Two Star Wars characters built in Lego with lightsabers
Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum
Photograph: Supplied | Melbourne Museum

The best school holidays activities in Melbourne

Find our picks of the best out activities for kids during the winter school holidays

Liv Condous
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Just because it's winter and cold outside, doesn't mean you have to keep the kids cooped up inside for two weeks. We've gone and done the hard work for you, and rounded up all the coolest, most fun things to do from July 5-20 to ensure you won't have bored children on your hands. From glowing light festivals and beloved musicals to Lego exhibitions and dinosaur activations, check out the list below and we promise you won't here a whiny "we're boredddd" at all.

Looking for more things to do? Here’s what’s happening across Melbourne this week

What's on in Melbourne over the school holidays

  • Things to do
  • Werribee South

Here's a Melbourne fun fact for you: our city is home to a flourishing herd of Asian elephants. You might have paid them a visit at Melbourne Zoo over the years, but with the birth of three new calves in recent years, the herd had outgrown their enclosure and were ready for bigger and better things. Luckily, the team at Zoos Victoria had planned for the growing elephant clan, with the construction of a ginormous, world-class habitat at Werribee Open Range Zoo. It's been a long time coming, but the elephants are now ready for visitors at their impressive new digs. You can now see them up close – and during school holidays, kids under 16 can visit for free. 

 
  • Things to do
  • Pop-up locations
  • Melbourne
  • Recommended

Melbourne's favourite illuminated event is back again for a fourth year, with more than 20 dazzling new light installations to meander through in wonderment. Until August 10, take a nighttime stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and experience luminous pathways, lit-up tree canopies, soothing soundscapes and more spectacular sights. You can expect a reimagined 2.2km trail accompanied by stunning lakeside reflections, large-scale illuminated sculptures and other wonders, with more than 100,000 tiny lights on display.

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  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Spotswood

Winter is here but that doesn’t mean you and the family need to stay at home. Rug up and head west to Grazeland to find your fave foodie precinct utterly transformed into a winter wonderland that will impress both kids and the young at heart. Each weekend from July 4 to 20, the epic culinary playground will be decked out with dreamy white snow, neon lights and cosy vibes. There will also be roving performers, live bands, face painting and interactive DJs providing plenty of entertainment.

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Carlton

Lego Star Wars: the Exhibition at Melbourne Museum comes from revered Lego genius Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught, who's back with his latest mind-boggling project of massive Star Wars brick creations – some standing at a whopping four metres tall. There'll be Lego replicas of many of the iconic characters, fan favourite scenes, spacecraft and more, from both the classic films and newer releases. Plus, the exhibition will include interactive brick-based activities inclusive of all ages. And don't forget to stop for a bite to eat at Australia's first official Star Wars café. Blue milk, anyone?

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  • Musicals
  • Melbourne
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Looking for something to warm your heart this winter? We've got just the answer: beloved musical Annie is returning to Melbourne after a smash-hit run in Sydney. With a knock-out cast that includes Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan and Greg Page (aka the OG Yellow Wiggle) as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this tale of hope, family and friendship is one you won't want to miss. Annie is showing at the Princess Theatre from July 8. Now, who's ready to belt out 'It’s the Hard-Knock Life'?

  • Things to do
  • Belgrave

If you were lucky enough to nab tickets to this year's Train of Lights, consider yourself one of the lucky ones! This enchanting winter journey is only on for two weeks from July 4-20, and will see you immersed in a spectacle of neon colours as acclaimed lighting specialists Resolution X (White Night, Melbourne Fashion Festival) brighten up the countryside with sparkles, rainbows and hypnotic patterns. Puffing Billy itself will also be adorned with stunning visual effects, which will light up the trees, tracks and passing towns along the way. There will also be crackling open firepits with hot chocolate and live acoustic music, and even a sausage sizzle by the Rotary Club of Emerald and District. 

 

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  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • Bendigo

Bendigo is one of the many regional cities with an illuminated offering this winter, with a huge, immersive sound and light event taking over the town centre during the school holidays. Located in Rosalind Park, Electric Wonderland will return this year due to popular demand, with a brand new program and glowing installations. It will feature thousands of fairy lights, flowers that seemingly fall from the sky, a dazzling mirrorball laser alley, a pixelated sound and light show, and much more, making for a magical winter evening. Plus, there'll be a 40-metre-tall replica of Bendigo’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, completely covered in lights.

