My equal fave nature place in the Northern burbs is Queen's Park. It's frequented by families,…read morechildren, the elderly and fitness fans who take advantage of the many perks about this tranquil park. There are two playgrounds either side of the lake, walking and bike tracks, a gorgeous pergola/gazebo complete with white turret roof. Situated right on the lake, this magnificent area is perfect for wedding photos and is quite often used as a place to get married or to have wedding pics taken. When the giant water feature display comes on in the background the beauty of the scene it creates, particularly from the pergola with ferns and lush greenery in the background, truly takes your breath away. The Queen's Lake Cafe is situated on the opposite side of the gazebo next to one of the two playgrounds. They serve up delicious, homely and oh-so-worth-not-packing-a-picnic sort of food. Fresh rolls, focaccia and hot food, as well as perfecto tea and coffee, this is one playground you won't mind taking the kids to! Even though it gets busy here and not as big as Coburg Lake it's always seemed to be more serene and peaceful each time I've been. Seating a plenty, picnic tables, swimming complex, cafe, playgrounds, free BBQ facilities, walking and biking tracks, peace, wildlife, romantic.... The list goes on and on. The best thing to do is come and experience it for yourself, particularly if you live on this side of Melbs.

Ive been going to Queens Park for over 30 years! I used to go there as a little kid with my parents…read moreand now Im still going there as a parent with my little kids now! Queens Park is a beautiful park and is more of a "botanical gardens" than a regular or wooded park. It contains a beautiful lake with 3 man-made islands and a large water fountain in the lake. Many different species of bird live on the islands including ducks, coots, black swans and others. Turtles can also be spotted. The walk around the lake can be done in 10 minutes but its nicer to amble slowly! There are 2 playgrounds in the park - on either side of the lake and have different equipment to each other - meaning that the kids get 2 playground experiences rather than one generic one. Parking is also remarkably easy around the perimeter of the park and it is quite normal to see joggers running through the park or newly weds having their wedding photos taken in the lush setting. The park borders a swimming pool (open in summer) and the Moonee Ponds bowling club and contains a small cafe near the western side playground. The park is perfect for a romantic walk around the lake at twilight with your lover (it is well lit with lamp posts and is not dangerous at night) yet is also a perfect place for taking the kids to burn off some of their excess energy in the daytime and is also a great place for a jog or exercise session!

NOTES: ~ Bring some good tennis shoes or hiking boots. I…read moredidn't expect us to end up here when my friends and I went out for a drive and ended up needing to navigate through Kangaroo poop and rocks with open-toed heels. La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary is great for people who want a nice experience of Australian wildlife, but don't have the money to go deep into the outback. I fit the bill, and I genuinely really like this place! It is quiet, serene, and even better if you play the Jurassic Park theme song in your head while wandering through the pristine jungle-like reserve. Prepare to meet KANGAROOS! We saw some adorable kangaroos and silently watched them for a bit of time. Because the kangaroos aren't kept in cages or enclosures, the experience at this wildlife sanctuary is even better than an actual zoo! The kangaroos are free to roam - just be careful not to piss anything off! La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary is a fantastic nature experience and I would definitely bring anyone here. In fact, it makes me quite jealous of students attending La Trobe University! They get easy access to a beautiful reserve!~

Coburg Lake Reserve is a city oasis not ten minutes drive of the CBD. I didn't even know such a…read morehaven existed until the start of this year. With two kids and a need to free my mind with fresh air whilst they play, there simply is no better place than here. Three playgrounds with every thing a kid could want to play with, and good walking distance between all three so mummy gets the refreshment she needs! Wildlife is a plenty off the shore of the lake and it's delightful to see the hoards of families with their bright, colourful blankets out picnicking on sunny weekends, kids squealing with a mix of joy and fear as they throw bread to the energetic and sometimes intimidating ducks and swans. I love it for all the walking tracks, each one ultimately leading to some monument or imposing statue, playground or viewing platform. The tranquility of watching the streams of the lake, listening to the water amidst the parklands brings such serenity. History abounds with bluestone hedging along some of the trails. Complete with amphitheatre and lake side gazebo, huge free BBQ facilities, plenty of seating including wooden, patio like seats with direct frontage overlooking the lake, and shaded areas; to me it's magical, heaven within a tram ride away to the city.

Finally there is a break in the weather and I can go for a bicycle ride around the Coburg Lake…read moreReserve. This former quarry for the bluestone granite that built the old Pentridge Prison was made into a lake with extensive parkland around it about a hundred years ago. There is so much in this large park with lots of lawns and trees. On my ride I pass a few sculptures in the park, a couple of playgrounds (one with the largest twister game board in the world), BBQs, picnic tables, a band stand, bicycle trails, seats, picnic tables and of course, a couple of toilet blocks. I stop and rest at a new beautifully designed lookout point with a view over the valley. I rode around the lake. There are ducks and a swan and cygnets on the lake and on the lawns a couple of galahs are foraging for food. And there are many people, like myself, picnicking the park and the good weather but the park is so large that it doesn't feel crowded, except right down by the lake. I leave the park and follow the bicycle trail south along the Merri Creek but that's another story.

