Enjoy a refreshing dip in the Jellybean Pool, a short stroll down the Jellybean Track in Glenbrook, at the base of the Blue Mountains. The pool makes for a perfect Blue Mountains day trip with kids, who will love swimming in the calm waters.
Located inside the Blue Mountains National Park, the Jellybean Pool is a relaxing spot to swim, watch birds or picnic on the shore. There is a large parking lot which fills quickly on hot days, and an overflow car park which has a steep walk down to the start of the trail.
From the parking lot the Jellybean Track is a 500m walk downhill to the Jellybean Pool. The walk is graded a 3 as it is steep and slippery in places with sand.
An $8 park entry fees applies – you will be charged as you drive into the Blue Mountains National Park. You can also leave your car at the Glenbrook Information Centre at the Starting at the Glenbrook entrance to Blue Mountains National Park and walk from there for a more challenging walk.
The Blue Mountains National Park is open from the first Sunday in October to first Sunday in April 8.30am to 7pm, and the rest of the year 8.30am to 6pm.
When visiting the Jellybean Pool pack sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, towels and any food and water you might need. Floatation devices are fun as the water is so flat. You will see boogie boards, pool floats and even paddle boards down there. Remember it’s a walk through the bush to get to the pool and pack appropriate footwear.
The Jellybean Track winds through the Glenbrook Gorge, past pretty mountain spotted gums, down to the river. There is a lot of birdlife in the area so keep eyes peeled for kestrels and other birds of prey, rainbow lorikeets and even blue kingfishers.
The water is shallow and perfect for littlies to paddle in safely. Up river the water gets deeper.
There are no bathrooms at the Jellybean Pool, or rubbish bins, so prepare accordingly and take your rubbish with you.
The pool gets extremely popular in summer so go early. We arrived at around 10am and it was a little busy but still plenty of parking available.
Keep a close eye on small children. Remember there are no life guards present and keep a close eye on kids in the water.
After a swim, we highly recommend the 30min drive to Red Hands Cave to see amazing Aboriginal hand prints and stencils.
17 things to do in Wollongong Australia (with or without kids)
Wollongong, located an hour south of Sydney, is a coastal city with 17 stunning beaches, rock pools, gardens, cafes and many attractions for a great day trip. There are so many things to do in Wollongong that it’s hard to fit it all in.
Grand Pacific Drive and Sea Cliff Bridge
The 140-kilometre coastal route from Sydney to Shoalhaven winds its way through the Royal National Park and past spectacular sheer cliff drops. Our favourite section is the Sea Cliff Bridge, which was built in 2004. The bridge is 1/2 a kilometre in length and clings to the cliff-face. Park at either end of the bridge and stroll the bridge in both directions.
Wollongong Botanic Garden
The Wollongong Botanic Garden is a 30-hectare garden in the suburb of Keiraville featuring a large collection of native and exotic plants from around the world. The garden features a Japanese drum bridge, cactus collection, large playground and picnic facilities. Visiting the Wollongong Botanic Garden is one of our fave things to do in Wollongong – make a day of it with a picnic lunch.
This scenic spot overlooks the beach where Australian aviation pioneer Lawrence Hargrave made a successful flight on 12 November 1894. Today, its a well-known lookout over the Sea Cliff Bridge and popular hanggliding point.
Symbio Wildlife Park
Nestled in the quiet suburb of Helensburg lies Symbio Wildlife Park, a tiny zoo that makes for a great afternoon of wildlife encounters — particularly for little kids. Symbio boasts “we’ll get you closer”, and there are indeed opportunities to get up close to lots of animals. The grounds are spacious and well-kept, and the animals all healthy and happy looking. No sad depressed animals in tiny enclosures here.
The heritage-listed Wollongong Harbour was created to ship coal from mines in the area in the 1840s. It is now a departure point for fishing boats and home to the Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse, which was built in 1872.
Nan Tien Temple
In the southern Wollongong suburb of Berkeley you’ll find Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Built in the early 1990s, the temple has peaceful Japanese-style gardens, two large prayer halls featuring Tibetan-style architecture, accommodation and a restaurant serving vegetarian dishes.
Kids will love Jamberoo Action Park, famous for its water slides and attractions. There are water-based activities for adults and kids of all ages at Jamberoo. Billabong Beach is a popular spot for littlies to play, as is the Mushroom Pool, a bright and colourful pool with a mini water slide and squirting frogs.
Wander the elevated walkways through remnants of an ancient rainforest that once covered the Illawarra region. The 1.6km walking loop takes visitors across suspension bridges and raised boardwalks into the heart of the forest. Keep our eyes peeled for the local wildlife – lyrebirds, eastern water dragons and swamp wallabies live here.
