Australia Travel Agents

Our trip coordinator, Liz Neal (Springboard Vacations), who we connected to through the KimKim website is OUTSTANDING!!!
- spent considerable time with us planning the trip, making changes, and building an itinerary just for us
- very perceptive and creative in suggesting activities that dovetailed with the family's interests
- excellent ideas and recommendations, both on and off the beaten path
- very knowledgeable
- great communication, very responsive
- very easy to work with
-... read more

Our trip coordinator, Liz Neal (Springboard Vacations), who we connected to through the KimKim website is OUTSTANDING!!!
- spent considerable time with us planning the trip, making changes, and building an itinerary just for us
- very perceptive and creative in suggesting activities that dovetailed with the family's interests
- excellent ideas and recommendations, both on and off the beaten path
- very knowledgeable
- great communication, very responsive
- very easy to work with
- during the trip, easily reachable and available for needed re-jigging due to weather, closures etc.
- great support team in the country to help us navigate changes and accommodate unexpected requests
- always felt like we were in excellent hands – reducing the stress of the trip immeasurably
- a thoughtful, interesting and caring individual
- went above and beyond to ensure the trip went smoothly

Australia favorites
Philip Island and the Penguin Parade
Exhibition at Adelaide Library on Aussie Rules Football : )
Melbourne
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb
Great Barrier Reef (Seeing Hammerhead Shark!)
Kangaroo Island special shout-out to Dan (!!!), Exceptional Kangaroo Island
Mossman Gorge and River Drift Snorkeling Tour

NZ favorites
Southern Alps – Flight!
Mount Cook, hiking to glaciers
Queenstown & Rees Hotel
Driving through the Southern Island
Zorbing
Zip Lining
Auckland Central

I don't really know where to start! We had an amazing time, thanks to Ruth. Our accommodation was always in the best locations for activities and tours that had been booked for us. It was always interesting and elegant with wonderful staff. We were treated like royalty everywhere we stayed.
We thought that we had the perfect balance between activity and leisure. The tours were fun and only as active as you wanted to make them,the tour guides were passionate about their work and were keen... read more

I don't really know where to start! We had an amazing time, thanks to Ruth. Our accommodation was always in the best locations for activities and tours that had been booked for us. It was always interesting and elegant with wonderful staff. We were treated like royalty everywhere we stayed.
We thought that we had the perfect balance between activity and leisure. The tours were fun and only as active as you wanted to make them,the tour guides were passionate about their work and were keen on sharing their environments.
We honestly couldn't choose a highlight of the trip but visiting Bonorong wildlife sanctuary and holding a baby wombat would definitely have to be one of them.

Hotel Reviews

The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins Melbourne

Melbourne

Wow! Elegant and stylish, absolutely beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

This place is stunning,the interior looks as though it belongs in a much more refined time. Definitely not a place for children

Location

Great location for the railway and free trams. Easy walking to the riverfront and ferries

Staff

The staff are definitely some of the friendliest and such an asset to this hotel. From the housemaid to the receptionists to the bar staff in the lounge, everyone was just wonderful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The huge comfortable bed, the spacious room and gorgeous bathroom. And the housemaid do a wonderful job of keeping the whole place spotless.

Ovolo Laneways

Melbourne

A quirky and fun style hotel

Authenticity & Character

Quirky with fun art and interesting light filled bedrooms

Location

A great location for around the lanes of upper Little Bourke Street

Staff

Always friendly and helpful with local recommendations for dining

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and very comfortable rooms

MACq 01 Hotel

Hobart

Fabulous in everyway

Authenticity & Character

Loved everything in this hotel. Would absolutely recommend it

Location

Easy walking around the waterfront and into town

Staff

Always friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and so very comfortable

Brickendon Estate

Longford

A very interesting place to stay. Although the cottage felt old and very in keeping with the estate it was only 26 years old.

Authenticity & Character

I loved that the accommodation was inkeeping with the rest of the estate. Internally and not just the exterior was lovingly created

Location

Loved that it's set in the country with beautiful views but still only a few minutes drive to the nearest village for dining or supplies

Staff

We meet Louise, who with her family owns the estate, took some time to chat to us about the place. We found her very down to earth and just lovely. And the dogs are so very friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

I cannot think of a single thing that I would change or add.

Curringa Farm

Hamilton

What a stunning place to stay! I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to stay here

Authenticity & Character

the elegance and style, can't think of anything that I would change

Location

Loved the views and it's only a short drive to the closest village if you need supplies

Staff

Jane and Tim are wonderful hosts, they make everyone feel as though they are really special

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, amazing bathroom and absolutely spotless

Activity Reviews

Morning Cafe Culture Walk

Melbourne

Lynn was a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. A great way to get to know some of the lanes and area around the top end of Bourke street. The finish of lunch in the little Italian Cafe was a really nice end to a fun morning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Great Ocean Road Day Tour (Shared Tour)

Melbourne

A long day but worthwhile doing. Stopped at lots of interesting beaches and historic little towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kevin was a knowledgeable and humorous driver and guide. He had stories and information about the places we stopped in. He picked us up on time and even at the end of a very long day he was still helpful

Transport

The bus clean and comfortable

Full Day Bruny Island Traveller Tour (Shared Tour)

Hobart

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip and can recommend it if you are interested in seeing bruny Island and sampling some of the islands treats.

