Lauren Muddell and family discover that there is simply too much on offer in Melbourne and surrounds for families to ever tire of it. Follow their trail for some unbeatable kid-friendly fun!
We flew from Sydney to Avalon airport, a little bit of a bumpy flight but a quick one. On arrival we got our hire car. Europcar had a great deal with a saving of 15% due to the length of our trip… then it was time for our next stop, Torquay! A short drive later we arrived at our first destination, Torquay Holiday Park.
What a great place for kids! We had a good sized two-bedroom cabin with all the creature comforts we needed for our two-night stay, and with a quick trip to Woolies down the road we had all the supplies we needed. We took a little unplanned excursion to the surf shop outlets up the road and found Shane some new board shorts.
We woke to heavy cloud cover and a chilly forecast for the next couple of days. A quick trip to the outlets ensured everyone had a warm jumper for no more than $20 per person.
We enjoyed a walk along the beach with clear skies but a chilly breeze – and what walk on the beach is complete without shells? We only found three, but three is better than zero. Then a round of mini-golf and a play on the playground (all at the holiday park) while we cooked a barbecue dinner in the fantastic camp kitchen area. The kids loved the flying fox! As it started to cool down we decided to borrow Despicable Me 2 on DVD (free of charge) and made it a night in.
We took a drive inland (not quite the drive we had planned… thanks GPS!) through small country towns and picturesque scenery. We stopped to stretch our legs and to use the facilities at Gellibrand Park and the kids had a chat to some local cows. After a couple of hours we arrived at our destination of the day: Otway Fly. Here, we enjoyed a magnificent walk among the trees while listening to all the bird calls. For the adrenaline junkies they also offer a 2.5-hour ziplining experience. We snacked on gluten-free banana bread and hot chips (Jay had a pie), played on the playground and took some photos with the resident dinosaur (a model T-Rex on the hill), then set off for Apollo Bay.
Failing to learn our lesson from the morning, we once again followed the GPS. After taking us off the beaten track and through the forest, we eventually arrived at The Comfit Inn where our lovely family suite awaited. The kids loved being in the loft upstairs with their own TV set up, complete with an Xbox. After a trip to the beach followed by a play at the park, we finished off the day with a quick dinner of fish and chips from Iluka and, of course, some more Xbox time.
First up, we took a lovely drive to Cape Otway to see the koala colony. What a delight it was for the kids to see koalas in the wild – even mothers with their babies! Jay thought it was funny to see one scratching and Miki loved all the little babies we saw. Next stop was a quick coffee at Lavers Hill before we continued on to the famous 12 Apostles. There may be only seven left, but it’s still a breathtaking sight! We all loved seeing the structures from different angles and took plenty of photos. It was the perfect day for it as the sky was clear and the water was so blue. We then drove to our stop for the night, Sea Foam Villas Port Campbell.
Once we’d arrived and settled in, it was time for another beach walk and shell-finding expedition. The beach here is particularly great for children as you can go through a shallow inlet section and the kids can swim or safely explore the small stream of water. We finished the day off with fish and chips from Frying Nemo Fish & Chips. We ate at one of the tables at the beach (which happened to be just across the road from our accommodation) along with a million seagulls. The kids loved chasing the seagulls and sneaking chips to the baby.
Today we were up early for our long drive into Melbourne CBD and we couldn’t wait to get to our apartment because we’d snagged an amazing deal on Last Minute! I chose one of the secret hotel deals where it tells you roughly the location, star rating, bedding arrangements and amenities/facilities but not the hotel name. It was a great deal for a two-bedroom apartment: just over $350 in total (yes, total) for two nights. A pit stop for a play then on to Waurn Ponds near Geelong, where we stopped at the new shopping centre. We picked up a few items and had some amazing gluten-free burgers and really yummy chips at Grill’d, then it was onward to our destination.
We arrived at the ibis Melbourne Hotel & Apartments, where our spacious two-bedroom apartment awaited. We took a quick stroll through part of the Queen Victoria Markets, found a coffee shop, then headed back to to the hotel for a rest. We had dinner with an old family friend at an amazing restaurant in St Kilda called Topolinos. Fabulous, fabulous food! Plenty of pizzas, pastas, mains and desserts; great service; fantastic kids’ menu (and all kids’ servings were the perfect size). A drive past Luna Park topped off the night, with the kids sound asleep before their heads hit the pillow!
Today was a big day! We took a stroll through the Queen Victoria Markets where we got a couple of things, including a new handbag for me! These markets have a little bit of everything including some live produce for sale. The kids loved looking at the chicks and ducklings. We then took a trip up to the sky deck at Eureka Tower with some cousins. The views are fantastic and they have a telescope-type things for the kids (and adults) to look through.
What trip to Melbourne would be complete without some shopping? So next was a trip to DFO South Wharf, with plenty of shops for all tastes and budgets. Next stop was the Myer Christmas windows in Bourke St – the theme this year was Santa and the three bears. We then took the free number 35 City Circle tram back toward our hotel to put down all the shopping and grab a jumper (as it had cooled down a lot). Then, off we went to Fancy Hank’s Barbecue Restaurant for dinner where we all filled up on a mixture of pulled pork, ribs, brisket and chicken. Both kids were sound asleep by 8:15pm and I wasn’t far behind as the next day held another big drive in store: to the Dandenong Ranges for a counsin’s wedding!
