Bouncing around in a 16kg ball while dodging other big balls of happiness and trying to kick a…read moresmaller ball into a net. Sounds like a fabulous idea and one that will lead to many bruises and interesting tales. This was my second time at the Football factory. Each time I've found the staff to be kind, supportive and helpful. Especially during those times when I'm too busy impersonating a turtle to save myself for a bombardment of balls. The game is easy. You just need to convince at least 7 of your best mates or frenemines to join you in a round or two. A group of. 12-16 works best for good ball rotation and player down time. You don't want your players to get ball exhaustion. So you hop in a ball, bounce around and try to score goals while not getting stuck in the turtle position. The field is the average size of a indoor soccer field with appropriate protection for spectators. You don't want to see you friends squished by 16kg of big bouncy ball. A few tips to reminder-wear a tee. Singlets are a great way to get harness burn. Hard to explain to family and friends. Bring water. A lot of water for rehydrating in between rounds. Bouncing around in a giant ball is akin to a gym session wrapped in bubble wrap inside a sauna. So hot stuff. Deodorant will be needed.

So much fun! I definitely recommend for groups / day parties…read more Make sure you wear proper sport shoes for the indoor court or they won't let you on.

Dodgeball? In Melbourne? And there's an entire league?! Yes, this club does exist and yes it as fun…read moreas you remember it being in primary school. All the rules are the same as you remember; if you get hit, you're out. If you catch the ball, the player that threw it is out and you get to bring in another team member. Last man standing is the winner. But boy, this sport got competitive! On my first game I took the tactic of stand-in-the-back-and-no-one-will-notice-you but unfortunately my entire team got knocked out and I was the remaining competitor. The other team threw four balls at me all at once, knocked my feet out from under me, and hello sprained ankle! However dodgeball is a lot more fun than I remember too. Tyler, the President of the League, umpires the match with some very upbeat dance tunes, the other players are fit and spunky (and young!) and a good time is had by all. If you want to start a new team, head to the website to find out how otherwise an individual can join an already existing team. Games are played on Thursday nights and remember to be on time to maths class afterwards.

From the owner: Melbourne Dodgeball League is a great new social sport for all ages. If you're looking to compete,…read morehave some fun or lose weight... dodgeball has it all! Now open in 7 locations around Melbourne, Dodgeball has become one of the fastest growing new sports in Australia... to come see what the big deal is all about... join a team... or join as an Individual. Melbourne Dodgeball League caters to all skill levels and ages.

Parkrun is an excellent initiative that's a fun, free time 5 km run around a set course. Perfect…read morefor runners and and walkers alike. Studley - not a run for the faint hearted. But really, it's for everybody! Set amongst the beautiful Yarra bend park this is a course that will challenge the legs - particularly after a big night out. The course has a mini loop to begin with before you run across the suspension bridge to start the main course. Its so tempting to stop and jump and try and shake other runners off, but that's just a pipe dream, I'd never do it... The course is a mini scenic tour of a few suburbs of all things. From the Studley boathouse at Kew, to the Golf course at Fairfield and almost to Abbotsford before returning again, it's an ever changing run the undulates, zigs and zags and makes you appreciate what is mere minutes from the CBD. You don't need to worry about getting lost of the course, it is cleverly signed to let you know where to go. Studley has just started and is a little community that I predict will grow and be a wonderful place to run at. I'll be back Studley, because I'm still pretending it's Christmas (in April when I wrote this) and have to run off excess on the hills!

Melbourne is so lucky to be a world leader when it comes to the arts, culture and design. The…read moreDonkey Wheel House may have a strange name but the businesses inside it are even stranger (that's a good thing!). School of life offers classes in philosophy and being a better human. They also have one of the best gift shops in town for that hard to buy for person. You can enjoy a coffee in their nice cafe too. Kinfolk are a social enterprise cafe where they put back a lot of the profits into great causes. Then there is HUB, a coworking space and home to creative mornings (a worldwide gathering once a month of creatives). They also have a gallery space in the basement for emerging artists. All in all Donkey Wheel is a fantastic old building and showcases some of the best of creative Melbourne. Check out their website for current goings on because it changes quite a lot.