It's one thing finding activities for the kids, but it is another thing to find activities that will keep the kids busy for more than a couple of hours.
Luckily, in Melbourne we have parks, playgrounds and places where kids can spend an entire day. Here are a few ideas..
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
SplashOUT days are full of wet ‘n wild family fun and terrific attractions to keep the kids entertained from 11am-4pm each day. SplashOUT is the best way to get your family active without spending a fortune!
Melbourne Zoo | Healesville Sanctuary | Werribee Open Range Zoo
Melbourne has three of the best zoo's anywhere in the world where you can take the kids for the entire day. All three are a short drive from Melbourne and each has its own unique and fabulous wildlife that the kids will love..
Melbourne Museum | Immigration Museum | Science Works | National Sports Museum
How good does it get.. take the kids to one of our fabulous museums for the whole day!
Museums are no longer the boring places they once were. Today, every museum has a bunch of daily activities, lots to see and do, and ideal for an entire day, mostly undercover.
More Melbourne Museums including ANZ Banking Museum, Australian National Aviation Museum, Fire Services Museum, Melbourne Tram Museum, RAAF Museum, Victoria Police Museum and Williamstown Museum.
Federation Square
Why not take the kids to our city centre (sort of) and spend the day with the kids engrossed in culture, art and fun. Whats at FedSquare, I hear you ask?
ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image for everything about films and television, the kids will love it. It also has one of the best exhibitions they will ever see and its 100% free!
The Ian Potter Centre has the best collection of Australian art anywhere! Including the iconic Melbourne painting, Collins Street, 5 pm by John Brack.
Behind FedSquare (2 minutes walk) is Birrarung Marr, a park that will consume a good few hours. It has a wonderful playground, views of the Yarra River (nice for a picnic lunch), sculptures and Artplay. Artplay is a kids art gallery of sorts. Free to enter and look around and while you are there, check out the upcoming kids workshops. Also in the park is the free, must see (and hear) Federation Bells.
Theres always something happening in the square itself, whether its entertainment on the stage, art in the square, roaming performers, watch something on the big screen (yourselves). Try eating at one of the excellent restaurants and cafes, although that can get on the $$$ side if you have a bunch of kids.
FedSquare is also home to the Melbourne Visitor Centre, a mecca for tourists and visitors looking for information about marvellous Melbourne. It is also a good place for Melburnians to visit and discover more places to visit, well, after visiting OnlyMelbourne of course!
Don't be surprised when you discover kids enjoy art! You might think its a bit, ooaahh, but kids today are more in tune with their creative side, and will love galleries like NGV, hey the waterwall is worth the walk down St Kilda Road (well, it was when we were kids).
Our kids loved Heide | Museum of Modern Art out at Bulleen where we spent a good 3 hours. We personally didn't like the exhibition that was on at the time, but the kids loved the gardens, the sculptures and the feel of one of the world's great homes of art.
We cannot talk about kids, fun and a great day out without mentioning Luna Park. For a hundred years Luna Park has been a mecca for families, kids and fun. Yes, it does cost, but it's good value and a fabulous day of fun.
Open weekends, school holidays and public holidays from 11am!
18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda | 03 9525 5033
-:- Luna Park | Book Online
Public Transport & Park
Shock horror, yes, we've mentioned public transport.
A fabulous day is to show your kids Melbourne's fabulous public transport by commuting to a place or a park by tram, train and bus.
Yes, if it's required drive to the local station or tram stop, but it's important we show our children that we can get around Melbourne 'without a car'. Believe it or not, we know many people who have never been on a tram or train.
If your children have never been on public transport, they will enjoy the change, the learning experience as well as your company while you are 'not' driving.
Why not jump on a tram out to Wattle Park, now that's a good day out combining public transport with a tram ride.
Public Transport Victoria
Finding the information you need about tickets, timetables and services is easy thanks to PTV’s website and call centre. For train, tram and bus information visit ptv.vic.gov.au or call PTV on 1800 800 007 | 6am - 12pm. Public Transport Victoria
Fitzroy Gardens
Fitzroy Gardens is our favourite Melbourne park for kids. We went there when we were kids and have enjoyed returning with our own children.
Spend the day walking around, relaxing and taking in everything there is to see. There is a cafe, but why not take your own food and enjoy a picnic on one of the many lawns, including the one next to the excellent playground. The dragon slide and giraffe swings will keep the kids busy for hours.
Other activities to keep them busy include the Fairies Tree (free), Tudor Village (free), Conservatory (free), Boy on the Turtle (free) as well as Cooks' Cottage (entry fee) plus the adjacent Treasury Gardens. As everything is signposted, point out the various plants, trees and fountains as well as the lake / creek and Sinclair's Cottage.
Get there using Public Transport (see above) as its right next to trains (Jolimont Station), trams (Wellington Parade) and buses (Wellington Parade)..
Speaking of parks, Melbourne has some wonderful parks with amazing playgrounds. Our friends over at Melbourne Playgrounds have reviewed and listed every single one of them. Pop over and look for one close-by, or try finding one of the bigger parks where there is a lot more to do.
Summer
Funfields
Funfields is a family fun park situated on a huge property in Whittlesea, 45 minutes drive north from central Melbourne. Funfields has a host of quality attractions featuring a great mix of both wet and dry rides to guarantee a truly awesome day of outdoor family fun with Unlimited Rides ALL Day.
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Bendigo Art Gallery and Twentieth Century Fox present Marilyn Monroe
5 March - 10 July 2016
Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most celebrated and enigmatic film stars in history, she transformed ...