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Travelling the outback with kids
Words Hema Maps Editorial Pics Supplied
Many of Australia’s most iconic destinations are in the outback and travelling to these remote locations with a family can be incredibly daunting. But it need not be — with proper planning and preparation you can enjoy hassle-free road trips and experiences that your kids will remember for a lifetime.
Frequent breaks
When you're travelling long distances on a family holiday in outback Australia, a great way to break up long drives is to plan some fun and interesting stops where the whole family can stretch their legs and let off some energy while exploring.
Whether you’re on a coastal highway or a dusty desert track, how much time your young kids can handle cooped up in the back seat of a vehicle is a key consideration for road trips and offroad touring.
It all depends on how well your children travel. If you have an infant, you may have to stop for a break every hour-and-a-half. Older kids may be happy to travel for four hours at a time. So long as you can gauge that level comfortably and then plan your rest stops accordingly, you can balance your travel and rest time to ensure your children aren’t getting irritated by constant travel.
Even though playgrounds are not as plentiful in the outback as they are in populated coastal areas, there’s plenty to see and do and your children will often surprise you in how well they can adapt and enjoy the simplicity of a creek in the desert or a large shady tree, playing with each other, their toys, plenty of walking and short hikes or even riding bikes to stretch cramped legs.
Keep them fed
Snacks are a great way to keep the kids entertained (and fed) on a long trip. Taking your own snacks for the kids is also a great way to save money on the road, plus it can help out with your picky eaters.
Packing all the kids' favourite snacks into a tackle box or similar gives them lots of options, but it also helps to keep them preoccupied while they choose what to eat.
Some great things to include in a kid's snack box include:
- Dried fruits
- Nuts and seeds
- Crackers
- Muesli bars or slices
- Popcorn
- Pita chips
- Fresh vegies like carrot or celery sticks
- Fresh fruit like grapes or blueberries
- Mini club sandwiches
- Cheese slices
- Mini muffins
Make sure they have their own drink bottle on hand with some fresh cold water, particularly if you are travelling in hot climates. Even with air con, vehicles can heat up and occupants can become dehydrated.
Keeping them occupied
Keeping the backseat entertained and engaged in the journey during extended stints of travel is important, both for your kids’ happiness and family togetherness. Digital entertainment such as DVD players, audio books, portable gaming consoles and tablets — when used within reason — are great ways to let your kids unwind. Touring holidays are also the ideal platform for extensive reading, giving your kids a good reason to invest lots of unbroken time in a good book.
Giving your kids the responsibility of journalling the trip is an all-round win: it’s a fantastic memento, it’s a project that requires engagement and reflection, and it can be a creative outlet for them to interpret what they see and experience along the way. Give them a map of the journey, a blank notepad with something to write and draw with (or both) and let them chronicle what happens.
Travel games are always a winner. Magnetic board games are great because the pieces don’t get lost down the back of the seat. Travel bingo and car scavenger hunts are also great to keep small folks busy.
Conversational and storytelling games have been popular with travelling families for decades. Favourites include Spotto, I Spy and number plate bingo — all of which are guaranteed to waste at least an hour or so.
Encourage the kids to make up their own stories. Each person tells a line of a story, then the next person adds to it. You are guaranteed to end up with a weird and wonderful story, and it’s a great way of encouraging kids to be creative and think outside the box.
Meanwhile, for outside play, some favourite portable toys, a ball or two, and even bikes — if you can fit them — can allow your kids to enjoy themselves outside much the same as they would at home in some of Australia’s wildest and ecologically amazing places.
Additional gear
If you have never travelled through remote arid regions with children, it’s understandable the first time to feel uncertain about what gear you need to take. In reality, there are only a few core areas you need to cover, and there are quite a few pieces of gear that can make the trip easier for everyone.
One of the primary concerns is bedding — you want your kids to be comfortable camping for days or weeks at a time, and getting the correct sleeping bag is a large part of that. Most sleeping bags for kids are not rated, so ensuring you purchase a rated sleeping bag suitable for chilly outback nights is highly recommended.
Good shoes and comfortable long pants are also simple items that make a large difference, while a set of back seat pocket organisers can make day-to-day storage and in-cab tidiness a simple task. Mosquito head nets (in some circumstances), vehicle awnings with annexes, interlocking foam mats, neck pillows, efficient means of washing clothes and other extras can make your days simpler and travel routines more efficient too.
Be prepared
If you’re concerned about lack of access to public services, supplies and help in general, you needn’t be, as these issues can be mitigated with ample planning and education. Leave a good itinerary with someone back home who can be responsible for knowing your whereabouts, and who will know what to do if you’re uncontactable at agreed points in time. Having a satellite phone or other reliable communications and knowing how to use it will give you means of contacting home and emergency services if need be.
Taking a reputable first aid course (a remote-area first aid course is even better preparation) is an excellent way of educating yourself and instilling a feeling of control over your destiny in places where you very well might be on your own as a family unit. It should also go without saying that a first aid kit is essential on any journey through remote places, but becomes a more pressing concern for first-time family travellers.
It’s important to give your children a respect for the land, but equally importantly, the wildlife. Your kids should understand that all of the exciting animals found in the outback need to be given a wide berth, and any dangerous animals should be reported to you as a parent immediately.
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