Guide · Families
The days Melbourne parents actually use on weekends, for the children and the adults alike.
Feed them first. Then the museum.
Start here
Melbourne is genuinely good for kids — there's an unusual number of things that work for both children and adults without either group being bored. These aren't the obvious tourist options (though some obvious ones earn their place). They're the ones Melbourne parents actually use on weekends.
The Forest Gallery alone — a living indoor rainforest inside the building — is worth the trip.
The Melbourne Museum is genuinely excellent for kids. The children's section is well-designed and the dinosaur skeletons are the real thing. Budget a full half-day. The Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre is important and accessible for older kids.
BookingBook tickets online. School holidays fill up — arrive when it opens.
The heritage steam railway through the Dandenong Ranges is one of the most reliably enjoyable family days near Melbourne.
The tradition of sitting on the windowsill with legs out the window is real and the railway staff encourage it. Kids love it, adults find it genuinely beautiful. Belgrave is reachable by train.
BookingBook in advance — it sells out in school holidays and on weekends. The Belgrave–Menzies Creek section is enough without going all the way to Gembrook.
The best wildlife park near Melbourne and one of the best in Australia.
Platypuses, wombats, wedge-tailed eagles, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos — all in a bushland setting. The keeper talks are genuinely good. Better for kids than Phillip Island because it's more interactive and less about waiting in the dark.
Local tipBook online. Go before 10am on weekends when animals are most active.
The most underused family venue near Melbourne's inner suburbs.
The hands-on science exhibits are genuinely good — the Lightning Room show is the centrepiece and it's spectacular. The Pumping Station next door is free and interesting for older kids. 10 minutes from the city by train to Spotswood.
Local tipWeekday visits are significantly less crowded. The Lightning Room has scheduled show times — check before you arrive.
On the Yarra, in the CBD, genuinely impressive — the shark tank and Antarctic section are the highlights.
It's expensive but it's a 2-hour activity in a central location that works for a wide age range. Good option on a rainy CBD day.
Local tipBook online for a discount. Go on a weekday to avoid weekend crowds.
A working farm in the inner city. 3km from the CBD. This is the kind of Melbourne thing that shouldn't exist but does.
Cows, goats, chickens, pigs, in a paddock beside the Yarra. The weekend farmers markets are also here. Genuinely wonderful for young children.
Local tipSaturday and Sunday mornings are best — market plus farm visit. Check the website for open days.
If your kids have any interest in sport — and especially AFL — this is one of the best things you can do in Melbourne.
The MCG itself is one of the great sporting stadiums in the world and the tour takes you onto the ground. The National Sports Museum covers AFL, cricket, and Australian tennis history.
BookingBook a guided MCG tour which includes museum entry. No tour on match days.
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