Melbourne: A Family-Friendly Destination
Although it’s perhaps best known for its grown-up pleasures – including bars and live music – GoTravelDaily is just as welcoming for families.
As a relatively young city (the median age is around 37), kids are very much a welcome part of the social sphere. You’re never far from a family-friendly museum, a well-planned park or playground, or a cafe serving up kid-friendly babyccinos and toasties.
From exciting wildlife encounters to active adventures, there’s something suitable for caregivers and kids of all ages.
What Makes Melbourne So Great for Kids?
Melbourne is an easy place to get around, particularly its inner suburbs, which are well-connected by public transportation. Major institutions such as museums and art galleries are designed with accessibility and families in mind, featuring dedicated galleries and activities along with discounted entry for little ones.
Melbourne’s city center (also known as the central business district or CBD) is surrounded by large, well-tended parks and gardens. Elsewhere, you’ll find family-friendly facilities including playgrounds, swimming pools, clean public toilets, and water fountains. Free barbecues are also common in Australian parks, providing a fun way to enjoy an inexpensive family meal.
Cafes are a great way to immerse kids in Melbourne’s culinary scene, though larger venues are probably more suitable than tiny hole-in-the-wall places. Choose one close to a playground or park and let your tiny travelers burn off energy while you relax over a flat white.
Where Is Best in Melbourne for Kids?
The city’s best family-friendly spots are undoubtedly its museums. At the top of the list is Melbourne Museum, located in the attractive Carlton Gardens just north of the city center. It interests kids of all ages, with specialized sections focusing on science, history, and First Nations culture.
Entry to the museum includes access to the Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery, designed for kids under six. Here, you’ll find a huge outdoor area where they can play in a sandpit, hunt for fossils, or investigate the interactive Gondwana Garden.
Inside, kids can dance on a floor of changing patterns in the “camouflage disco” and engage in sensory-based play. As an autism-friendly facility, the museum has also created specific resources for families to help prepare autistic children for their visit.
For the critter-obsessed, both Werribee Open Range Zoo and Collingwood Children’s Farm provide an opportunity to meet native and international animals. From early 2024, visitors will once again be able to watch the resident colony of little penguins return to their homes each evening at sunset after the redevelopment of the iconic pier in bayside St Kilda is complete.
Best Things to Do in Melbourne with Babies and Toddlers
Meet Sea Creatures
Kids love walking through one of Sea Life aquarium’s tunnels as sharks and giant manta rays swim overhead. The experience also features a 4D cinema, a penguin palace, and a crawl-through display – where kids can poke their heads into underwater worlds to spy tropical fish.
Play with Art in a Modern Park
Birrarung Marr below Federation Square is a park beloved by local families, who enjoy rock climbing, balancing on beams, and racing on slides.
It’s also home to ArtPlay, housed within a former railway building. This city-funded organization runs free creative workshops and programming for babies, toddlers, and children, such as 3D portrait painting and storytelling.
Head to a Waterside Library
Libraries are a great option for relaxing and affordable rainy afternoons – and Melbourne has plenty of them. Located in the Docklands neighborhood, the Library at the Dock boasts an excellent children’s section, complete with picture books and toys.
When the clouds part, explore the south side of the building, where you’ll find the Buluk Park playground. It features a miniature river, blackboard walls for budding graffiti artists, and a musical floor.
Things to Do in Melbourne with Kids
Explore Screen Culture
While you’re probably trying to decrease screen time, you should make an exception for the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square. Showcasing the world of movies, TV, and video games, its free permanent exhibition – The Story of the Moving Image – is full of hands-on exhibits. Kids can add sound effects to animations, play with shadows, or create flipbooks.
Take in the Hottest Ticket in Town
Melbourne is famous for its lively theater scene, often referred to as Australia’s cultural capital. Numerous theatrical productions are staged every week at both historic and contemporary venues, including blockbusters from Broadway and family-friendly musicals.
Meet the Locals
If you haven’t spotted a koala or kangaroo yet, head to Melbourne Zoo. It houses both Australian and exotic animals in attractive leafy grounds. Situated within Royal Park, it’s perfect for a gentle urban hike past native Australian trees.
Press Buttons at Scienceworks
West of the city center, the science and technology museum Scienceworks offers plenty of stimulation for young minds. The impressive structure itself is a historic former pumping station that backs onto the Yarra River, housing absorbing interactive exhibitions, including a compressed-air playground and a planetarium.
Get Out on the Water
Experience the city from another perspective by taking the morning ferry from Melbourne’s Docklands district to Portarlington or Geelong at the southwestern corner of Port Phillip Bay, returning in the late afternoon. Discounted family fares are available.
Best Things to Do in Melbourne with Tweens and Teens
Explore the City’s Café Scene
Melbourne’s neighborhoods are filled with cool cafes serving affordable and innovative cuisine in informal atmospheres. Some of the best for family groups include The Farm Café at the Collingwood Children’s Farm and Cowderoy’s Dairy in St Kilda, close to beaches and parks.
Ante Up the Adventure
Melbourne is the perfect place for an energetic walk, exposing teens to stimulating architecture and beautiful nature reserves. The Capital City Trail encircles the city center, offering scenic stretches along the Yarra River while showcasing the city’s old docks.
Immerse Yourselves in Music
If your teens enjoy music, they’ll love learning about Aussie sounds at the Australian Music Vault. This free museum within the Arts Centre contains a series of exhibitions about Australian music history, including immersive digital experiences and iconic objects such as costumes worn by famous Australian stars.
Discover Laneway Graffiti and Digital Artwork
Melbourne is renowned for its colorful street art, and you can impress your teens by pointing out the city’s last remaining Banksy on Duckboard Place. Head to the city’s urban art epicenter, Hosier Lane, for ever-changing visuals and join a Melbourne Street Art Tours walk led by local artists for deeper insights.
Walk in the Footsteps of First Nations People
The Royal Botanic Gardens is a significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation. On an Aboriginal Heritage Walk, a First Peoples guide demonstrates the use of native plants, discusses traditional customs, and explains the ongoing connection to the land.
Planning Tips
Melbourne’s public transportation is easy to navigate and less hassle than driving through busy traffic. Pick up a Myki card for each family member over five years old, available at train stations and convenience stores, costing $6 for adults and $3 for children aged five to 18.
A single trip within the metropolitan area is $5 on weekdays ($2.50 for kids), and the daily cap is $10 ($5 for kids). Note that trams are free to use within the Free Tram Zone, which covers the Melbourne CBD.
Nearly all of the city’s train stations are accessible, and many trams are low-floor, making them easy for strollers. However, vehicles can get crowded; hence, using a fold-up stroller or baby carrier for young children can be helpful.
Melbourne is generally accepting of breastfeeding in public, and dedicated baby care rooms can be found on the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s map. Additionally, check out the National Public Toilet Map to locate your nearest public restroom in the city.
