I rate this rink four stars, acknowledging its like to the Olympic Training Center and the great ice quality. However, I must express disappointment in the lacking standard of customer service, predominantly attributable to the contentious demeanor exhibited by a guy manning the front desk. He was rude and difficult to deal with. I don't normally complain about things like this, but he was so unprofessional and unpleasant I'd think twice about returning if he was here. read more

O'Brien Icehouse - Henke Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Docklands, VIC

Great place to watch a game. Just the right size for the league that plays here. Typical arena food. read more

O'Brien Icehouse - Melbourne Ice. - Skating Rinks Near Me - Docklands, VIC

Ice skating is awesome! Go give it a try! I came here for part of my hens night and it was awesome :) Pretty simple, you go pick up your skates, put em on, then off you go. They have lessons you can take, music, even a DJ (who realised I was on my hens and played Bruno Mars, I think I wanna marry you and put me on the big screen) Great times! read more

O'Brien Icehouse - dropping the puck for the Ice vs Mustangs derby! - Skating Rinks Near Me - Docklands, VIC

We had a social club at my last work place and one of their incredible ( oh i'm being sarcastic by the way) ideas was coming for a social ice skate and to watch a game of ice hockey. The venue was a tad hard to find (We ended up looping all around Docklands before we realised it the massive circular one... Duh) but eventually we were in and flying on the ice. Now, i don't particularly play well with balance and movement so i went around the ice rink once (It look me about 30 minutes) and then joined some of my colleague upstairs where the most important part of The Icehouse is located... The Bar. There's a look-out upstairs where you can see into both Ice Rinks and was where we got a chance to watch a game of Ice Hockey between the Melbourne Ice and another team. A pretty good experience if Ice Skating is your thing... But i did have a good laugh in the end... and had a few bruises in the morning! read more

O'Brien Icehouse - Skating Rinks Near Me - Docklands, VIC

How much fun can an uncoordinated urchin with two left feet have ice-skating? Ummm...only the most exhilarating kind EVER if it's at the Icehouse with your best people there with you! When my five year old daughter suggested ice-skating looked like fun upon seeing the new ad on TV for Melbourne's Icehouse, prematurely perhaps I thought (out loud, in front of my daughter which is dangerous) that it sounded like a great idea. But when the day for our icy blast of fun came, I needed to calm my nerves with a Malibu and a dear friend before I could summon the nerve to do what my daughter thought was going to be the best day of our lives. And as all of the best best friends do, my bestie decided to come along and support me as I shakily put on a deadly sharp looking pair of ice skates. The fact my athletic and physically skillful husband was there to rub the laugh in wasn't making matters any easier. So off I went, shitting myself with giggling daughter in arm. We took one step on to the ice and...my daughter shit herself! She must've thought she'd Freddy Flinstone her way around the ice (the pro's do make it look that easy don't they?), took one step and realised the reality was much harder. So as my distraught daughter went to be consoled by daddy, my friend insisted that I go with her. It must have honestly given some people there the biggest laugh of their lives, me, a nearly 30 year old married woman with two children almost fighting with kids for access to the edge of the rink! After a couple of times of making it around holding on and taking baby steps away from the rail, I was surprised that I could actually do it, and even more amazed at just how much bloody fun and alive it made me feel as I got more confident and started being able to go around faster and with more ease. And, just like a pair of love struck teenagers my husband and I even got the chance to take a couple of turns around the rink together, holding hands and giggling and enjoying the rush only a combination of deadly skates, ice and speed can bring. It was magical. Fortunately my husband was strong enough to hold himself and our daughter up so we were all able to have a go and leave for the day happy. Some, surprisingly and amazingly so. Believe me when I say you do not need to be physically fit, active or coordinated to have a great time here. It's one of the few things in my adult life that has given me the same feeling of joy that I got when I was excited as a child. I can't wait to go back and try it again and my husband and I are currently trying to schedule in some babysitting so we can go and enjoy an Icehouse date night! read more

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I had never seen any ice in Melbourne until having the rather unusual sporting experience (unusual for a Brit anyway) of witnessing the Melbourne Ice take on an equally ice-less place in Australia. The game was really entertaining and there was a fully licensed bar to enjoy the game with a drink. The season runs from April until September and they appear to have a very loyal and even tribal fan base. The players are semi-professional and the standard is pretty good (I'm guessing here). There were plenty of big hits that you could feel reverberating around the house. If you go and follow the Melbourne Ice, you'll also be following the 2010 and 2011 National champions. It's definitely worth a look. Most home games are on Saturday. I haven't ventured out on the ice yet myself for a skate. But I know a lot of friends who have. One even bought some ice skates thinking they would pay for themselves. The ice rink has to be a major draw to the whole Docklands development project. read more

O'Brien Icehouse - Skating Rinks Near Me - Docklands, VIC

I would like to title this review: REASONS TO GO TO THE ICEHOUSE * 80s night * Uncoordinated good times * A BAR that overlooks the ice-skating rink (a great view to laugh at your friends) * Reasonable prices * DJ Fitzy is a bogan babe * House to the Melbourne ice hockey team * Great for kids and kids-at-heart Stop reading and get your skates on. read more

Icehouse isn't a cheap day out if you're taking a few kids - the concession price is almost the same as an adult, but if your kids have stamina you can stay as long as you like, which makes it better value. If you're not into whatever horrible autotuned music is on high rotation on commercial FM stations you might want to bring along your own music player or some ear plugs. On school holidays they ramp it up with a DJ playing the same obnoxious crap, but louder and with daft banter in between songs. The hockey rink is better when it's available because they don't have the music playing there. The best thing I've found is that It's really cheap to upgrade to the premium skates ($2) and it makes the experience much more enjoyable. They skate better, even when you're a beginner like me, and they're more comfortable, or more correctly, less uncomfortable, especially after an hour or two. It's worth going later in the day on school holidays. Early in the day the rink tends to be packed with lots of little kids falling over everywhere. If you get there around 3pm the crowds start to thin, and at 5pm the DJ goes home (did I tell you the music was rubbish?) and it all gets a lot more pleasant: fewer people, quieter, and the ice doesn't get messed up so fast. Since they're open till 10pm you still have a lot of skating time. If you are taking kids and don't want them eating junk food, or indeed if you don't feel like eating horrible greasy crap yourself, bring a packed lunch. Wear clothes that won't soak up water and get uncomfortable when you end up on your arse. It's always a bit cold on the ice (well, duh) but you warm up if you're skating, so layers are a must. If you're a beginner, gloves are a good idea. The free lessons they do on school holidays are worth it, just for the lesson on what to do when you fall over. TL;DR: a bit on the expensive side, but good value if you want to stay for a while. Crap music. Upgrade your skates. read more

Shocked at the massive crowd for the Aussie Ice Hockey. At $22.50 a head it is a bit pricey given 100's of people have to stand as there is only seating on one side of the rink. As per most of these venues the good choices are limited (chips, hot dogs, beer) and very pricey. Atmosphere was great with US tubes pumping out during the frequent breaks in play, a geographical melting pot of supporters all rooting for their team made it a fun evening with the kids. read more

I'm there almost everyday for my ice hockey and i love the place everyone of the workers are so nice and helpful for first timers and the ice is awesome to skate on the worst part about the place is leaving id live there id i could live there if i could read more