I walked past this place one day a few years ago and as soon as I saw the old steam train parked…read moreout the front all the memories of my childhood came flooding back. I still remember coming down here around Christmas time for picnics with the extended family and spending our time climbing all over the train. Much has changed since then as all of the train has been fenced off with the exception of the drivers cabin. They have also built a modern playground, but they still have the lake (which unfortunately they discourage you from swimming in, drinking from, fishing in, and duck shooting in: in fact I don't think you can do anything with the lake except look at it, and I'm pretty sure they will not appreciate you attempting to waterski in it, not that I would recommend it considering that it is pretty shallow). However, despite the lack of water activities, this place is still a great place for a picnic, and who knows, one day you may wander down here and discover an African choir singing in the ampitheatre (I did).

Bounce like it's 1999 children. Neon colours, no shoes allowed and pretty much do whatever you want…read more(within reason and only if you follow the safety rules) place of happiness. Bounce Inc brings out the youthful, well respected rebel in us all. The basic facilities are well kept. The seating areas are clean and there's a hipster inspired Tuck shop. As well as a gift store. The staff are here to help you be happy. Whether that's some helpful advice on how to do basic tricks or jumping into a game of dodgeball to help even the scores. Maybe it's all the brain shaking that goes on here but these were seriously the happiest staff and most helpful staff I've ever come across. You truly learn to appreciate The Big Ass Fans as you bouncing around. Near silent but providing such welcome cool relief. There's 5/6 areas to explore including a dodgeball arena, basketball hoops, The wall and my personal favourite the track work and huge air bag. That's for your pleasure when your doing flips and stuff. A word of warning. You'll have a lot of fun here. Don't spoil your fun with incorrect clothing. Try avoid any stuff materials like denim (jeans) or super floaty yoga style tops. A basic close fitting tee and shorts or cropped leggings work well.

What an absolute hoot! Trying to get more active, and do it…read morein a fun way, I dragged 8 mates along with me for an hour at bounce. And by an hour, I mean we didn't get started until 5 past, and most of us were well and truly done by 10 mins to the hour. Jumping up and down is tiring man! (Come on, we were all aged from 26 to 36, the kids out there didn't break a single sweat!) They've got multiple styles of trampoline, from regular mats, to ones on the wall, ones with bends, a few to jump off the end into a giant pit thing (like my use of technical terms there?), some you can jump up onto actual wooden walls, a slam dunk area, and even a dodgeball section. For the real experts you can strap on a foam board, not dissimilar to a snowboard or wakeboard, and practice your jumps. It's $16 for an hour, or get together 10 of you and it drops to $13. Or get 9 of you and pay for 10 and still works out cheaper. The loss of 1 star is for the toilets. They were filthy, and stunk. And being a place with children, Unflushed every time I went. Im going to start doing something fun every week, and shall call it #wearekidswednesday so any ideas greatly appreciated! Fun Fact - you can pay $5 for a wrist band that you swipe before some of the areas, and it films you for 15 seconds, and then you can go and download / share you looking like a grown ass idiot with your friends! (Unfortunately mine isn't working though, so waiting on them to contact me)

This park is amazing! Tucked away in Templestowe has everything you want from a sand pit to flying…read morefoxes!

This park has not come up in my radar before despite its location, and what a shame that was!!!…read moreI managed to visit on a day off and sunny winter Melbourne day with the dog. Amazing great space and there's access to the water for the water loving dogs to dip in and out as they please. There's a few different sport zones ( soccer field, golf ) so you have to be mindful of visiting when there's a sporting event/ match. Otherwise it's a free run for the dog. There is also a no dog golf zone so watch out for stray golf balls of around this zone. Bike path runs next to the river and lots of benches to sit on. Love it and I will definitely visit more!

A firm favourite with our dogs! A truly enjoyable experience for all. Our dogs have many regular…read morefriends who visit, from Cavaliers to English Mastiff's! All dog owners are respectful.

All the above stars are from the kids! If it were my choice of venue it would be the nearest day…read morespa and I'd be horizontal gettin' all Zen n stuff! But this is their day and it's a place any child would happily divorce their parents to move into 24/7 if it was an option. Lots of slides climbing gear etc etc ( you can tell I'm impressed huh?) but an adequate cafe, coffee wasn't too bad either! So here I sit happily dreaming of day spas while my kids scream with glee amongst the tens of hundred of other kids doing the same thing......bliss.