Yes, bowls. I had no idea that the under fifties played lawn bowls until I came to Melbourne and…read morewas summarily told that, contrary to what I had always thought, lawn bowls were cool, trendy and a weirdly great place to pull. And so I found myself at the Middle Park Bowling Club for a friend's birthday; two lanes sequestered just for our party and a cute little function room set aside for food, drinks and merriment. This popular bowling club also has a bar which is ridiculously cheap - I'm guessing this adds to lawn bowls' appeal - alongside not one but three bowling greens which ostensibly accommodate up to 144 people. Both competitive and casual players are welcome and there is a laid back atmosphere to the Middle Park Bowling Club which makes it a great place to while away the day with half of your focus trained on the green and the other on the bar.

I know that you may think that bowls is a game for those with a new dentures and a walking stick…read more But really it is an ideal weekend hang out on a sunny summers day. You can sip back cheap beers all day long and shoot the breeze. The only problem is many clubs won't necessarily like you doing this - especially if they have beautifully manicured lawns. Well the guys at Middle Park Bowling Club are a great bunch of follks who welcome one and all. They are more than happy to let you know the rules and will chip in with a few jokes about how bad you are at the game if you wander up to the bar for a jug of beer. At $10 a day for non-members and $50 for a years casual membership, this is honestly the cheapest and best entertainment money can buy. You can also hire out a few greens and bbq's for an event such as a birthday or Christmas party. And by hire I mean you pretty just have to assume them that you'll spend a bit at the bar. They will even put on some 80's disco music on for you later on if you pay them enough.

Well, this is a little hard to get to, but it is certainly worth the trek because it turns out that…read moreit is a pretty awesome place for an afternoon of fun. Well, okay, I thought the kiosk was a little tacky, but once you get outside, well, it certainly ramps up its impressiveness. You can either play mini-golf, or go on the driving range, and since I have no interest in seeing how far I can hit a ball, we went to the mini-golf. I must admit, that it is hard, but it is also pretty fun as well. In fact, there are two options you can take as well, the one in the shade, and the not so shady one, which means that if you finish one, well, you can then go and do the other one. Yeah, this place is pretty cool.

Good Clean, well maintained quality mini golf course. 2…read moreHoles in one by the kids which resulted in free freddo's for them at the end. Thanks!

Fun and friendly staff. Well priced and a really comfortable environment. The staff here are very…read moreknowledgable. I still come back here even after I've moved away. Best place for Pilates.

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I wandered into the place. Well, no, I can't really, but…read moreit turned out to be an old brick stable that had been converted into a coffee shop, or at least a place where you can go and grab some brunch. I didn't mind the place, and it is a nice location, in a park. They also served a reasonably nice pot of tea, though nothing all that great. Still, it was nice.

This unique piece of Australian is like something straight out of the movie The Castle. The venue…read morefeatures lawn bowls, rose garden with gazebo, sports bar, bistro and full business/conference facilities. The venue has a rich heritage as a "community cornerstone" in the Jacana/ Broadmeadows area, ever since the foundation stone of the club was laid by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on the 10th November 1975. The club is located in the Valley between Jacana and Gladstone Park and boasts views of the Jacana Wetlands and Western Ring Road. Follow signage from Sunset Boulevard (infamous for the 2011 shootings) down the embankment to access this venue. Access is made easy with courtesy bus, chair hoist for those unable to negotiate steps and plenty of disabled parking. The menu includes pub favourites with a weekly specials board with 1970s prices for food and drinks. Christmas festivities feature twilight market and carols on the green. $12 annual membership entitles holders to: * $10 birthday meal voucher * Discount main meals and drinks * Use of courtesy bus.

This place is interesting. Since I am a new resident in a part of town that is very foreign to me,…read moreI was looking to find somewhere that has Fox Sports and this was the closest venue. I previously lived in the lush green east of Melbourne so perhaps that's why I found it interesting. The drink prices - OMG $3.80 for a glass of white wine (diff varieties). They even serve CASK WINE. WOA... I will take a pic of the wine-list next time and put it up! It has recently been renovated so the chairs and tables were nice. We grabbed a cheesy garlic bread (which was delicious) and the Nachos (VERY saucy). They were not too bad. Apparantly on Wed its Parma & Pot night for $13... so cheap.... They also have a yearly membership and its $12 to sign up, giving access to prize give aways, 10% off drinks and a courtesy bus! The only part I didn't really like was the 'gaming' section. It was average size and had so many people in it - but thats more to do with my dislike of gambling and on how it affects peoples lives. Ill give it three stars because its cheap, nearby and has the footy... I sure will be missing watching games at the Elgin or Palace though...

Sweet playground. Really sweet. If you're shopping at DFO and get peckish, I would recommend…read morepicking up some picnic food (there's an Aldi round the corner) and then going over Centre Dandenong Road to this playground to eat it. Kingston Heath boasts one of the longest flying foxes I've seen outside of a supervised adventure camp - easily double the average length. It's also got a cool spider web thing, and the whole playground is spread over a large area which makes a game of tiggy brilliant (and very helpful for keeping squabbling kids apart). There's even a spinning tea cup. Some sheltered areas, and some nice places to sit and chat if running around like a madman isn't your thing.

On a rainy afternoon in Melbourne we somehow ended up in the direction of Crown Casino and had an…read moreinsatiable urge to go bowling. With the weather moody and a desire to roll in the next 20 minutes, we found ourselves at the Kingpin Bowling Lounge for a rather expensive yet enjoyable three games of bowling. Kingpin aims at doing a lot of the things that Strike bowling does (serve drinks, have music, and lights on the lanes) but at the same time it is probably more tailored towards families than Strike. The bowling was fun as I hit a rare 150 (I'm a pretty shitty bowler admittedly). Enjoyable times but the lack of specials they offer means it would be an expensive pastime. I guess it is yet another string in Crown's entertainment bow. If in Crown and you feel like bowling, head to Kingpin. Otherwise, I prefer the Strike experience.

We were wondering where to eat with our 3 kids in tow as we strolled around the crown casino. It…read moreseemed as though all entries to the popular sit down restaurants within, required you to walk through the gaming areas! Sorry NO Kids allowed... To buy us some time to decide we headed around to the arcade area to let the kids have some fun! right next door was Kingpin! I noticed a sign out the front advertising $15 steaks! I thought why not lets give this place a try. Jake at Kingpin gave us a true VIP experience, the meals were a nice size and the bargain steak meal melted in your mouth! we played bowls, and received some game cards on the house and we all had a great time! Highly recommended for families or romantic couples looking for a fun filled night with a nice meal and quiet beverage to wash it down.

Fantastic place Relaxing environment for all…read more Book online sessions in advance also open on weekends