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  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Melbourne

The classic board game that we all have memories of (both the wholesome family fun and table-flipping fights) now has a theme park wonderland in Melbourne, where you can relive all the fun – minus the sibling rivalry. Monopoly Dreams will celebrate the best-selling game with a one-of-a-kind immersive entertainment experience in the heart of the CBD. It's the world's largest Monopoly-themed attraction, and will take you on a nostalgic journey through the world of Mr. Monopoly, where reality and the game become one. The attraction is running special activities just for the school holidays.

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  • Attractions
  • Theme parks
  • Docklands

Sometimes, it helps to look at the world from a different perspective – upside-down, perhaps? At this new photo experience opening underneath the (now defunct) Melbourne Star, you'll certainly be able to see things from a different point of view. The inverted house experience, House Down Under, will bring topsy-turvy fun to Docklands. From the outside, the house appears to have dropped from the sky, Wizard of Oz style, and inside you can capture surreal and creative photos.

  • Kids
  • Playgrounds

As a kid, there's few things that are more fun than a huge playground. Flying across monkeybars, swinging up to the sky, diving down a slide — it's a kids paradise. Across the city and its suburbs, there are plenty of sites for kids to run amok and have a ball. Many of these playgrounds also offer picnic tables and barbecues, so you can pack a picnic or fire up the grill and spend the whole arvo soaking up some sunshine. 

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  • Things to do
  • Southbank

Having undergone a multi-million dollar redevelopment in 2021, there's no denying this high-altitude attraction remains one of the best ways to discover the city from a dizzying height. Melbourne Skydeck now boasts a massive virtual reality theatre where visitors can embark on an 11-minute immersive journey across the state, and you can get an even closer look at the city with the augmented reality 3D model of Melbourne built to a 1:1100 scale. And of course, the Edge is still terrifying all those who dare to enter this transparent cube that's suspended almost 300 metres above the street.

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  • Things to do
  • Food and drink
  • Spotswood

Need something to do these school hols that will make everyone in your family smile? Grazeland has you covered. Aside from the epic line-up of food and drink vendors that operate at the huge food precict on the reg, from September 21 to October 6 you'll also discover a family-friendly program of performers and activities to dial the fun up a notch. The holidays will be filled with roving entertainers, including dazzling stilt walkers and glowing LED angels. Little ones can also get their faces painted and meet their favourite characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse. 

  • Attractions
  • Theme parks
  • Maidstone

Keeping the kids entertained and occupied throughout the school holidays is a Herculean task, so what better place to keep your sanity than an all-in-one adventure park? The first Australian SuperPark has opened in Melbourne's western suburbs at Highpoint Shopping Centre. Here, kids can run, climb and jump across a whopping 2,300 metres and choose from 17 movement-based activities in the Adventure Area, Games Arena and Freestyle Zone. SuperPark activities include an indoor pedal car track, a ninja track obstacle course, an interactive trampoline game, ten-pin bowling, a digital basketball game and a world-first footy game where kids can test their AFL skills. 

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  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Maribyrnong

Put your putt-putt skills to the test on the two-level, 18-hole mini-golf course or head to the old school arcade and grab a joystick, pretend it's 1985 and play classic games like Space Invaders and Pacman. For those uninterested in a blast from the past, there's also a new school arcade boasting an ever-evolving collection of contemporary games and immersive experiences. Sing your favourite song at one of Funderdome's private and spacious box-style karaoke lounges, or head to the Clubhouse for some competitive sports like cornhole, shuffleboard, pool, air hockey, foosball and more.

  • Kids
  • Malvern East

This brick-filled play centre will delight little and big Lego fans. The space is packed with more than two million Lego bricks and features attractions including Miniland Melbourne, where the city's best-known landmarks have been recreated out of thousands of Lego bricks, as well as play zones for the kids and Lego-themed rides. There is also a 4D cinema (it’s a sensory cinematic adventure – the wind will actually blow in your hair) so you can rewatch your favourite Lego movies on the big screen, a Lego factory tour and heaps more. 

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  • Kids
  • Play spaces
  • Geelong

MoPA is a children’s museum, a place where kids can engage with fun, immersive exhibits created in line with childhood education guidelines. While all children develop at different rates, the exhibits at MoPA are designed for tots aged one to nine. Kids can suss out their fine motor skills in the soft play area, build and race in the Zoom Room, climb up to Sunset City for a sweet view of the museum and get creative at the MoPA Art Car.

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Keen for a swing at the playground?

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