The Best Resorts With Kids' Clubs in Australia

By: The ellaslist Team, 26 February 2024

Looking for the best Australian resorts with kids' clubs? The obvious candidates here, of course, are Fiji, Bali and Thailand, but if you're planning on holidaying down under this year, you're in luck as Australia is full of awesome resorts with kids' clubs. 

So get your holiday-planning-butt into gear and prepare for the family holiday to end all family holidays with our pick of the top kids' clubs in Australia.

The Best Resorts With Kids' Clubs in Australia

NSW Kids' Clubs

1. BIG4 North Star

The best resorts with kids clubs in Australia
Kids will love the Neptune's Castle Kids' Club at BIG4 North Star.


The BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort and Caravan Park has it all for families. The Neptune's Castle Kids' Club (ages 3-12) will help kids have the holiday of their dreams complete with a gigantic indoor play area, themed and supervised activities and arts and crafts. The play centre has a three-level spiral slide, ball pit and mirror maze. The best part? It's FREE!

Families holidaying at BIG4 North Star are often found at Sammy's Adventure Lagoon - a water park with some serious thrills and spills. Set amidst tropical surrounds, the two-storey aqua play has four waterslides and 65 interactive water features including water slides, water cannons, giant fibreglass fish, and a 600 L bucket that spills water every 6 minutes! Other park features include a giant outdoor playground that is fully fenced and shaded, and the Little Treasures play corner for under 3s.

Accommodation: BIG4 North Star has a range of accommodations, including five-star, fully self-contained luxury poolside spa villas and spacious family cabins and caravans and campsites.

2. Rydges Resort Hunter Valley

The best resorts with kids clubs in Australia
The cool water park at Rydges, Hunter Valley.


The Water Dragons Kids' Club at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley is a magical, miniature resort for little ones, complete with a team of experienced childcare professionals onsite to keep kids safe and happy.

Whether you’ve booked a spa treatment, a round of golf or wine tasting, you can enjoy complete peace of mind knowing your kids are in safe hands. Water Dragons Kids' Club is ideal for children between the ages of three and 12, offering a range of games and activities to suit all ages. Plus, Rydges have the only water park in the Hunter Valley!

They’re open every day during NSW school holidays and on weekends during term time, and activities range from button arts, playdough creations, paper art, dream catcher making and a whole lot more. 

Accommodation: Rydges have a range of family-friendly accommodation, including Kids' Suites with room for the whole family.

3. Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort

Merimbula Beach Holiday Park
For a waterfront family holiday, head to Merimbula Beach Holiday Park.


Merimbula Beach Holiday Park is situated south of Canberra. There are direct flights here from Sydney or else it’s about a six-hour drive.

This economical resort offers an action-packed kids' club. Kids' club activities include outdoor activities including rockpool activities, Tug of War, sand sculpting, face painting, board games, magic shows, arts and crafts, table tennis, air hockey and more. Merimbula Beach Holiday Park also offers a resort-style pool, a kid’s wading pool, fountain, giant jumping pillow, children’s playground, balance bikes, and go-karts. Plus, Magic Mountain Family Fun Park is just a short drive away.

Accommodation: There is a large range of modern one-, two- and three-bedroom villas and cabins as well as camping and caravanning sites. Most of the rooms enjoy gorgeous ocean views.

4. One & Only Wolgan Valley

One & Only Wolgan Valley
You can't beat the incredible views at One & Only Wolgan Valley.


If it’s luxury and stunning natural surrounds you’re after, One & Only Wolgan Valley is an unmissable family-friendly destination that happens to boast a fully-fledged kids' club to boot. 

The Wolgan Rangers kids' club encourages your young ones to engage with nature through a range of fun outdoor and indoor activities. Themes include bush survival, fossil hunting, adventure hikes, yabbying, orienteering and a whole lot more. 

Accommodation: Wolgan Valley is all about luxury for the whole family, with two- and three-bedroom villas available.

5. Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains

The best resorts with kids clubs in Australia
The indoor pool at the Fairmont Resort provides year-round, all-weather fun.


Available every afternoon during NSW school holidays, the Fairmont Resort KidsZone is suitable for kids aged four to 12 and includes games, arts and crafts activities, an indoor cinema, indoor playground, train rides and loads more!

And if that wasn’t enough to entice you—the resort has several kid-friendly restaurants on-site, as well as an ice-skating rink during winter! With two indoor play centres, an indoor heated pool, an outdoor maze, junior golf, merry-go-round and mini-train, the Fairmont KidsZone is the hotel’s major drawcard for families (alongside an upmarket and enjoyable ambience for adults.)

Accommodation: Family Suites are on offer at the Fairmont so you can rest assured your whole tribe is catered for.

The Best Kids' Clubs in Queensland

6. Hamilton Island

The best resorts with kids clubs in Australia
Hamilton Island's Clownfish Kids' Club makes good use of the island's stunning surrounds.


Hamilton Island is a fabulous Whitsunday’s resort that simply has it all!

The Clownfish Kids' Club caters for all ages – from six weeks to 14 years of age. It offers a large range of supervised fun activities. Please note that Clownfish Kids' Club is only open from Monday to Friday during the school holidays.

We love that you can fly directly from Sydney to Hamilton Island and once you settle in, there is so much to do. Choose from water sports, mini-golf, go-karts, quad bikes and wildlife. Or hire a golf buggy and take a tour of the island.

Accommodation: There are many resort-style accommodations to choose from at Hamilton Island. We like Whitsunday Apartments' stylish self-contained apartments.

7. Kingfisher Bay Resort

Kingfisher Bay Resort Junior Eco Rangers
Kingfisher Bay Resort's Junior Eco Rangers programme is not your usual kids' club.