Quality of Experience

Lots of little extras like oysters, honey, fudge and spiced apple mead samples to take home. Could be quite active if you want to walk a bit but if you don't you can take it easy.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alan would have to be one of the best guides we met on our holiday. He was informative and funny, included everyone effortlessly and was an all round good guy.

Transport

Bus was a good size, clean and comfortable

Evening Old Hobart Pub Tour

Hobart

We really enjoyed this tour of old Hobart. Tales of convicts and dirty deeds, settlers and soldiers all told with passion by our guide. A fun way to spend an early evening before dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Farm Tour and Lunch at Curringa Farm

Hamilton

Jane and Tim are delightful, down to earth hosts of this farm. The food is BBQ and salad and plenty of it. The tour lasts about an hour or so and is really informative and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour of the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Hobart

A wonderful opportunity to visit this sanctuary and I'm glad that we did. We arrived too early but we were allowed to roam the park by ourselves until everyone else had turned up. It was really good being the only people there so that you could see the animals in their enclosures without a lot of people around. Our guide Nikki was bubbly and very passionate about the sanctuary and the role it plays in saving wildlife. One of the highlights was being able to cuddle a baby wombat and feed the Tasmanian devils, albeit with a grasping aid and not fingers, we still wanted those!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Depart Australia

Australia

Departing from Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne is easy. It seems well laid out, so it's easy to navigate your way around. Staff are helpful and courteous. We spent most of our time in the Air New Zealand lounge and enjoyed the facilities there.

Quality of Experience

Liz Neal at Springboard Vacations worked closely with us over several months to help us select the schedule, locations and tours we preferred. She promised that everything would be of the best quality and on time. That is exactly what we got. Over a twenty-eight day trip we had about thirty-five different pre-arranged events (flights, tours, hotels, etc). Every one was right on time and as described.

I really appreciated Gary because he listened to what I was asking for in terms of hotels to stay and the types of experiences that I was interested. in””His work was somewhat stressful because I only had a few weeks before departure to plan the trip and the planning time included Christmas in between those weeks so I really appreciate his stepping up to the plate so quickly. I also learned myself that when I use Kim Kim in the future, I need to really look in detail at the options that they... read more

I really appreciated Gary because he listened to what I was asking for in terms of hotels to stay and the types of experiences that I was interested. in””His work was somewhat stressful because I only had a few weeks before departure to plan the trip and the planning time included Christmas in between those weeks so I really appreciate his stepping up to the plate so quickly. I also learned myself that when I use Kim Kim in the future, I need to really look in detail at the options that they are offering me and really explore them in depth to be sure that I’m asking clearly for the things that I want. I only had one real issue, and that was not being able to go on a scuba diving tour because of a physical limitation, and Gary was very helpful trying to address that at the last. Minute. It was also great to have someone I knew I could call in-country and a similar time zone if I needed assistance - that really helped.

Gary put together a fantastic itinerary that allowed us to see a lot of things in very little time. Having someone figure out transportation, accommodations, and activities was extremely helpful and saved us a lot of hassle. read more

Gary put together a fantastic itinerary that allowed us to see a lot of things in very little time. Having someone figure out transportation, accommodations, and activities was extremely helpful and saved us a lot of hassle.

Activity Reviews

Classic Kuranda Tour

Australia

Everything from the Gold Class train ride to the park to the views from the sky train was amazing. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Punctual, friendly, with clear instructions.

Food

Food at the park was sorta meh.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and friendly guides.

Transport

I mean, whaddya expect from a bus? It was a nice bus, though. USB ports included.

Sounds of Silence Dinner

Australia

The food was phenomenal, the view was spectacular, and the setting was intimate. I enjoyed the astronomy lesson, but I wish the digeradoo player hung out longer (maybe for the duration of the dinner!).

Sunrise Tour of Uluru (Ayers Rock) & Kata Tjuta Hike

Uluru

Hot and tiring, but the guide made it a good experience. The fanny packs with snacks and water were great. The toilets at the rest stops are ---- ummmmm..... an experience. I'm not sure if that could be upgraded since it's a government run thing. I would like to have had a more meditative experience of just "taking it in" when it was still cool first thing in the morning.

Day trip to the Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Well organized, food was great, equipment was excellent quality, supervision was top-notch, and the views were spectacular.

Small-Group Uluru Sunset Tour

Australia

I was expecting better food. Otherwise it was a nice view.