While small, this aquarium is charming. It includes a multitude of crawl-through activities for…read morechildren and stroller/wheelchair accessible ramps and lifts. For adults, I'd recommend attending during a school day to avoid the school holiday crowds. Make sure to book in advance; the first time my partner and I tried to attend, they had sold out for the day early in the morning. The café is quite large and offers the usual burgers, chicken, wraps, and fish meals. The cafe is expensive. I ordered the fish, which came with tarter and ketchup. It was bland without the sauces. You can bring your own food for free and there is a water bottle refill station, so I'd recommend doing that. There's also a small drink stand near the turtle exhibit.

Well, my brother absolutely loves this place, and has done so ever since we first visited the place…read moreyears ago. That basically means that we end up here ever two odd years, which is probably a good thing because it means that we don't get sick of the place. Mind you, everytime we come here things seem to have been shifted around a little and maybe a new exhibit has been thrown in, but in many cases it is pretty much the same as I remember it. Mind you, as an aquarium it is actually pretty big, though I'm not sure if I could consider it the biggest, even in Australia. The other thing is that it also focuses mainly on sealife in and around Melbourne, though of course they do go further afield (such at the Antarctic, namely because of the huge penguins in the enclosure).

Located next to Lord's Reserve, or not sure if this is the governing body of Lord's Reserve and the…read moreswim centre but who cares, it's a gorgeous park for all to enjoy. The perfectly manicured oval is technically out of bounds for dogs off leads, but anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I don't abide by rules like that. My dog poops rainbows and is too cute not to be allowed into these areas. X

I happened to be looking for an indoor play centre in our area that did parties for my youngest…read moresons birthday and found this place online. It happened to be around the corner from our new place so it turns out its in an even better location! The party was amazingly done with the host doing everything minus rounding up the kids who didn't want to come back for food, drinks or cake! There's a multilevel play area for the kids to get lost in, dodgem cars that they open once in a while to let the kids play and a tower to climb and slide down. Off to the other side there's a shopping area for the kids to pretend to shop and a nice area to relax. The party rooms are well done with different options for each party available and great party food! You can also buy a membership for the play centre so you can get your money worth and come as often as you like!

Brilliantly organized indoor space for kids and parents, with multiple play areas available for all…read moreages and personalities. Never feels crowded even with flocks of kids around. Great entertainment (Transformers in costume!!!). Shame for the cafe, the food is really average (stay away from the sushi rolls) and expensive.

The Merri Creek is quite simply the greatest natural thing that exists in Melbourne. The creek runs…read morefor approximately 70kms, beginning near Heathcote Junction, on Melbourne's northern outskirts, and joining the Yarra River at Dight's falls in Collingwood. Through its journey, the creek meanders through suburbs, under highways and foot bridges and in recent times a concerted effort to clean the thing up has been taking place. Spearheaded by not-for-profit Friends Of Merri Creek, the clean up and re-vegetation of the banks of the creek is redeveloping this amazing environment around the creek. Birds and other native animals (notably, snakes) are moving back into the growing bush lands and there have even been reports of Platypus sightings in Thornbury. If you haven't been to the creek, take a rug and go down there to relax in the sunshine under a tree. It is so very peaceful and gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

Having been for a Sunday afternoon cycle along the Merri Creek, I have to wholeheartedly agree with…read moreSam that is is one of the most naturally beautiful areas of Melbourne. The Merri Creek trail runs for 21km and is perfect for grazing, walking, running or as we did cycling. We joined it at St Georges Road and followed it North for 10 or so clicks. Along the way are numerous play areas and areas prime for picnicking, sports clubs and the Brunswick cycling outdoor velodrome (this was a lot of fun). You can also stop for a coffee at the CERES cafe. A truly great place in Melbourne that is perfect for a leisurely afternoon in the summertime. My friend who trains for triathlons only runs here. Now I know why!

Walking along the Yarra River is something I'd absolutely recommend, even when it's a bit nippy…read moreoutside. We started at Federation Square and walked down to Spencer St. Bridge, crossed over by The Crown and walked past Polly Woodside before coming back on the other side. There are quite a few places to cross over if you want to hop back and forth. The side we walked on first had a bit of dead space as there were parks and underpasses and the back of Sea Life but if we had crossed over before Sea Life there were many shops and restaurants on the other side of the river. There were plenty of places to stop and have a drink or a snack along the way and there were even a lot of benches if you just wanted to have a rest. Floating bars and all that jazz. We even saw a floating swimming pool they must use in the summer. There is interesting art works and the bridges are just nice to look at too. There are boat cruises being sold along the banks of the river, the big kind and the kind where you man your own boat. We tried to do one but they were sold out for the day, so plan accordingly!

