Best family activities in Melbourne

Melbourne's family activities combine the city's exceptional museum and cultural infrastructure with the zoo, the Dandenong Ranges day trips, and the bay beaches that make it one of the most complete family cities in Australia across all seasons and weather conditions.

Melbourne Museum and IMAX — the museum at Carlton Gardens provides the Dinosaur Walk (20 full dinosaur skeletons), the Forest Gallery (living rainforest inside the building), the Mind and Body gallery, and the Children's Gallery for under-8s. The IMAX cinema adjacent provides the largest screen in Australia for family film screenings.

Melbourne Zoo — the zoo at Royal Park in Parkville provides the Trail of the Elephants, the Gorilla Rainforest, the Butterfly House, and the Platypus exhibit that make it the most comprehensive single zoo experience in Victoria. The Sunday morning Zoo Twilight events suit families during summer.

Scienceworks — the hands-on science museum at Spotswood provides the Sportsworks exhibit (testing physical limits against elite athletes), the Lightning Room show, and the Planetarium dome sessions that create an active family engagement with science that the Melbourne Museum's more contemplative approach does not provide.

Werribee Open Range Zoo — the open-range zoo 35 kilometres from the CBD provides the African safari bus (lions, rhinos, hippos, zebras visible at close range) that delivers the most viscerally exciting large-animal encounter available from Melbourne without an international flight.

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