Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Suggestions for a family trip to Oz?

The Broccolis will be spending 6 weeks in the antipodes July-August. (I know, it will be winter. We will probably take a side trip to Queenstown NZ for some skiing) I'm looking for interesting places to spend time with Mrs. Broccoli and our 2 boys 12 and 14. Although the boys would like the world to be one giant theme park, I would like to show them some more authentic Australia while still holding their interest. We'll get their theme park itch out with a few days in the Gold Coast area. I'm hoping to spend more time (a week or two) on the North Queensland coast, perhaps Atherton or Daintree. I would appreciate any recommendations of places, activities, or accomodations we should consider. We are more interested in unique experiences and connection with the place than luxury or a vast panoply the same activities that can be had at any beachside in the world. Thanks is advance for your comments.

If you are willing to brave the cold come down to Tassie. Wonderful history with lots of gory stuff for boys, nice driving, wonderful scenery, great national parks.....need I go on? FNQ is good, but Tassie really is undersold.

I second Tassie. It’s a great place with loads to see and do with fantastic local food and drinks. I just got back from 2 weeks down there. Tasmania is a great place to visit and you get to see different side of Australia.

Third for Tassie!

Six weeks provides a lot of possibilities.

I also agree that Tasmania should be high on your list. Other suggestions you might want to consider are:

Flinders Ranges (South Australia)
Great Ocean Road + Grampians (Victoria)

5th for Tassie. You could probably spend 5 days in Sydney, maybe some time in Melbourne although at that time of the year its cold. You might also want to look at going upto the top end as it will be the dry season maybe visit Kakadu and then over to Cairns to see the reef.

Go to Phillip's Island and see the Fairy Penguins. The kids will love it!

I second the Great Ocean Road.

Tasmanians coming out of the woodwork! :)
Putting my North Queensland hat on (lived there through 2005), a suggestion on the Cairns area would be for Port Douglas or Palm Cove, where there are some good accommodation choices, and the great "rainforest and reef" experience that kids and family should enjoy.

After all, even Bill Clinton has been a past visitor....... :)

Hope you and the family have a great visit..... it's fairly hard to go wrong whatever you end up choosing to see here!