The Yarra river weaves through Melbourne. They were many restaurants and bars that are along the…read morewater front and barges in the water. Crew teams and river cruises take advantage of the river. Promenades on both sides have wonderful theaters as well as the bridges the cross.

This is a wonderful and quaint park that has so much to offer. In the main area, there is the…read more'jells park tea house', a lovely little café where you can sit and enjoy the surroundings. There is a large wooden playground for kids, plenty of trails and routes to accommodate for the frequent runners and bikers, ovals and barbecues (these run high in demand on sunny weekends). Jells park isn't crowded or overpopulated, but there are enough people around to give it a sense of a community. The park is more of a wetlands/bush land style park compared to a botanical type. I love coming here as it has a vibe of happiness to it, there are always children running around, couples biking and dog walkers. Jells Park is very large and you probably could get lost in it (but if you just follow any path it'll take you back out). If you're in the local area, pop down for a bbq and enjoy.

Jells Park is an extremely popular place to go of a weekend. It offers plenty of natural bushland,…read moreover nine kilometres of tracks and paths, a couple of playgrounds, and heaps of space for you to have picnics or kick the footy with the kids. There's fishing on the side of the lake that is outside of the conservation area, but I hope you like carp! There's the occasional redfin, but they seem like the exception and not the rule, particularly if your experience is anything like mine. The barbecue facilities are pretty good, if sometimes quite busy. In some spots, you'll find free electric barbecues, in others, you'll find wood-burning barbecues. Wood is usually provided, which is a plus. Just remember to take out everything you take in. No rubbish should ever be left there.

Honestly, this really isn't one of my favourite beaches, but that is probably because everybody…read morecomes down here, and as such it tends to be pretty touristy. It's sort of like Melbourne's version of Bondi, except there is a lot more stuff around here, and it is much easier to get to as well (namely because multiple trams pass through here). Like, it's convenient, and there are some pretty good pubs around here as well, but honestly, there are much better beaches to go to in Melbourne.

Too many people!!!! not enough parking stalls..... But the beach itself... just perfect. Warm…read morewater, warmer sand, blue skies, and a young vibe!!! There is actually just one concentrated area (where they sell the ice cream), close to the restaurants and the SeaBaths, that is the best for sunning and relaxing. Unfortunately, that's also where the hordes gather as well. November was warm and the tan I had to show for afterward was too cool... tan in November. For a North American, that's pretty novel stuff! Lots of options for eating or getting a cocktail after laying like a fish. Love that sand.....not the cleanest, however.

We we're really excited to find out about this venue prior to arrive in Melbourne…read more The glass walls make for an exterior spectacle (see the photo from outside). Unfortunately it did not quite live up to expectations. The most significant problems this climbing facility faces is a lack of proper air-conditioning, ceiling exhaust fans, change rooms greater than room for 1 and lockers. The humidity and heat make the climbing that much harder because you slip off the crimpy little holds purely due to sweat. We had to use that much chalk it probably felt like it was snowing on those below belaying. The climbs themselves are actually pretty good. Some really challenging climbs that require some thought and decent balance. The climbs are also quite high and there are decent inclines on a few with a few cracks to boot. With a couple of automated climbs and lead climbs it has everything you need but ultimately the Nunadwading hardrock is much better

I liked this place, although there are a few practicalities about it which are a bit annoying. But…read morefirst the good stuff!: The walls are high and there is a lot of variety. Im impressed that there is a large staff presence - as there seem to be a lot of beginners and first time climbers around, so the staff presence is very reassuring. The city location makes it a nice sociable place - as do the couches. The baths accross the road also work well with it (after climbing, being submerged in water is good for your sore muscles). The place opens at noon - which is the major drawcard! I think that Cliffhanger at Altona is a better place to climb for numerous reasons, but the fact that this one is open from noon is a real plus! (Cliffhanger opens at 4pm). Now for the annoyances: Parking: this place is impossible for you want free parking. And its a tad annoying to have to go in on the train in your climbing/gym clothes. There are small change rooms, but its still annoying. Its a bit more expensive than Altona too. There are a lot of people in here and you have to wait for the ropes at times - but thats really a minor issue, not a major one. All in all, its a good place and Im looking forward to going back!