Camping is fun. Road trips are fun. So imagine how much fun it is to combine the two! A camping road trip could be just what you need for your next outdoor adventure with the family! Planning a drive from Queensland to Melbourne is one of the easiest ways to include some stops for the kids that are interesting for parents too! When you choose to travel along the Newell Highway instead of taking the coast road there can be some unexpected educational opportunities!
Driving To Melbourne For A Camping Trip Can Be Fun!
- The World’s Largest Virtual Solar System is a fun way to learn about the planets and break up your trip. The planets are actually made to scale and even the distance between the stops is to scale. There are safe places to stop near each planet for photo opportunities and information on the billboards about the planet. The end of the line is Siding Springs Observatory which is always a great place to visit.
- Visit the Western Plains Zoo while in Dubbo. Hire bikes, walk or drive around the grounds and get up close to an amazing array of animals.
- The CSIRO radio telescope at Parkes is another fun way to break up your trip when driving to Melbourne. There are free entry and loads of information on how this telescope came to be an important part of the Apollo 11 moon landing. There are great photo opportunities and you absolutely have to try the whisper dishes! This is a fun stop that won’t take a lot of time but you will need to pull off the main highway to get to the telescope.
- Finishing your fruit before you arrive at the Victorian border is an interesting educational opportunity for kids. There are signs showing the fruit fly that is to be avoided and the fines for bringing it in. Most kids probably don’t realize that there are zones within Australia where certain food cannot be carried. It’s great to explain the damage done to crops and industry and why that is important. You might even be able to throw in some nutritional information to encourage your kids to eat more fruit!
- Driver Reviver stops might seem like just a place to break your trip and get a free drink but they are so much more than that. When you road trip with kids you show them how to be responsible when driving. One day they’ll grow up and if they are already used to stopping at the driver reviver stations they won’t feel self-conscious and will continue this safe driving tradition. They might even decide to volunteer to man a station themselves!
Once you arrive in Melbourne for your camping trip remember to stock up on plenty of supplies. There’s nothing worse than running out of something important and having to drive 50km to the nearest store.
And maybe we should have pointed this out first but……
Before you leave home in Queensland, remember to pack your tents and rucksacks. Plenty of road trippers arrive at their camping destination to discover that they left a vital piece of equipment at home – and very often it is the tent!
