What to do on the school holidays in Melbourne

Oct 02, 2018

The kids are off from school and instead of waiting for the familiar refrain of “we’re bored!” you’ve booked a holiday to Melbourne. Congratulations! But, how will you keep the family entertained while you’re there? Never fear, Melbourne is one of the best cities in Australia to do school holidays in, and we’ve put together some of our favourite ways to spend some time in our most liveable city:

Take them along to a festival or event – check out our post on the best yearly activities in Melbourne, including the International Comedy Festival, White Night and more.
If your kids are the crafty type, the City of Melbourne puts on plenty of workshops throughout the city. Your little ones can learn to code robots, create their own skateboard deck art, experiment with street art – just head to the Visit Melbourne website for a wrap up of what’s on during your stay. Alternatively, head to one of the city’s many libraries for events and activities – or keep the kids entertained with an afternoon of reading.
The Melbourne Legoland Discovery Centre features a 4D cinema, 11 LEGO build zones and even rides – and what kid doesn’t love LEGO? Even the adults will love this throwback to their childhood and you’ll easily be able to spend an entire day here lost amongst the bricks.
A little out of the city (about 50 minutes drive) is Melbourne’s newest theme park, Gumbuya World. You’ll experience the Australian outback, get up close to 52 species of Australian animals and can also get wet and wild on the waterslides under the gumtrees.
If your kids are daredevils, get them up amongst the trees at the Live Wire Park in Lorne, an easy day trip from Melbourne. Designed to have a minimal impact on the natural environment around it, the park a canopy circuit amongst the trees and the most extreme zipline in Australia, the Shockwave Zip Coaster.
Get up close to our furred and feathered friends at one of Melbourne’s two zoos, the Melbourne Zoo and the Werribee Open Range Zoo. Werribee has a Keeper for a Day program during specific holidays where kids can see the animals up close, talk with the keepers and learn more about their conservation efforts. During the holidays, both zoos offer activities for the kids, just check their websites for more.
The National Gallery of Victoria is perfect for a rainy day visit and during school holidays they also run kids programs for all ages. Their exhibitions change regularly and we’d recommend the family membership if you’re regulars to Melbourne.