The best waterslides in Melbourne

Amongst the family-friendly aquatic attractions (hello Lazy River!) at this Geelong institution lies the Tsunami, Victoria's first triple funnel waterslide. The newest waterslide at the park is 7.5 storeys high and is 172-metres in length. You’ll gain some serious speed as you fly through snaking tunnels and whirlpool funnels, and even achieve moments of weightlessness. 

Family favourite Funfields has three world-record-holding waterslides. For the competitive water slider, there’s the Kraken Racer where you can speed down the track at a staggering 60kms an hour. Next up is the Typhoon, the world’s longest cannonball waterslide. Hold on tight as you and a friend are plunged down 137 metres while you spin around the bowl before arriving at the 19-metre drop. Finally, there’s the big one. The Gravity Wave is extreme just to look at, let alone ride. This 186-metre long monster is the longest, tallest and biggest of its kind in the world. As you hit the near-vertical wall you’ll achieve total weightlessness. It’s the closest you’ll get into going into space.

"Gumbuya Park, where the city meets the country..." Chances are you grew up hearing that jingle on the radio. But Gumbuya Park has had a $50 million facelift and rebranded as Gumbuya World – and there is a lot more fun to be had. Gumbuya World comprises four discrete areas: Oasis Springs, Wildlife Trail, Oz Adventures and Outback Explorers. The Oasis Springs water park features fast slides with steep drops and exciting twists and turns. Our pick is the dark slide Taipan.

The first thing you’ll see when you arrive at this Greensborough favourite are the two snaking slides sticking out the side of the building. Start off with Pipeline (122cm height requirement), as it twists and turns you in and out of the building and down to the pool below. Once you’re feeling brave, then jump in line for Tantrum Alley (107cm height requirement), one of the biggest slides in the state. Halfway down this beast, the lights go out, meaning you’re racing through total darkness along bends and turns towards the bottom. Just watch out for the big curve in the middle!

Down at Casey RACE are two very different water slide experiences. The main attraction here is the Space Bowl. A cross between a water slide and a washing machine, this whirling and swirling wonder has to be seen to be believed. Dive down the slide only to get shot out into the bowl itself, before spinning around and around as you get closer to the funnel hole in the centre that dumps you back into the pool. It's kind of like a toilet bowl you can ride. For your more traditional thrills and spills, there’s the Raft ride that you can tackle alone, or with a friend if you’re not feeling too brave.

This suburban pool got a massive upgrade and now features one of the most impressive waterslides in the north. Two giant slides sit beside a 50-metre outdoor pool, the 20-metre learner’s pool and the water play splash pool. Pick your poison: there’s the blue slide which includes raft mats, which means either one or two people can ride at the same time. Both include multiple loops so prepare yourselves accordingly. To ride the slides, children have to be over 120cm tall.

PARC Frankston is home to the Python and Constrictor waterslides. State of the art technology fills the funnel with an array of lights and sounds, so the Python isn’t just a slide, it’s an experience. You can also squeeze through the 114-metre long Constrictor with its distinctive snake-skin design. You and a friend will race down the tunnel as it slowly gets smaller and smaller, bending you through high-speed zigs and zags.

There’s no shortage of great playgrounds around Melbourne, which offer everything from classic swingsets to trampolines and wave slides.