Kingfisher Bay Resort boasts a unique Junior Eco Rangers programme that teaches children to care for the environment and everything in it. It includes activities such as low ropes courses and canoeing, bush and beach walks, sand sculpture, art and craft, campfire songs, spotlighting for bats, sugar gliders and frogs, and even stargazing.

The Kingfisher Bay kids' programme is available on weekends and school holidays for kids aged five to 14 years.

Accommodation: Families can choose from resort rooms, villas, houses and lodges.

8. Paradise Resort

Paradise Resort Kids Club
Hours of fun are on offer at Paradise Resort's kids' club!


Paradise Resort has it all – an ice-skating rink, waterpark and kids' club, plus, it’s just a minute's walk from the centre of Surfer’s Paradise!

Paradise Resorts Kids' Zone Mini Fun Park offers a range of fully supervised sessions daily for children as young as six weeks. Kids can enjoy themed play spaces such as Astro’s Space Station with pedal-powered space buggies, Under Water World with submarines and slides, and the Magic Garden with its colourful ball pit. 

The whole family will love Paradise Resort's Water Park – a giant water playground featuring a refreshing lagoon pool, large heated spa and a giant bucket that fills with 600 litres of water before emptying every few minutes over guests below in one enormous splash.

Little swimmers have their own smaller version including a slippery slide, water cannons and giant tipping water bucket. There’s also a paddling area especially for them with a gently sloping beach entry.

There is also a fully equipped playground and rock-climbing area.

Accommodations: There are loads of options, including family rooms and suites.

9. Daydream Island

Daydream Island Kids Club
Epic outdoor adventures await at Daydream Island.


Daydream Island is a luxurious resort located in the centre of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef.

The Daydream Island Kids' Club offers excellent childcare for children aged from six weeks to 12 years. There are two different programs that cater for kids from 0-5 years and 6-12 years. Supervised activities include arts and crafts, treasure hunts, fish feeding, basketball, coconut bowls, tennis, nature walks, mini-golf, group games and much more!

There are also loads of family-friendly activities on offer at Daydream Island such as snorkelling, jet-skiing, tennis, volleyball, and the fabulous themed mini-golf course. Daydream Island also boasts a huge aquarium and outdoor cinema for moonlight movies.

Accommodation: Suites and family rooms are available.

10. Sea World Resort

The best resorts with kids clubs in Australia
An aerial view of the incredible Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast.


What's on offer at Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast? The what's-not-on-offer list is shorter! Sea World Resort is heaven on earth for kids and parents who need to keep kids entertained. 

The Sea World Kids' Club boasts the latest X-Box 360 games, a kids' movie theatre regularly screening children’s movies and a host of fun games and activities like face-painting, arts and craft and team sports.

Children must be aged four to 12 to attend without a supervising adult, however, kids under the age of four can still utilise the kids' club provided that they are supervised by an adult. Sea World Resort also offers direct monorail access to Sea World Waterpark.

Accommodation: There are over 400 rooms, most of which accommodate up four people. You can choose from a garden, pool or beach view.

11. Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot Island
Kids can go snorkelling with turtles at Lady Elliot Island.


If you feel like splashing out on a family holiday on the Great Barrier Reef, the family-owned and operated Lady Elliot Island is a great choice.

Lady Elliot Island offers families a genuine eco-tourism experience through magnificent natural encounters in and out of the water. Here you will learn about sustainability, the natural world, and conservation in what is not just a holiday, but a completely immersive experience!

There is a shaded children’s playground, babysitting services, and a Junior Reef Rangers Kids' Club for kids. Not only will they be having fun, but kids aged five to 12 years will be learning about marine life and the beautiful coastal environment they’re staying in with this program. They will be taken out for two-hour sessions as a guide talks to them about the reef and gives them an opportunity to share their island experience with other youngsters.

There are no TVs in the rooms at Lady Elliot Island, so families will have a rare chance to truly disconnect from the online world and re-connect with each other. The Lagoon provides the perfect family snorkelling spot, as well as the opportunity to enjoy glass-bottom-boat tours and Turtle Tours when eggs are hatching!

Accommodation: There is a range of units and Island Suites available.

Kids' Clubs Top Tips

When looking for a great resort or villa that has a kid’s club or child-minding facilities, we suggest that you refer to Choice’s top tips before you book!

  • Age Appropriateness: When searching through kid's clubs and the activities they offer, make sure they aren’t things that your children will get bored with, for example, only arts and crafts sessions for your pre-teens might get a little dull. Look for kid’s discos, talent shows, fishing and outdoorsy adventures, cooking classes, and even spa treatments for your pre-teen. Educational programs (like turtle conservation clubs in coastal vacation spots) will keep your children engaged for the whole stay.

  • Age Matters: Make sure the kid’s club caters to your child’s age- some won’t if they are too young, or too old. You might get lucky and find a teen-appropriate one with more advanced activities such as film editing and jewellery making. Also, note if your children of different ages will be split up into age appropriate groups and if this is a problem or not.

  • Safety: Do your research on whether a hotel has met Australian safety standards or not. This includes staff background checks, childcare/CPR qualifications, plenty of staff per child ratio, do they cater to dietary requirements?, water and sun safety procedures, etc.

  • Nannies: Perfect for a night out when the kid’s clubs have closed down for the day. Safety is key here, and it’s always best to go through an Australian agency operating in Bali/Fiji etc where our safety standards are met, but which need to be booked well in advance. If you are getting someone local, make sure they come from a trusted recommendation, you can meet them first, give them lists of anything they must remember, etc.

More Holiday Reads

Affordable Family Adventures: Your Ultimate Guide to Budget-Friendly Activities on the Gold Coast
Sydney Staycation on a Budget: Fun-filled Adventures for Families with Young Children
Unlocking Cairns on a Budget: A Family Travel Guide You Can't Miss

 


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