THE PRACTICAL GUIDES
Rainy-day Melbourne: indoor outings for younger and older children
Indoor outings for different ages, from a short museum session to a day of climbing.
The first four entry examples are for one adult and one four-year-old, without memberships or concessions. They exclude food, travel, parking and optional extras. The later options use their own age bands and explain adult costs separately. Prices and entry rules were checked on 27 September 2026.
Choose by the kind of day you want
- A short session for a younger child: the Children’s Gallery has a reserved 50-minute slot.
- Hands-on science: Scienceworks has Ground Up for under-fives, alongside other exhibitions.
- Slides and climbing without a timed booking: Kidz Playzone accepts walk-ins.
- A LEGO-focused outing: LEGOLAND has the highest example entry total here and needs adult tickets too.
- A hands-on climbing day together: Cliffhanger lets a parent hold the ropes, with equipment hire priced separately.
- Climbing in the south-east: Bayside Rock has timed automatic-belay sessions aimed at under-13s and families.
- Trampolines in the east: BOUNCE Blackburn offers one-hour sessions and a separate area for smaller children.
- All-day soft play in the north: Lollipop’s in Coolaroo has free adult entry and a separate toddler area.
Carlton · Babies to age 5
Children’s Gallery at Melbourne Museum
A$18 for one adult and a four-year-old.
The adult pays A$18; children aged 16 and under enter the museum free. Reserve a free 50-minute Children’s Gallery slot as well as museum admission. An adult museum ticket alone does not secure the gallery session.
The gallery includes movement play and museum objects. Its discovery garden is outdoors, so the entire experience is not under cover.
Spotswood · Ground Up is for babies to age 5
Scienceworks
A$15 for one adult and a four-year-old.
Standard adult general entry is A$15 and children aged 16 and under enter free. Ground Up is the dedicated space for younger children to build and explore. For older siblings, look at the current exhibition programme.
Planetarium shows and special experiences can need additional tickets. See Ground Up’s age guidance.
Deer Park · Ages 0 to 12
Kidz Playzone
A$16.90 on ordinary weekdays; A$19.90 on weekends and holidays.
That total covers the four-year-old; adults enter free. School holiday weekdays use the higher price. For younger children, ages one to two cost A$14.90 or A$16.90 respectively; babies under twelve months are free.
Walk in for ball pits, slides and soft climbing. Complete the venue waiver and bring grip socks, as required by its entry conditions. Socks are sold for A$3; adults entering the play area need socks too. There is a café and parking on site.
Chadstone · Designed for ages 3 to 10
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre
From A$57.60 for one adult and a four-year-old.
This is two tickets at the advertised online starting price of A$28.80 each. Choose a date and time to see the actual total; the starting price is not available for every visit.
The indoor attraction combines LEGO building and play with rides. Adults need tickets, and individual rides can have their own restrictions. Read the official age and entry rules.
Climbing choices for school-age children
Altona North · Climbing from age 2, with a belayer aged 13+
Cliffhanger Climbing Gym
A$40 for an under-13 climber and a non-climbing adult, with hire equipment.
The child’s A$33 day pass includes a harness and climbing shoes. A parent holding the rope enters free and pays A$7 for a hire harness. For a climber aged 13-17, the equivalent total is A$43. Bringing your own required equipment reduces those totals.
Choose this when you want to take part in your child’s climbing by holding the rope. An induction covers the safety procedure, and the day pass lasts until closing. It needs at least two people; under-13s cannot belay. Small groups can walk in, arriving at least 90 minutes before closing.
Carrum Downs · Climb Time is aimed at under-13s and families
Bayside Rock
A$23 per climber aged 4+ for one hour, including a harness.
Climb Time combines automatic-belay walls with a caving challenge and Spider Mountain. It suits a family seeking a defined session in the south-east. Two hours cost A$27 per climber. An adult who climbs pays the same rate, so one adult and one child aged four or over climbing together cost A$46 for an hour.
Book ahead and arrive 15 minutes before the hour. The venue recommends starting from age three, subject to harness fit. These prices are for Climb Time; the centre’s bouldering area has a separate minimum age of 15.
More choices in the north and east
Blackburn North · Trampolines for school-age children; separate miniBOUNCE zone
BOUNCE Blackburn
One-hour general admission A$18 off-peak or A$25 peak, before socks.
Choose this for an active indoor session with trampolines, dodgeball and trampoline basketball in the eastern suburbs. Book online ahead of time. Peak rates apply on weekends, school holidays and public holidays, including holiday weekdays.
Bring BOUNCE grip socks or include a pair in the booking. For a younger sibling, miniBOUNCER tickets cost A$13.50 off-peak or A$18 peak. Children must walk unassisted and be under 110cm for that category, and use the separate miniBOUNCE Zone. These are participant prices, not an adult-and-child bundle.
Coolaroo · Main playground and separate toddler area
Lollipop’s Roxburgh Park
One adult and a four-year-old: A$11.90 on school days or A$14.90 on weekends and school holidays.
The branch name says Roxburgh Park, but the address is 8/1640 Pascoe Vale Road, Coolaroo. Choose this for a northern-suburbs outing without a fixed session length: admission covers all-day play, adults enter free, and there is a café on site.
Ages one to two cost A$10.90 on school days or A$12.90 general entry; babies under one are free. The playground has climbing, slides, swings and a dedicated toddler area. Published hours are 9am-6pm daily.
For more suburbs and age groups, browse the indoor play directory. These are comparisons from published venue information, not reviews of personal visits.
For an outing centred on lunch or a café catch-up, compare eat-and-play venues and their meal, entry and supervision rules.
For an active jumping outing, use our trampoline and inflatable ticket guide to check sibling eligibility, junior zones and required extras.
For a family bowling outing, the bowling ticket comparison checks family eligibility, activity bundles, branch prices and evening limits for children.
For a visit to a dedicated play gym, the sensory play comparison checks open-play calendars, adult supervision, preparation resources and exclusive-booking limits.
For that specific museum outing, the Scienceworks ticket guide separates general entry, inclusive Planetarium tickets, Lightning Theatre shows and the family timetable.
Editorial guidance with linked sources. Reviewed 2026-09-27.