Discover the best things to do in Melbourne with kids, from museums and zoos to beaches, day trips and family-friendly attractions.
Melbourne is a great city for families. It’s walkable, packed with green space, full of hands-on museums, wildlife experiences and iconic sporting culture. No wonder it has earned the reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world.
Whether you’re visiting for a long weekend or a full week, there are so many fantastic things to do in Melbourne with kids – and plenty that adults will love too.
Here’s our tried-and-tested guide to the very best family experiences in Melbourne.
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Table of Contents
Practical Tips for Visiting Melbourne with Kids
- Use the Free Tram Zone in the CBD.
- Melbourne weather is renowned for its ‘four seasons in one day’ – pack layers!
- Book major attractions in school holidays.
- Many museums offer family passes.
Top Melbourne Attractions for Families
Melbourne Museum
If you do just one museum in Melbourne with kids, make it this the Melbourne Museum. The dinosaur skeletons alone are worth the visit, but there’s so much more:
- The Children’s Gallery (perfect for under 5s)
- Bugs Alive exhibition
- The brilliant Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre
- Rotating blockbuster exhibitions
It’s located in beautiful Carlton Gardens, so you can easily combine it with outdoor play time.
Click here to buy tickets online for the Melbourne Museum.
Allow: 2–3 hours
Best for: All ages
Top tip: Book ahead during school holidays.
National Gallery of Victoria
Don’t assume an art gallery won’t work with kids, the NGV is one of the most family-friendly art galleries we have visited.
It regularly hosts dedicated children’s exhibitions that are immersive, colourful and designed specifically for young visitors. These special exhibitions often run during school holidays and can be incredibly creative and hands-on.
The NGV also runs art workshops and drop-in creative sessions during weekends and Victorian school holidays.
Cost: General entry to permanent collections is free
Best for: All ages (particularly great for creative kids)
Top tip: Check what special exhibitions are running before you visit. The kids’ installations are often the real drawcard.
Scienceworks
One of Australia’s best science museums for kids, Scienceworks is incredibly interactive – think buttons to press, experiments to try, and exhibits you can actually touch.
The Lightning Room show is a highlight (check session times), and the Planetarium is fantastic for curious minds.
It’s in Spotswood, about 20 minutes from the city by train.
Allow: Half a day
Best for: Ages 4–12
Perfect rainy day activity
Click here to buy tickets online for Scienceworks.
SEALIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Right in the CBD, the SEALIFE aquarium is an easy win with kids. Walk through the shark tunnel, visit the penguins, and explore interactive marine zones. It’s stroller-friendly and ideal if Melbourne weather turns moody (which it often does!).
Allow: 1.5–2 hours
Best for: Toddlers to tweens
Click here to buy tickets online for the SEALIFE Aquarium Melbourne.
Melbourne Zoos
Melbourne is blessed with three excellent wildlife parks, all run by Zoos Victoria. Each is quite unique, so if you can squeeze in all three, you won’t be disappointed!
Melbourne Zoo
Close to the CBD and easy to get to by tram. Renowned for its breeding programmes, it also has a big focus on insect conservation. You’ll find a beautiful butterfly house with an array of worldwide creatures.
Werribee Open Range Zoo
This wildlife park offers a safari-style experience with giraffes, rhinos and zebras roaming large savannahs. The guided bus safari with their knowledgeable guides is brilliant.
Healesville Sanctuary
This native Australian wildlife is located in the beautiful Yarra Valley. The animal hospital and bird of prey presentations are fantastic.
Top Tip: Kids often receive free entry to the Melbourne zoos on weekends and Victorian school holidays, so check current promotions before visiting.
Melbourne Skydeck
Formerly Eureka Skydeck 88, this is still Melbourne’s highest viewing platform.
Simply enjoy the views or take on “The Edge” – a 3×3 metre cube that sits out above the city 300 metres above the ground – vertigo sufferers need not apply!
Pair it with a stroll along Southbank for an easy afternoon.
Best for: 6+ (The Edge suits confident kids!) Infants (0-3) enter for free.
Click here to buy tickets to Melbourne Skydeck.
Old Melbourne Gaol
Perfect for older primary school kids and teens. Here you can explore real prison cells, learn about bushranger Ned Kelly, and experience the interactive Watch House.
It’s fascinating, but can be a little intense for very young children. My son was very uneasy the whole time we were there!
Click here to buy tickets for the Old Melbourne Gaol.
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Let’s make it clear, the “G” isn’t just a sports ground in Melbourne, it’s an institution! Even if you’re not sports fan, a visit to the MCG is a Melbourne rite of passage.
