Five must-see Christmas light displays
Santa might rely on a sleigh and reindeer to get around but we’ve got cars and at Christmas time, that means hitting the road of an evening and getting out to see the lights.Want to take the kids on an expedition to see some of Australia’s best Christmas lighting displays? Here are some of out favourites.
Hunter Valley Gardens, NSW
Anyone can add a few fairy lights and an illuminated reindeer to their front yard but nothing would approach the sheer spectacle of this display. Located in beautiful botanic gardens in the heart of NSW’s best wine area, Hunter Valley Gardens turns on some two million globes on a series of clever and fun displays, then adds food and drink stalls, a Ferris wheel, carrousel and carollers. It’s a pleasant two hour drive from Sydney and true family entertainment so help them pay the electricity bill (entry fee payable)!
Christmas Wonderland, Toowoomba, Queensland
If you are anywhere in south-east Queensland and feel like wowing the kids, head to Toowoomba’s Queens Park botanical gardens anytime before December 25 for the city’s spectacular Christmas Wonderland. Illuminated displays are everywhere, there’s music, a barbecue, usually free ice creams for the young ’uns and of course, choirs singing carols. Entry is by gold coin donation, the proceeds go to local charities, more than 90,000 turned up last year and it’s all great fun.
The Boulevard, Ivanhoe, Victoria
Okay, a trip to Ivanhoe might not be a relaxing drive in the country but if you’re anywhere near Melbourne this display is unmissable for anyone into some feel-good family Christmas cheer. The good residents of The Boulevard literally turn it on for visitors and have been since the 1950s: nativity scenes, Christmas trees, reindeer, the odd Santa, they’re all there in their thousand-watt glory, along with barbecues and coffee carts. Traffic and parking can be problematic (check the up-to-the-minute travel estimates), but that won’t bother the tykes. You know you want to do it.
Kennack Vista, Atwell, Western Australia
Here’s a another short drive for those who live in Perth – or a bit longer if you’re from Kalgoorlie or Kununurra – to the southern suburb of Atwell. Here, more than a dozen households of likeminded Griswolds have plugged Christmas into the grid for a dazzling display of colourful Yuletide glory. The annual barbecue and other fundraising events collect cash for breast cancer care in WA so the cause is as wonderful as the spectacle.
The Lights of Lobethal, South Australia
It’s always nice to see a house, a street or park light up for Christmas but at Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills the whole town plugs in for the Lights of Lobethal festival. Just about every house and business has some kind of lighting display but it doesn’t stop there. The Centennial Hall market has produce and craft displays (plus some yummy tucker), there’s the Pageant Parade on December 23 and the nightly Living Nativity re-enactment at the Lutheran Church will thrill the kids. And thanks to Elon Musk’s new Tesla battery bank, a blackout is unlikely.
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