I Just Found A Perfect Aussie School Holiday Activity That Parents Will ACTUALLY Enjoy Too

There’s a dream trifecta that parents like myself hope to find when selecting the ultimate school holiday family activity.

Ideally, it should be active, stimulating, and – most importantly – fun. And when it comes to this last point in particular, I mean that it should be as enjoyable for adults as for the young ‘uns.

With these criteria in mind, my husband and I, along with our primary school-aged kids, took the easy hour-and-a-half drive from Sydney to Scenic World in Katoomba, NSW, to check out Dinosaur Valley and The Dino Aquarium.

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It delivered on every front.

For the uninitiated, Scenic World is the ultimate Blue Mountains adventure. It’s a tourist attraction offering thrilling rides that provide the best seat in the house to take in the majestic natural scenery, including the nearby Three Sisters.

Visitors both local and abroad arrive in droves every single day (yes, even on Christmas Day!) to ride the famous Scenic Railway – the world’s steepest railway – along with the Scenic Cableway and Scenic Skyway.

Both the Railway and Cableway descend in and out of the Jamison Valley. Once you’re down there, aspiring young palaeontologists gleefully enter Dinosaur Valley, which is set up along Scenic World’s exclusive, accessible boardwalk walking trails.

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Bonus points – there’s no extra charge for entry to Dinosaur Valley – it’s all included in the cost of your Scenic World Unlimited Discovery Pass admission ticket – with prices starting from $61 for an adult and $36.60 for kids.

For several years now, Dinosaur Valley has been a family favourite regular annual event, with the Lillipilli Link trail in the Jamison Valley bushland taken over by animatronic dinosaurs. This year it runs until Jan 26 – but it will return again next summer.

This year, the experience has levelled up with the addition of the brand-new Dinosaur Aquarium – but on that later.

In the valley, the larger-than-life dinosaurs are scattered throughout the bushland -tucked behind trees, on top of rocks and far below the trail

Young explorers then enjoy a real-life game of hide-and-seek as they hear roaring  sounds and try to find the larger-than-life moving dinosaurs.

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With their complimentary Dinosaur Valley Passport handed to them on arrival, kids venture along the boardwalk, ticking off each dino that they spot ‘in the wild’.

For older kids, the passports also feature dinosaur-themed facts and questions, with the answers to be found along the trail by reading the information boards.

All the dino favourites can be spotted along the way – from stegosaurus to triceratops and, of course, a T-rex.

There’s even a display of dinosaurs found exclusively in Australia, like the minmi and muttaburrasaurus. Seeing these large-scale moving replicas in the bushland reminds you that these incredible creatures really did once roam these lands.

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As you explore Dinosaur Valley, the experience is also brought to life audibly by every kid’s favourite dino superfan, TV star Andy Day.

The television presenter’s shows like Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures make him a natural fit to provide audio commentary throughout the trail. Kids encounter speaker boxes and are invited to push a button to hear Andy enthusiastically explain the dinosaur they see in front of them.

The entire dino trail can be explored at your leisure with no time limits. My kids excitedly went back and forth along the boardwalk track for a second look at their favourite dinosaurs.

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Once you’ve seen it all, you can ride either the Scenic Railway or Cableway back up to the main building, which is also where you’ll find the newly installed Dinosaur Aquarium.

At the front entryway to Scenic World, a ginormous ‘tank’ offers an immersive look at the dinosaurs that live under the sea.

Spoiler alert – it’s not truly an aquarium per se. But clever lights, sounds, staging and animatronics recreate a prehistoric underwater world filled with semi-aquatic creatures like the mosasaurus and spinosaurus. It’s quite magical.

All throughout the day, guests also encounter resident Dino Ranger staff, often holding newly hatched ‘dino babies’. My kids enjoyed these memorable meet-and-greet interactions and the staff’s puppetry and patient answers to the kids’ questions were very much appreciated.

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For those looking to level up their ‘roarsome’ day, the Scenic World gift shop offers a Junior Ranger Kit $19.99, which is a rucksack filled with goodies to kit out any budding explorer. There are also plenty of dino-themed plush toys and other souvenirs to be found.

And when your own hungry beasts have worked up an appetite, swing by The Dino Diner, which serves feasts to satisfy post-adventure appetites.

Although the dinosaur exploration was the kids’ top pick from the day, a very close second was taking the rides that Scenic World is known and loved for.

The Scenic Railway with its ultra-steep 52-degree incline has been operating since 1945 and continues to excite visitors of all ages.

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The Cableway and Skyway are gentle experiences but still lots of fun, offering unparalleled views of the Blue Mountains. The Cableway travels in and out of the valley at a brisk speed, and its all-glass walls offers a unique viewpoint.

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Meanwhile, the Skyway crosses high above the Blue Mountains, ending at the Echo Point side of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. Along the way, you get a clear view of the magnificent Katoomba Falls.

But the favourite part for most Skyway riders is the glass bottom floor in the centre aisle, where brave kids (and grown-ups!) can stand ‘on top’ of the Blue Mountains. Not for the faint-hearted!

With the dinosaur-shaped hole in our hearts filled, the verdict was that this is a school holiday activity that was thousands of years in the making. Get there before the exhibit is extinct!