Families, rediscover your city
There is so much for families to do right across Melbourne on The Weekend! We’ve handpicked our favourite activities that the kids (young and old) will love…
Check out Play! in the City, a self-guided tour of some of the City of Melbourne’s most innovative and engaging playgrounds and spaces including Rocks on Wheels on Southbank Boulevard, Royal Park Nature Play and Lincoln Square playground.
In Footscray, explore the brand new home of 100 Story Building and learn how this unique space was designed in collaboration with the Futuremakers, a team of young designers whose ideas have helped to create this dynamic space for creativity. They’ll love the hands-on self-guided scavenger hunt.
To the east, visit the unique, vibrant hub that is the Box Hill Community Arts Centre, and take a guided tour of this much-loved space or sign the kids up for one of three hands-on, creative workshops – they can build cardboard box houses, design their own California Bungalow, or create a paper-making mosaic masterpiece!
Further east again, Schwerkolt Cottage and Museum is a historic museum complex surrounded by bushland. Tour the 19-century stone cottage, and walk through the barn, smithy, smokehouse, cellar and orcharding shed. The family will love watching demonstrations by the Needlework Tapestry Guild of Victoria and the Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking.
In Armadale, the old Malvern Fire Station is now the Firestation Print Studio and visitors can see demonstrations of printmaking techniques and take a peek behind the creative scenes, chat with resident artists and view the current exhibition in the gallery space. Kids can take part in simple printmaking techniques such as gelli plate and letterpress printing to create a unique piece of artwork to take home.
Sports fans will love a look behind the scenes at AAMI Park, including a walk on the pitch to experience the scale of the stadium from the perspective of an athlete. While you’re there, join a walking tour of Olympic Boulevard and how the 1956 Olympics helped shape the precinct we know today.
Visit Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and celebrate 150 years of St Kilda’s sailing history – learn how to tie sailor’s knots and get your faces painted.
Nearby, a tour of the recently refurbished, heritage-listed Victorian Institute of Sport gives an insight into the co-existence of modern facilities and heritage architecture, and kids will love trying their hand at speed and power tests to see how they compare to our elite Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Also with an Olympic theme, the Moonee Ponds Courthouse Museum is hosting a sporting exhibition ahead of the Paris Olympics.
The family that plays together stays together and OPEN Play at narrm ngarrgu is the perfect afternoon activity to stretch young creative minds. Planning, designing and building is the name of the game and this program should be enough to tire out even the most enthusiastic kids!
For more family tour fun, check out this downloadable kids friendly heritage tour of the Hoddle Street Grid by Lovell Chen.
Family fun on the Weekend
Futuremakers: How Young People Designed the New 100 Story Building
Sunday 28 July
Box Hill Community Arts Centre
Saturday 27 July, Sunday 28 July