Fly through the tree tops at Illawarra Fly, the highest zipline tour in Australia. Illawarra Fly is located 2 hours south of Sydney, and also includes a 1.5km Treetop walk.
The perfect day trip for a special occasion, Illawarra Fly offers Australia’s highest zipline tour for adventure junkees, and a stunning accessible walk with views of the Southern Highlands and Pacific Ocean from an elevated treetop walk.
Local families love Austinmer Beach, particularly the fenced in playground (sadly no shade cloth) that has plenty of activities for kids of a variety of ages. The rock pools are a major draw for this beach, too.
Located at the south end of the beach, they attract children and adults alike with their amazing ocean life. We spotted fish, a crab, sea snails, an anemone, and some freaky looking creatures that none of us could identify. We have been back to Austimer Beach so many times over the years – it’s one of our fave things to do in Wollongong with kids.
Visit the second-largest motor museum in Australia and check out the rare, vintage collection that includes cars as well as motorbikes, telephones, lawnmowers, radios, typewriters and more. Several of the vintage appliances were loaned to Baz Luhrmann for filming of the Great Gatsby in 2013.
Take train-obsessed kids to the Illawarra Light Railway Museum! They will adore riding the miniature railway, while adults will get a kick out of seeing the collection of excellently preserved steam and diesel locomotives.
Wollongong Art Gallery is a leading regional art gallery with an excellent collection of Contemporary, Aboriginal, Asian and Colonial artworks. The gallery itself is housed inside a local landmark: a unique building, designed and built in the 1950s.
Australia’s only dedicated children’s museum is located on the campus of the University of Wollongong in Sydney’s south. The Early Start Discovery Space is designed for kids aged 12 and under and features 14 interactive spaces designed to spark the imagination as they build, create and explore through play. A particular hit is the Tummy Tour, where kids can imagine themselves as a piece of food and crawl through an inflatable digestive system. The Early Start Discovery Space is one of our fave kids activities in Wollongong.
Science Space in Wollongong has over 100 interactive science-based exhibits, a planetarium, live shows, plus a gift shop and cafe.
The major hands-on science venue of southern New South Wales, Science Space is suitable for all ages, with two floors of interactive exhibits, plus live shows in the science theatre and Australia’s most digitally advanced Planetarium. Science Space is the major hands-on science venue of southern New South Wales.
The Royal National Park is one of the oldest in the world. Established in 1879 the park spans 160 square kilometres and makes for the perfect family day trip with plenty of spots for picnics, bbqs, bushwalking, swimming, fishing and whale watching. There’s wildlife to discover and Aboriginal heritage to explore. Enter the park by car, ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena or a tram from the Sydney Tramway Museum in Loftus.
A popular spot for families in the Royal National Park, Wattamolla is the name of a cove, lagoon, and beach. It’s an absolutely stunning spot with a flat lagoon for kids to swim in, a waterfall and a beach with rocks to climb on.
Let Curious Minds Play at Science Space Wollongong
Science Space in Wollongong has over 100 interactive science-based exhibits, a planetarium, live shows, plus a gift shop and cafe.
The major hands-on science venue of southern New South Wales, Science Space is suitable for all ages, with two floors of interactive exhibits, plus live shows in the science theatre and Australia’s most digitally advanced Planetarium. Science Space is the major hands-on science venue of southern New South Wales.
Science Space opened in 1989 under the name of Science Centre and Planetarium, just north of the current location. In 1998 Wollongong suffered severe floods, damaging the gallery and exhibits. In 2000 Space Science was rebuilt with support from the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the NSW Government in its current location, on the UOW’s Innovation Campus.
Science Space is the only dedicated immersive science centre in NSW.
The exhibits cover a range of topics from dinosaurs to gravity. Their interactive nature makes science fun and exciting for kids – you could easily spend an entire day here just tinkering with the exhibits.
We watched a live show in the science theatre (check the schedule to see when shows will be running again) which saw a chemical eruption – included in the ticket and well worth watching.
It’s also worth watching a show in the Planetarium, which uses a 4k laser projection system to take visitors on an immersive tour of the Universe, a journey back through time or to the deepest and darkest depths of the ocean. Check the website for the show schedule.
Visitors are welcome to bring their own food and use outdoor picnic areas. There is also a kiosk and café onsite.
Science Space Wollongong 60 Squires Way, North Wollongong Hours: Thur-Tue 10am-4pm (Closed Wednesdays) sciencespace.com.au
Enjoy breathtaking grand valley and waterfall views on the Wentworth Falls walks in the Blue Mountains National Park.