Up early and ready to check out by 10am. We left for the wedding destination: CountryPlace in Kalorama. We needed to stop off for a coffee and snack (plus we had to waste some time till check-in) so we popped into Croydon. A lovely cafe there gave us a great feed complete with banana bread and a cookie! We later arrived at our hotel and got ourselves ready for the big event. The wedding was lovely and we had a fabulous time catching up with all our family and friends… late night had by all!
It was a little wet outside today. We made our way down the mountain and stopped in at Dandenong Plaza for a bite to eat and (more importantly) coffee on the way to Chelsea where we had a two-bedroom cabin booked at Chelsea Holiday Park. It’s a great spot with a small playground, cafe/mini shop, barbecues, on-site laundry and a pool.
Once at Chelsea we went for a stroll past the pony club and the dog park until we stumbled upon Bicentennial Park. What a great park, with something for everyone and for all age groups: large slides, flying foxes, monkey bars, little play areas, swings, exercise and fitness equipment, bubblers and barbecues. After that, a family friend took us for some burgers near the beach, then on to yet another cool park (although the name escapes me now). Topped the day off with a quick stroll on the beach then back to our cabin for an early night.
Today started off a little grey and cold, so we started off with a spot of shopping at Westfield Southland in Cheltenham. There are so many shops to see and plenty of cafes and restaurants that have yummy meals and treats. We all had a play in Totally Game (video game arcade) and earned some tokens to exchange for fun toys.
Afterwards we drove to Brighton Beach and squelched our toes in the sand, added a lot of shells to the ever-growing shell collection and, of course, saw the iconic bathing boxes. The kids had photos taken in front of the boxes they liked the best… so many different colours and designs to choose from! It’s a lovely beach to take kids to as there are a few little rock pools to explore as well. We were even lucky enough to see a few starfish and sea snails. Then the sky cleared and the sun was out and the view to the city skyline was beautiful. A couple of pizzas at Settler’s Tavern was our dinner of choice and while it was cooking we all took a stroll down to the beach (which was just down the end of the street).
Next up: Gravity Zone, a trampoline recreation centre in Seaford about 10 kilometres away. We had a one-hour session full of fun in foam pits, dodge ball courts, dunk courts and, of course, the big trampolines themselves. They have a cafe full of goodies including gluten-, dairy- and fat-free frozen yoghurt.
In the afternoon, we decided to take one of the tracks starting at the caravan park and ended up walking to Patterson Lakes and down to the beach. Including a leisurely play at the beach (yes, we added to the shell collection again) it was almost a two-hour round trip. The kids adored spotting the ducks, seagulls and dogs as well as the boats floating along. On the return trip we saw wild rabbits and the cutest baby bunnies in the reeds and grasses beside the track. Such a great location for walks… actually – scratch that – a great location for everything! We finished the evening off with a barbecue dinner on site with my parents who had just checked in to the same park with their own caravan. It was a real joy having them across from us and seeing them spend some quality time with the little ones away from the distractions of everyday life.
A lazy day overall visiting friends in the area: a family lunch in Lynbrook and afternoon tea in Dingley. We finished off the day with a quick play at Jump Central, another trampoline place, which cost $10 per person plus $1.50 for grip socks as we had not brought our own with us.
Today we drove from Chelsea to Huntingdale to a friend’s house which would be our home away from home for the next two nights. As our friend’s daughter was turning two today we all went to the Melbourne Zoo: a fantastic day out! I highly recommend a day trip here if you have the time (and, if you don’t have time, make some). We didn’t get to see everything on offer, but what we did see was awesome. We did an animal encounter for an extra $30 per person (before photos) with the squirrel monkeys – another big tick. That particular encounter is only available to people over the age of 10, so my friend and I did it together. The squirrel monkey came and sat by our arms while eating a treat; you can’t touch them but they are adorable and it’s incredible to be that close.
We saw a baby elephant playing and all the other elephants interacting as a family, which was very cute. The new lemur enclosure is amazing as well, well worth a look even when they are sleeping. As it was a birthday dinner night we went to the local pub for dinner, Leighoak Club, which had a great kids’ menu complete with puzzles and colouring in. They also have three video game screens and a play corner for the kids. Large serves of yummy food were enjoyed by all!
We started the day with a play at Grange Reserve. Legend has it that several years ago a UFO landed in the area and was seen by many school children, giving it the nickanme ‘UFO Park’. The park has many play structures including a UFO with slides, a flying fox in an Aussie bush-themed area, swings, sniping cups, nets and more. The park also has barbecues, toilets and bubblers.
Our last day in Victoria! So what better way to spend it then with a quick jaunt to Luna Park in St Kilda? We had a ride on the Silly Serpent, played the laughing clowns, picked a bag and even saw a bride and groom having photos taken. It was much smaller than I remembered but still just as much fun. After that we went for a walk down the beach and had some ice cream before it was time to head to the airport. The signs make it an easy journey and returning the hire care to Europcar was effortless.
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