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children's parks & activities - melbourne & vic
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general guides


For general information about What's On and guides to your local area, try the following:

all regions

• Visit Victoria website has details of activities & events throughout Victoria
• local libraries often run children's events during school holidays, check with your local library or council for details.

• City of Melbourne - visitors section
• Melbourne.com.au
• Visit Victoria - Melbourne section
• The Mums' Guide to Melbourne for Kids   
  ph: (mobile) 0415 412 696

parks & beaches


There is information on parks throughout Victoria on the Parks Victoria website.

Melbourne - the Parks, Sport & Recreation section of the Melbourne City Council website has excellent information on local on parks. The site details the facilities available at each City Council Park, such as playgrounds, shelters, toilets, drinking water and barbeque areas.

If you need additional information about a park, contact the City of Melbourne on (03) 9658 9658.

The following parks have been recommended to us by a viewer as the best parks for young children (thanks Libby!). If you'd like to add your own favourite parks to the list below, please contact us:

Melbourne Region

• Bayswater Road Reserve - Kensington
  (cnr King St & Mountain Hwy). This is a great medium size park. Recently extended it with new equipment.
• Brighton - North Road Reserve
  It has a Playground, Dog off Leash area, Toilets. You can see the beach, and there is a nice Cafe nearby.
• Brighton East - Dendy St Park
  (next to golf course). Good park as it's a fully enclosed. It's a big sand pit with shade covers with limited play and climbing equipment. Best suits the smaller kids (say 1-5 yrs). Great for taking bucket and spade. Also BBQs with tables under a shade. Can get packed in warmer weather as everyone else has the same idea.
• Brimbank - Brimbank Park
  So many parks there, bike tracks etc
• Carlton - Rathdowne Park
  Great play area for toddlers and one for older kids too. There is lots of grassy open space for running, kicking around a ball or just laying on the grass, and basketball court for older kids. Close to cafes.
• Carlton - Carlton Gardens
Just next to IMAX, it has a recently updated their playground and picturesque fountain. It's nice for a walk.
• Chadstone - Phoenix Park
  (Rob Roy Rd). It's wonderful, with the Neighbourhood house, Library, BBQs & a Cafe on site. Only a few mins walk from the shopping centre. It has a large Wooden structure with many areas. Includes sand pit, swings & slides. Was built to suit both little ones & older kids. Can get very crowded.
• Dandenong - Tirhatuan Park
  Some really great climbing equipment
• Elwood - Clarke Reserve
  Updated recently with Swedish-design play equipment to engage children in more physical play. Has a climbing frame, banana-shaped slide, screw-shaped propeller climber, pommel swing. Exercise station for parents (push-ups & sit-ups).
• East Melbourne - Yarra Park
  (Wellington Pde). Playground & BBQs close to Jolimont Station. Walking distance to MCG.
• East Melbourne - Fitzroy Gardens
  (Clarendon St, inland from Grey St). Playground close to Freemasons & Mercy Hospitals. Lake & Nice for walks. Lots of green grass.
• East St Kilda - Alma Park
  (Alma Rd). New park with Castle, hand carved wooden animals, elevated deck. Good Park to let children's imagination to run wild!
• Eltham - Diamond Valley Miniature Railway
• Hampton - Thomas St
  Good as it's a HUGE castle with heaps of space to run around and plenty to keep kids happy with. BBQs on site. Beware- there are lots of places for little ones to hide, and it's not fenced in.
• Karingal (Frankston) - Ballam Park
  Pretty good
• Kensington - Bayswater Road Reserve
  (Albert St). Playground next to MCHC
• Kew - Hayes Paddock
  Good for young & old kids. A sensory park with lots of fun play equipment, fenced the whole way round with secure gates on playground area. Duck pond, big grass play area, toilets + BBQ's
• Keysborough - Burden Park
  (Heatherton Rd near Springvale Rd). It's a big wooden structure like a fort with sand pit, swings and BBQs. Enough to do for little ones, and the older kids love climbing.
• Lilydale - Lilydale Lake
  Nice playground.
• Melbourne - Birrurung Marr
  (next to Federation Square) Good park for kids with Art Play
• Middle Park - Crean Reserve
  A new combination climbing unit with spiral slide, jellybean counters, bridge walkway, monkey bars, an elevated platform & binoculars. It has multiple levels & bright colours.
• Moorabbin Airport - Moorabbin
  Good park. Nice for a picnic, and kids can see lots of planes & other interesting things as it's near the runways. Near DFO!
• Murrumbeena - Parker Park
  (Leila St). Has a big wooden play equipment type of thing with musical keys to stomp on, bridges, swings, trampoline (good for older kids or even adults). But it's not fenced in. And there is water nearby with birds.
• Narre Warren - TBA
  (Narre-Cranbourne Rd). Great Park.
• South Melbourne - Skinners Park
  Open 3.30-5.30pm weekdays & 10-5.30pm weekends. Staffed and filled with climbing structures, ponds trampolines, flying fox (St Kilda), cubbies and heaps more.
• South Yarra - Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden
  (Botanical Gardens, Birdwood Ave). Open 10-4pm Wednesday to Sunday. Magical place to discover the world of plants. You can dig, build, imagine, create, hide & explore!
• South Yarra - Fawkner Park East
  (Pasley St North). New playground for the kids.
• St Kilda - St Kilda Adventure Playground
  (off Neptune St). Open 3.30-5.30pm weekdays & 10-5.30pm weekends. Staffed and filled with climbing structures, ponds trampolines, flying fox (St Kilda), cubbies and heaps more.
• Sunbury - Galaxy playground
  Good park
• Templestowe - Westerfolds Park
  Great BBQ picnic area & huge log play ground
• West Melbourne - Flagstaff Gardens
  (Latrobe St, inland from Franklin St). Playground with BBQs close by.
• Wheelers Hill - Jells Park
  Good playgrounds plus heaps of safe open space.

Other regions - Contact your local council for more information on local parks and recreational facilities in other regions.

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activities


If you have any ideas for places that should be listed, please email us. We welcome your feedback!

vic

A Maze'N Games
Cnr Grubb Rd, 1570 Bellarine Hwy, Wallington, 3221 ph: (03) 5250 2669

Ardmona Kidstown Adventure Playground
Shepparton-Mooroopna Causeway, Shepparton, 3632 ph: (03) 5831 4213

Top Fun Family Fun Centre
1223 Point Nepean Rd, Rosebud, 3939 ph: (03) 5982 2344