The Wentworth Falls track starts from Wentworth Falls picnic area. There is one main car park plus overflow parking on Falls road. The picnic area has shaded picnic tables and a decent bathroom.
If you’re catching public transport, regular trains run from Sydney Central Station to Wentworth Falls. The picnic area is around 2km walk along Falls Road, or you can catch a bus to the corner of Fletchers Road and Falls Road.
The road into the car park is sealed and easy to access. There is a wide, paved path from the carpark along to Jamison and Wentworth lookouts.
The Wentworth Falls walk is 1.4km return, with an estimated time of 45min – 1hr. There are steep steps involved that are not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs. The trade is a grade 3, and we found it quite do-able with our nine-year-old. There were plenty of younger children also completing the walk.
Follow the path past Jamison and Wentworth lookouts.
There is a steep descent of around 200 steps to the cliff-edge Fletchers lookout. This is a stunning spot to take a look at Wentworth Falls as it plunges 100m into the valley.
Keep following the path down a few more steps to the top of the Falls.
The Jamison Creek cascades into a shallow pool to one side, which makes for a lovely little paddling pool for kids.
The other side opens into the Jamison Valley.
You can continue on a variety of routes from here, including the National Pass, Weeping Rock circuit, Undercliff track or historic Princes Rock lookout track.
We took the this round walk track, which is a short circuit through the bush and comes out at the most incredible view of the other side of Wentworth Falls.
Return to the car park via the same route. Take a towel and change of clothes if you’re planning on paddling in the cascades.
An elegant Blue Mountains high tea is the perfect way to enjoy the fresh mountain air and spectacular scenic views. These four spots guarantee warm scones, fresh ribbon sandwiches and a divine pot of tea.
Lilianfels Resort & Spa, Katoomba
Enjoy the grand tradition of Lilianfels High Tea, served on a three-tier platter, in the elegant Lilianfels Resort & Spa in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Lilianfels High tea is a triple-tiered plate that includes fluffy homemade scones served with homemade jam and fresh cream, petit pastries, selection of finger sandwiches and your choice of tea or coffee.
High tea is served in the elegant Wintergarden, with panoramic views overlooking the Megalong Valley.
Choose from the traditional High Tea, Eastern High Tea or Gluten-Free High Tea, each served to the table on a three-tiered silver stand and including a range of tea and coffee.
For a truly unique high tea, journey inside the Bygone Beauties Treasured Teapot Museum & Tearooms, home of world’s largest private collection of teawares. Enjoy High Tea or Devonshire Tea surrounded by stunning teapots from a bygone era, while waitstaff zoom past with high tea on silver trays.
Entry to the teapot museum is right next to the tearoom and well worth a look.
Treat yourself to something special with a selection of sandwiches, traditional homemade scones with fresh cream and conserve, decadent sweet treats, rich loose leaf La Maison Du The. The view over Megalong Valley from the dining area is as much of a star of the show as the food! The Fairmont high tea has excellent scones and sandwiches and top notch service, plus the prettiest plates of any high tea.
Enjoy the grand tradition of Lilianfels High Tea, served on a three-tier platter, in the elegant Lilianfels Resort & Spa in the NSW Blue Mountains.
It’s always time for tea in the Blue Mountains, and one can’t go past the elegant high tea served in The Lounge of Lilianfels Resort & Spa.
The luxurious Lounge makes for an elegant and warm high tea experience. With plush Victoria armchairs and lounges to recline in, and the delightful ambiance of classical piano being played live, it’s high tea to dally over with loved ones.
Lilianfels High tea is a triple-tiered plate that includes fluffy homemade scones served with homemade jam and fresh cream, petit pastries, selection of finger sandwiches and your choice of tea or coffee.
Upgrade your high tea to include a glass of Australian sparkling wine or a glass of Moet Chandon NV French Champagne. When we visited, the tea was priced as follows: High Tea $55 per person (Mon to Thu) and $60 per person (Fri to Sun including public holidays), Deluxe High Tea from $75 per person including a glass of Australian sparkling wine and Luxurious High Tea from $80 per person including a glass of Moet Chandon NV French Champagne.
I couldn’t fault the service or food at Lilianfels. The high tea and staff were both perfection, with attentive service and delicious, fresh food.
I particularly liked the amount of savoury items compared to sweet, as my tastes are changing and I really prefer more savoury than sweet these days.
There is a Children’s High Tea available for $35pp, which is also served on a triple-tiered plate and includes selection of pikelets, fairy bread, sandwiches and treats. Served with tea, juice or hot chocolate.
