Recently I received a comment on the logistics of the trip and figured it might make a good topic.
By the way, if any commenter wants to e-mail me on more specific questions, just post a comment starting with the line "Do not post" and you can build in your e-mail to the message. Comments are moderated, so I can read, reply to, and delete your comment, thus keeping your e-mail private.
So, as far as planning, the first thing is you plan the date range. Depending on how big your window is, you can shop for fares accordingly. Summers are hot, humid, and wet, so do not plan for the summer in the North if you are not up for that (I was and the little guy was fine with it). A quick search on Qantas and United will tell you what the fare range is for your target date, but know that Qantas and Australia Tourism sometimes have deals. If it is close, Qantas has higher service levels. My son got more "kid stuff" on a domestic Economy flight on Qantas than upgraded to Business on United International.
Then you've got to figure out where you're going to go. At first, I was going to do Adelaide to Cairns. Then it was Perth -Cairns. Then it was Darwin - Cairns (skipping the area with the greatest perceived combined risk of flooding and remoteness - western Queensland). Then I figured I'd do the whole thing. Had I missed the remote parts of Australia between Cairns and Perth (Via Darwin & Broome), I would have missed a big part of the soul of the country. However, I understand that few people have the time or the tolerance for long days and empty roads.
Prices are high and it is not just the weak dollar. Australia's booming economy has had some inflation and Australians complain a little about it as well. One benchmark item that I like to use is a cup of your favorite espresso drink at Starbucks. I like a Grande Americano (Long Black). In '01 and '03, the US price was US$2.10 and the Australian price was A$2.10. With a US$.55 = A$1 exchange rate, that was a deal! This summer ... er, winter... this January it was US$2.25 in the States and A$4 in Oz. With US$.90 = A$1, that was pricey. Food and beverages were accordingly expensive - maybe 50% more than California. Whether eating fast food (in cities), diners, pre-packaged food, or restaurants, assume a premium of 30% to 100% over US prices at current exchange rates. Living on groceries in the car or at a property with a kitchenette, you can get by on $20 per day per adult. Eating out it is more like $50-75 per day per adult.
The next bit of pre-planning is to book the rental car. There is a maximum charge for child seats, so whether you're there for a week or two months, the car seat is $50. Don't worry about driving on the left, you'll adjust fast (the drive from the airport to the hotel is harrowing, then you are fine). If you start in a more remote city, you can get started with fewer ...ummm... traffic opportunities. I am glad I started in Cairns and not Sydney on that count. Note, the car seats do not necessarily have the clip at chest level, so you may want to bring your own clip. Hertz was the least expensive option for me in Cairns, oddly enough, but price shopping here is important and attention to the fine print on unlimited mileage is essential. Gas (say "fuel" when you're there) was between A$1.22 and A$1.71 per liter (3.8 liters per gallon) with a weighted average of about A$1.35-1.40 when the world price was about US$90-100/ barrel. It is now US$135 and their taxes go up with price increases (US taxes are per gallon, not a percentage of price), so their increase should be greater.
I booked the starting hotel in advance, but booked others as I went along (as I had a better sense of when I would arrive in various cities) and left the rest to chance. In most towns, I drove in and figured it out. The Information Centers in most towns have all the prices and someone to speak with. On only one occasion did I get "shut out" - Karratha had no rooms and I had to get on down the road to a roadhouse. If you are traveling in a high season, you may want to plan a little further ahead either online or at the Info Centers (they are generally very helpful even if they don't know the places 500-1000km down the road). Roadhouses, pubs, and cheap motels were no less than A$75. Roadhouses are fairly basic - a bed, a light, a cheap TV, and a functioning AC. Some have toilets in the room, some have a common bathroom. You can stay a couple nights in those places, but you want to shake things up with a nicer place here and there or the travel will become tiresome. Chain motels are generally a big step up in cleanliness & insulation from nature (Best Western is everywhere) and you can do that for the longer term typically for A$90-120. I stayed at three roadhouses and a pub - I recommend that you stay there for the experience a few times, but the chain motels were more comfortable. The resorts (when available) are sometimes not that much more than the chains (A$150+). Places that I would definitely stay at again if back in the neighborhood (and recommend) include the Cairns Hilton (location and staff are tops), Darwin Esplanade Holiday Inn, the Mangrove Resort Hotel in Broome, the Fortescue River Roadhouse south of Karratha (only if you talk with the guy who owns it, it truly is a Spartan property), Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort (memorable, but one day is enough if you're driving through), the Albany Best Western (good staff, nothing special about the property), the Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast, and the Brisbane Hilton. Those last two can be pricey. I used points for most of the Hiltons. I added extra days as I went a couple times - after one hour at the Darwin Holiday Inn I knew I wanted to stay two nights. In most of the bigger cities I scheduled 4-7 nights and I scheduled it a week or two out. There is something to be said for having a home base and taking day trips or taking it easy. I did this in Cairns, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Port Macquarie.
The View for $75 (Fortescue River Roadhouse)
The View for $130 (Darwin Esplanade Holiday Inn)
The View for $220 (Cairns Hilton)
As far as thinking about where you want to go, Google Earth and all the photos that exist of all the places you are considering is a great tool.
Internet in the hotel room is simply outrageous for an American used to $10/day whether you're at Starbucks, the Best Western, or the Westin. It is A$30/night in most places. Plan accordingly.
As for things to do with the kids, every town with three people or more has a playground. It was good to stop and play for 10-30 minutes and let him run around. They were interesting, well-maintained, and for public use (that is they are generally not school playgrounds). As for things to do in the car, Alex had several intricate toys that he liked to play with in the car seat (a card with holes and a string was his favorite). We also spoke quite a lot and we listened to his music every day. I had mommy's voice talking on a CD and he liked that sometimes as well. If you are traveling with mommy, that may not be necessary. Outside of Melbourne, we were not.
Getting back to the commenter, I hope his wife goes for it. Australia is a developed first world country, so things should be fine as long as you take precautions. As far as persuading his wife, I wish him luck. Be aware of the risks and prepare accordingly - phone service, food, and water for remote areas, awareness of funnel web spiders in yards around Sydney, and of course caution for the more exotic wildlife in the jungles up north, etc. Be aware but don't overdo the description for your wife if she is like mine. You don't get many chances to do something big and memorable like this, so I strongly recommend it.
