If you have younger kids, chances are you will be hoping to plan a family holiday sometime in the near future when Australia’s interstate borders start opening up once more. In our other travel guides, we’ve covered romantic getaways and outdoor adventures.
But with kids in tow, you might be looking for somewhere a bit more accessible and with multiple attractions for the young ones to look forward to. Armed with a stash of Qantas Points, we’ll take you through some cities that you could fly to, soon.
Classic Reward Seats are quite flexible with no cash cancellation fees. If you can’t travel due to continued restrictions, chances are you may be able to delay or cancel your trip without a points penalty either — Qantas currently has a waiver in place until 31 October 2020.
And outside this period, change fees come in at 5,000 Qantas Points per passenger, with cancellation fees charged at 6,000 Qantas Points per passenger.
Here are the best ways to use your Qantas Points to book a family trip to the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle or Adelaide.
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Using Qantas Points to fly to the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is home to many of Australia’s biggest theme parks, such as Dreamworld and Warner Brothers Movie World. Water lovers can catch a wave along the 57km of beaches or at Wet’N’Wild or WhiteWater World while the delights of Lamington National Park is an hour’s drive away.
As a primary leisure destination, Jetstar is the dominant Qantas Group airline flying out of the Gold Coast Airport, which incidentally sits on the border between Queensland and New South Wales. However, Qantas does also fly Business Class-equipped jets from Sydney and Melbourne.
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Newcastle, Sydney to Gold Coast | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | 18,400 points |
| Melbourne, Cairns, Adelaide to Gold Coast | 9,600 points | 12,000 points | 27,600 points |
| Perth to Gold Coast | 14,400 points | N/A | N/A |
Using Qantas Points to fly to Brisbane
Can’t fly to the Gold Coast from where you are? Brisbane is another option and as a capital city, it has many flight connections from regional areas. It’s also the perfect starting points for a road trip — head up for the Sunshine Coast or down to the Gold Coast, to mix city and sea in one trip.
Brisbane is a sophisticated city with plenty of trendy restaurants and activities to do along the river. There’s even more to do within an hour’s drive from the city, such as visiting Australia Zoo.
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Sydney, Canberra, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Roma, Charleville, Barcaldine, Emerald, Moranbah, Mackay, Proserpine and Newcastle to Brisbane | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | 18,400 points |
| Longreach, Mount Isa, Launceston, Cairns, Townsville, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart to Brisbane | 9,600 points | 12,000 points | 27,600 points |
| Perth, Darwin, Broome, Port Hedland, Alice Springs, Uluru to Brisbane | 14,400 points | 18,000 points | 41,500 points |
Using Qantas Points to fly to Newcastle
Another surf town, Newcastle is the second-largest city in New South Wales. Its laid-back atmosphere is perfect for a quieter trip away with the kids.
For a more gourmet experience, head out to the Hunter Valley for top-notch food and wine (for the adults, of course!) Back in town, the cafes and restaurants take advantage of the region’s fresh produce and are the perfect pit-stop before hitting the surf.
Flight options to Newcastle are fairly limited — you’ll need to position yourself to Melbourne or Brisbane first. Alternatively, fly into Sydney and tackle the two-hour drive up north.
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne to Newcastle | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | 18,400 points |
Using Qantas Points to fly to Adelaide
Adelaide is full activities for families — stroll down Rundle Mall, visit the Haigh’s Chocolate factory for a tour, or head down to the beach in Glenelg for some frolicking along the soft sandy shores.
If you’ve got a bit more time on your hands, a trip to the Barossa Valley could be worthwhile, with numerous wineries catering for children with tours and food tastings that everyone can enjoy.
Monarto Zoo is one of the largest open-range zoos in the world, and you could experience being in a cage and feed the free-roaming lions! Why not also consider hopping on a Qantas flight and visiting nearby Kangaroo Island while you’re in Adelaide?
As a capital city, Qantas services the majority of routes into Adelaide, with Jetstar overlapping on some flights and running connections to Melbourne Avalon Airport and to Hobart.
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Melbourne, Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln, Whyalla to Adelaide | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | 18,400 points |
| Alice Springs, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast to Adelaide | 9,600 points | 12,000 points | 27,600 points |
| Perth, Darwin to Adelaide | N/A | 18,000 points | 41,500 points |
Summing up
Your Qantas Points could help you plan a cost-effective family trip, as airfares are often one of the biggest expenses for a group holiday. Admittedly, 75,000 points may not quite be enough if we’re talking 3-4 people flying across Australia, but it may work for closer destinations in neighbouring states.
Even better, there is usually decent value to be found in Economy Class, as cash tickets tend to be high. The inherent flexibility of reward seat bookings also makes it an ideal way to secure flights.
While you could also use your Qantas Points for luxury hotel stays and car hire at your destination, that value isn’t usually as good. Instead, consider looking for an all-inclusive holiday package on Qantas Hotels, as there may be some options that cater to families with kids.
Those special ‘Luxury Offers’ earn 6 points per dollar spent, and some properties have fantastic inclusions like food & beverage credits, bottles of wine on arrival, breakfast included and late check-out.
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