Do a behind-the-scenes tour and visit the Australian Sports Museum inside. Little sports lovers will get a thrill out of a behind-the-scenes tour and seeing the history of The Ashes explained, along with over 100 years’ worth of sporting memorabilia.
Top Tip: If visiting between March and September, try to catch an AFL match for a true Aussie expe.
Click here to book tickets for the MCG Tour.
Best Outdoor Things to Do in Melbourne with Kids
Royal Botanic Gardens & Children’s Garden
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are absolutely beautiful. Within the grounds, you will find the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden, designed just for kids, with water play, edible gardens, tunnels and nature exploration zones.
There are often family-friendly activities and events being held, so check the website before you plan your visit.
Note: The Children’s Garden is closed on a Monday and Tuesday, except during school holidays.
Top Tip: Pack swimmers in the summer for splashing at the Meeting Place.
Melbourne’s Beaches
Despite the fickle weather, Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay beaches are calm and family-friendly. The most popular beaches include:
- Brighton Beach
- St Kilda Beach
- Williamstown Beach
- Elwood Beach
Our personal favourite has to be Brighton Beach with its colourful private bathing boxes that line the shore.
For much of the year, these beaches are peaceful, mostly full of joggers and dog walkers, but wait until there’s a sunny day – they burst to life!
Top Tip: If you want some bigger waves, head down to the Mornington Peninsula, or head beyond Geelong to the beaches of Torquay through to Anglesea and the start of the Great Ocean Road.
Luna Park Melbourne
Luna Park offers truly old-school seaside fun. It may not have the wow factor of theme parks around the world, but it is iconically Melbourne’s own with a real beachside carnival atmosphere and a heritage feel.
Entry is free, you just pay for rides. The Scenic Railway is the world’s oldest continually operating rollercoaster and still manually operated.
Top Tip: Combine your visit with beach time and fish & chips.
Click here to buy unlimited-ride tickets for Luna Park Melbourne.
Best Day Trips from Melbourne with Kids
Melbourne is perfectly positioned for some incredible family-friendly day trips, and each one offers something completely different.
- Do your kids love wildlife? Head to Phillip Island for the unforgettable Penguin Parade.
- Prefer relaxed coastal vibes and winery lunches? The Mornington Peninsula is an easy win.
- For hands-on history and gold rush fun, Ballarat is fantastic for primary school ages.
- Dreaming of dramatic scenery and iconic Aussie landscapes? The Great Ocean Road delivers big wow-factor (though we recommend it as a multi-day road trip).
Phillip Island
Phillip Island is located just under two hours south-east of Melbourne and is one of Australia’s premier eco-tourism destinations.
Best known for its variety of wildlife experiences, there’s also fun to be had enjoying the beaches and dramatic coastline, or visiting A Maze’N Things, the chocolate factory, as well as several seasonal festivals.
The island is probably most well known, though for the nightly Penguin Parade where you can see the resident Little Penguins return from the ocean to their sandy burrows. Also not to be missed is the Koala Conservation Centre with its bushland walk.
Allow a full day, or better yet, stay overnight. You can book a full-day tour to Phillip Island here.
The Great Ocean Road
Another hugely popular attraction not far from Melbourne is the Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives.
The iconic 12 Apostles rock formations are the main draw, but there are loads of other fantastic things to do along the Great Ocean Road, including rainforest walks, museums, light houses and stunning beaches.
It’s possible to do as a day trip out of Melbourne, but we recommend doing it as a multi-day road trip.
Ballarat
About 90 minutes west of Melbourne, Ballarat makes a brilliant history-filled day trip, especially for primary school-aged kids.
The big drawcard is Sovereign Hill, an open-air living museum that recreates the 1850s gold rush era.
Kids can pan for real gold, watch traditional candle-making demonstrations, ride in a horse-drawn carriage and explore old-fashioned shops and cottages.
It’s immersive, hands-on and genuinely fun rather than “just educational.” Visiting here is actually one of my earliest travel memories as a kid, so I was excited to take my kids here too!
Allow: Full day (Sovereign Hill alone needs 3–4 hours)
Best for: Ages 6+
Top tip: Book Sovereign Hill tickets in advance during school holidays.
Mornington Peninsula
Just over an hour south of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is one of the easiest day trips from Melbourne.
Some family-friendly highlights include:
- Safe swimming beaches around Mount Martha and Dromana
- Arthur’s Seat Cable Car
- Coastal boardwalks and short clifftop walks with stunning views
- Fantastic Wineries
- The Peninsula Hot Springs
It’s also a lovely spot for a relaxed long lunch, farm gates and ice cream stops — very “slow travel” compared to busy city sightseeing. Read more about visiting Mornington Peninsula here.
Allow: Full day
Best for: All ages
Top tip: Summer weekends get busy — arrive early or visit midweek if you can.