal Built in the mid 1800’s and where Ned Kelly was hung
Immigration Museum primarily displaying Australia’s immigration history. Look for the school programs and resources tab!
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne. Check out Schools Tab for teacher resources
Werribee Zoo Kids Free in School Holidays! Also Kids under 16 are free on weekends and Victorian public holidays. If weather is warm there is a water play area near the hippo enclosure so take bathers. They mark kid safe activity zone areas on the park map. Safari Departure 50min open air bus that takes you around with commentary highly recommended. Teacher resources (in footer of home page) worthwhile checking out!
PowerWorks, Morwell Learn about Coal, great timeline of the history of Coal in Latrobe Valley.
Coal Creek, South Gippsland. Free Entry to General Public. Upgrade your visit with a new multimedia interpretative guide. Take a journey through time, following the story of James Hardwick, Coal Creek’s most successful mine manager. An interactive multimedia guide is also available for children in the form of a treasure hunt; let the kids explore Coal Creek while finding the hidden treasures, with a prize upon completion. Both guides are available from the front counter for $5.00 each.
Grampians Peak Trail For the slightly more adventurous and slightly older kids. The Grampians Peaks Trail is one of the Walk Victoria’s Icons long distance trails. The first section is now complete and offers a 36 kilometre, 3 day/2 night circuit walk departing from Halls Gap.
Bunurong Environmental Centre, Inverloch Keep an eye out for Summer School programs. The South Gippsland Conservation Society aims to promote and preserve South Gippsland’s natural resources and to encourage conservation education
Fun4Kids Festival Warrnambool – If you are visiting the area in Victorian July School holiday period well worth checking out! 7 day event with lots of activities to choose from.
Amaze’n things Phillip Island, Fun family attraction on Phillip Island. Perfect for families or groups looking for things to do on Phillip Island that everyone will enjoy.
Smiths Beach Phillip Island I am told has good rock pools to explore.
Talking Tram Bendigo, Climb aboard one of our iconic Vintage Talking Trams, follow the trail that has been set, hop off at different stops along the route, solve five different clues and crack the code. Good for those with older kids that like a challenge.
Central Deborah Gold Mine, Bendigo Fabulous educational resource kit perfect for lesson planning to make the most of your visit.
The Golden Dragon Museum The ‘Chinese Cultural Centre of Australia’. The museum opened in 1991 to document, interpret and preserve the Chinese heritage in Australia.
Glenrowan, Ned Kelly Touring Route Part of Australian History. Home of the infamous Ned Kelly. This link provides all the areas of interest that you may want to include on your travels.
Collingwood Children’s Farm Where you can get close up experience with farm animals. Only 5km from the centre of Melbourne and nestled on a bend of the Yarra River lies seven hectares of paddocks, gardens, orchards, rustic buildings and shady trees.
TASMANIA
Seahorse World and kids discovery school holiday program
Melita Honey Farm Chudleigh
Cradle Mountain There are stunning walks as part of Lake St Clair National Park. We have done one with our eldest who was 10 at the time and had no problem. Really looking forward to doing them again with our youngest who will probably be the same age when we get there!
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
National Motor Museum in Birdwood SA. It’s about 40 minutes from the centre of Adelaide.
Whispering Wall. A unique feature of the reservoir is the unusual acoustic phenomenon created by the shape and location of the dam. Sounds and voices travel along the curved length of the dam wall and this has led to it being named the “Whispering Wall”.
Sunken Garden near the blue lake (Mt Gambia)
Fairy Penguin Centre at main port on kangaroo island
For a list of Educational Websites & Resources due to the sheer number of them and it is growing all the time, we have had to separate the pages as not every one of our followers is travelling and not every one of our followers is schooling while travelling.
Happy Educating and Happy Travels!