The Lilianfels High Teas are extremely popular so bookings are essential.
The gardens at Lilianfels are lovely so be sure to go for a stroll in them, including the cute little maze, before you go.
Lilianfels High Tea, 5/19 Lilianfels Ave, Katoomba NSW lilianfels.com.au
The heritage-listed Australian National Botanic Gardens are the perfect escape from the city hustle and bustle.
Established in 1949, the Gardens contains the most diverse collection of Australian native plants in one location anywhere in the world. There are 4,300 species to discover, spread over 35 hectares.
There are a range of walking trails to enjoy, as well as the Pollen Café, a Visitor Centre and Botanical Bookshop, wide open lawns and picnic tables.
Entry to the Gardens is free, but $3.50 per hour or $14.50 per day parking fees apply when using the on-site carpark.
The Main Path Loop is a great way to see everything. It’s 1.4km in length and takes about 40 mins to walk – longer if you stop frequently like we did. The path is both wheelchair and pram accessible.
We enjoyed the Children’s Discovery Trail – Who Did That?, which is an offshoot from the Main Path Loop. The 330m trail takes about 30 minutes to complete and is a great little interactive trail with engaging signage and the Paperbark Treehouse to climb.
The Gardens are broken up into themes of the Australian landscape, such as Red Centre Garden, Sydney Region Garden and Rainforest Gully. The Red Centre was a particular favourite of ours.
See koalas in their natural habitat and help support the care of sick and injured koalas at the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary.
The Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary was founded in mid-2020 in partnership with Port Stephens Council to create a first-class facility with urgent care for koalas in need as well as support long-term rehabilitation, preservation and conservation in the wild.
Set in stunning bush lands near Anna Bay, the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary offer visitors the chance to peek inside the state-of-the-art Koala Hospital with Intensive Care Unit treatment rooms and holding pens, take a stroll down the Sanctuary Story Walk, a 250 metre in length meandering pathway offering an immersive educational experience telling the story of koala and its habitat, and enjoy a stroll up the 225m Newcastle Airport SKYwalk elevated pathway and viewing platform, for a ‘tree top’ perspective into the koala’s natural habitat.
The Fat Possum Café onsite offers basic food like pre-made sandwiches, pies and sausage rolls (several vegetarian varieties on offer) plus pastries and muffins, drinks and a range of souvenirs.
For a really unique stay, try the overnight glamping experience like we did. The four-star glamping tents are set within the sanctuary grounds, in the shade of beautiful tall trees.
The glamping tents fit groups of two or four people – our deluxe tent had a queen bed and two single beds. Each tent has its own ensuite and kitchenette with fridge, toaster and microwave.
Also included in the stay is a breakfast hamper and a mini bar full of local treats. We highly enjoyed the wine, beer, cheese and snacks on our verandah while we watched the suns et through the trees.
Other facilities for overnight guests include a swimming pool with a heated spa and BBQ facilities.
Accessible glamping tents are also available.
The following morning, a guided tour is offered to overnight guests where a staff member takes the group on a tour of the sanctuary and gives a great personal talk on the role of the sanctuary, the plight of the local koalas, and incredible information on these unique creatures.
We learned so much in this tour, including how fussy koalas are about eating only the particular types of trees in their area, which makes it hard to transport and treat them elsewhere, and how the population has dropped significantly from 30K koalas in the area only 30 years ago to a few hundred today.
The hospital has an ICU section with around 15 koalas receiving medical treatment for injuries, mostly from motor vehicle accidents, or sickness, which is most often chlamydia, which flairs up when a koala is under stress and can cause blindness.
While the aim is for the koalas to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild, there are times when a koala isn’t able to be released because their sickness or injury is too severe. These koalas are offered a permanent home at the sanctuary.
In the future the sanctuary hopes to embark on a breeding program to then release more koalas into the wild and build back up the local population.
If you are keen to stay but not keen on glamping, there are also a range of standard rooms available for a more conventional accomodation choice.
The Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary is located around an hour from Newcastle or a 2.5 hour drive north of Sydney. There is a shopping centre a 5-minute away in Salamandar Bay with an excellent supermarket for stocking up.
Check in for overnight is from 2pm. I suggest checking in around then to leave yourself enough time to get settled into the room, look around the sanctuary, and leave plenty of time for relaxing in the pool before sunset drinks and dinner. Check out time is 10am the following morning.
Blackbutt Reserve is a 182-hectare bushland oasis in Newcastle featuring nature trails, wildlife exhibits, children’s playgrounds and picnic facilities.
