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Kids activities Melbourne

Many Kids activities Melbourne are fun, cheap and easy to get to. As a parent, I find weekends with the kids much more fun since we moved to Melbourne, without costing the earth.

Princes Hill Playground

Find here some of my favourite activities and special attractions that are not just great for kids but make a good day for parents as well.

Art at the Yarra Foreshore

In the city, a stoll along Birrarung Marr is always something to do to chill out without going away. With a bit of planning you can book the kids into a weekend activity at the ArtPlay creativity centre at Birrarung Marr. They can get involved in creative workshops such as painting, printmaking, music and drama. There is also a great playground on the river, which is a nice place to hang out.

Where kids want to go - if you ask them

Whenever I ask my kids for a suggestion for an activity, Luna Park comes up. Next is the Melbourne aquarium or, in summer, the beach.

The movies also rank high - particularly the IMAX theatre at the musem. So, these are there for the special days.

On a rainy day

A favourite rainy-day trip is to the Scienceworks Museum, Melbourne. There is an enticing collection of interactive science and technology exhibits for all ages. Even I have a good time.

Nitty Gritty Super City is an exhibit where the kids can build a bridge, work with pullies and record a weather report…

Scienceworks Museum Melbourne

There is the sports centre, where we get to race each other (and Kathie Freeman) in a timed sprint and have a wheelchair race. Then we explore optical illusions, waves, and test our skills in the hand-eye coordination exercise…

By that time I am ready for the coffee shop. To chill out you can sit in the amphitheater. You may be lucky to catch an entertaining performance of some upcoming talent.

A favourite way of getting to ScienceWorks is by one of the Melbourne river cruises, which stops there on the way to Williamstown. It takes you down the river past the container harbour, where you may cross paths with a great container ship coming in.

Just another 10 minutes drive southwest is the RAAF museum that little aspiring pilots have a great time at (so did I). Be prepared for a bit of glorification of the airforce and war activities - but the rest is very impressive. You often get a small airshow, as well as one of the largest plane collections in Australia.

They have limited opening times, so check their website before heading out there.

Kids activities Melbourne on a fine day

On a fine day, kids activities Melbourne are even more numerous. We love taking our bikes up Merri Creek from Clifton Hill or Fitzroy North. This is a beautiful scenic ride, or walk, along the stream – feels and looks like the county. It’s great for playing in ‘nature’,- following sticks down the stream…

We end up at CERES (Centre for Education & Research in Environmental Strategies) Community Environment Park - an eco village. There is alternative power generation, gardens, education centres and a bike repair shop.

Here we can chill out at the pond, look for tadpoles, explore the how electricity is made and water is pumped with wind power, watch the chooks and wonder through the orchards and gardens. A great way to spend and afternoon!

And yes, there is a coffee shop with home made food, - and a nursery, which is not of the commercial kind, but very interesting to browse through.

Other fantastic bike trail are along the beach from St Kilda to Brighton. And I know there are many more. Let me know where you enjoy taking the kids.

For a day-trip

Melbourne Zoo is another kids activities Melbourne favourite, particularly of younger children. It is located in Royal Park and only 15 minutes from the city. I find it an engaging zoo, where you not only see the animals in their habitats, you get the cultural artifacts or their areas as well.

Our favourite is the butterfly hall, a tropical hall that is alive with thousands of butterflies that land on your hand if you are patient.

Take a picnic or have a break in one of their cafes - there is everything from take away to gourmet.

Weekend kids activities in Melbourne should include a daytrip to the Dandenongs. It is about an hour drive from the city, or camping in a National Park....

Watch out for this kids activities Melbourne space. Melbourne has an amazing array of choices of what to do with kids, and I will endeavour to include more of my favourites in the near future.

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