Nestled in the suburb of Kotara, Blackbutt Nature Reserve is the perfect place to stop on a road trip or make a day trip out of.
Things to do at Blackbutt Reserve
Visit the Wildlife Exhibits
Get up close to iconic Australian wildlife in modern and spacious habitats. The habitats are located in the Carnley Reserve section of Blackbutt Reserve, and can be accessed by a boardwalk that starts at ground level and then is elevated, providing a birds-eye view of the animals in ground-level exhibits and of birds as they fly around their enclosures.
The boardwalk is wheelchair/stroller-friendly and includes interpretive signage along the way to help educate the public on the animals on display.
Animals currently on display include koalas, various birds such as Australian King Parrot, Barking Owl, Chiming Wedgebill and many other native fishes, doves and parrots, wombats, wallabies, kangaroos emu and more.
Interactive Activity Packs can be purchased from the Kiosk. Use the activity sheet included to walk the boardwalk in search of the animal plates to colour, and then use the clues to search the picnic area of Carnley Avenue for the animals in order to receive a free gift from the Kiosk.
Animal Experiences
Feed the emus
Emu cones filled with seeds and grains can be purchased from the Kiosk.
Koala feeding and talk
The koala talk and feeding is held at 2pm daily on the boardwalk.
Reptile Show
Reptile show at 11.00am on weekends, tickets available at the Kiosk.
Reptile Encounters
Private reptile encounters are available in the Wildlife Arena. Meet a snake, lizard or other reptile. $106 (minimum) for up to 10 people and $10.30 per person thereafter (maximum 20 people).
Critter Encounter
Book a Critter Encounter for an onsite party or event. Guests can enjoy hands-on learning experiences and the opportunity to meet, touch and handle some of Blackbutt’s favourite reptiles in the Wildlife Arena. Each child also receives an activity sheet to walk the boardwalk in search of the animal plates to colour-in. $165 for 30 participants* (maximum)
Take a guided tour
Book a private guided tour through the animal exhibits. Guests can see and touch animals during this one-hour experience which includes encounters with several reptiles. $195 (minimum) for up to 10 people and $19.50 per person thereafter ( maximum of 20 people).
Hunt for wildlife
Blackbutt Reserve is made up of Eucalypt Forest and a restored rainforest, which provides habitats for a number of rare and vulnerable species. While bushwalking, keen an eye out for these reclusive inhabitants. The restored rainforest is home to approximately 15,000 Grey-headed Flying foxes, currently listed as a vulnerable species in New South Wales.
Take a bushwalk
Blackbutt Reserve has seven different walking trails that wind their way through varying forest types and along creeks. Trails are signposted at each major intersection with the name of the track and the distance.
Have a picnic
Blackbutt Reseve has two main picnic areas and three additional picnic areas with limited facilities. The picnic shelters are designated with a shelter symbol on the map, while the tables with no shelter are designated with a table symbol.
The picnic area at Carnley Avenue is extremely popular and books out for large events. It’s a really lovely spot and close to the animal enclosures as well as the playground, duck pond and kiosk.
Play in the playgrounds
There are two excellent playgrounds inside Blackbutt Reserve.
Richley Reserve Adventure Playground
The Richley Reserve Mega Adventure Playground opened recently after a $2.5million overhaul. The playground features a massive 60m-long play area inspired by nature.
Features include rope courses, bridges, swings and slides, an adventure tower, and elements that suit kids of all ages, from toddlers to tweens, and all abilities (there is a specially designed carousel and better wheelchair-accessible pathways as part of the refresh).
Carnley Adventure Playground
The older adventure playground is best suited for kids aged 6-10. It includes spinning elements and interactive musical instruments.
Mount Ainslie Lookout: Top Things To Do In Canberra
Enjoy the best views in Canberra from the Mount Ainslie Lookout in the Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve.
The lookout is located at the top of Mount Ainslie, at an elevation of 843 metres. You can drive, bike or walk to the summit, which is particularly lovely at sunrise and sunset.
The view from the Mount Ainslie Lookout is spectacular. Lake Burley Griffin and many of Canberra’s famous attractions can be seen from the top, including the Australian War Memorial and new and old Parliament Houses.
Canberra had a planned city layout in the shape of a triangle and from this point of view, the city’s beautiful geometry can be seen.
There is an abundance of bird life in the 637 hectare Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve, making the area popular for wildlife photographers.
A hotspot for photographers, the vista is complemented by the abundance of native birds and wildlife.
To access the lookout, take Mount Ainslie Drive from Fairburn Avenue in the suburb of Campbell. There is a car park at the top of the mountain at the lookout.
