The Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully is a perfect spot for an afternoon out with a young…read morefamily. There is a large playground that has been recently renovated and is brand new. It has a child safe gates and a fence around it to encourage supervision. It is a pretty popular playground and gets quite busy on sunny days. The park has two really pretty lakes complete with ducks. There are boardwalks and bridges to walk over and a nice track that meanders all around the park. To appreciate the peace and the beautiful scenery make sure to take a seat at one of the park benches scattered all around - they are perfectly placed for the best views. Although if you are coming for peace and quiet you'd be best off coming during a weekday as on weekends and school holidays there will be kids everywhere. The Knox Bicycle Track runs alongside the park making it a great picnic lunch spot if you're going on a big ride. Kids often ride their bikes around the tracks in the park and there are plenty of grass areas big enough to kick a ball around and be more active. Supervision of kids is essential around the lake as there are no barriers or anything to prevent people from falling in. Dogs are common visitors to the park and must be kept on a leash at all times. The park is really unique in that it caters to every member of the family, young and old and it really is a beautiful spot. Very popular for wedding receptions and events there is a pergola at one end that often plays host to quite a crowd. There are adequate parking spaces available as well as side street parking.

With the outer east slowly building up and attracting more and more new residents to the area, one…read moredifference we have to the west is the amount of greenery we hold dear. At the foot of the Dandenongs, between Fern Tree Gully and Boronia, sits the Tim Neville Arbouretum, a huge expanse of lakes, fountains and open space that has been a favourite for picnics, weddings and lazy Sunday afternoons for as long as I can remember. As a kid we used to come here on our bikes and tear around the paved track that winds its way through, across the footbridge and past the amphitheatre, that is home to yearly Christmas Carols by Candlelight. Perfect on a warm day, there are also BBQ's to use, and plenty of rooms for a large group.

We've been to a few play centers now and this one is by far our favorite…read more Great staff, very friendly and welcoming, huge toddler area with secure fencing and plenty of toys, jumping castle, and lots of slides.

From the owner: Slides Playcentre and Cafe is Knoxfield's exciting family play centre, home to Australia's Highest…read moreIndoor 3 Lane Slide that towers 8 metres high! There is fun for the entire family on offer at our venue, which is perfect for birthdays, fundraising nights, sporting club celebrations, school groups, reunions, or just a fun family day out.

Greenery? Check. Fresh air? Check. Uphill walking tracks that will guarantee a good workout? Check!…read more I love the 1000 steps! It seems to have gained in popularity over the years so if you're coming on a weekend, prepare to arrive super early. I came at 8am on a Saturday, quite pleased with myself at waking up so early and the carpark was entirely full. It does detract from the experience a little bit but I'll just have to learn to share. Returning on a weekday was completely different. Barely any people on the track and I thoroughly enjoyed my walk up those steps! The 1000 steps don't take too long to complete and the hardest part is that last 5-10 minutes where the steps get bigger. Thankfully, there are plenty of rest stops and people are generally courteous about moving out of the way if your smashing out a workout without needing a rest. I love the sound of water running, kookaburras laughing and the different birds rustling around in the trees. The only slight inconvenience is the parking situation at peak times and high volume of people passing through.

This place puts even the fittest of fit to shame. If you think this is just a nice stroll up the…read moremountain, you'll wish you wore your exercise clothing instead. In case anybody wonders (and people always do), there are actually less than 1000 steps. But the walk uphill before the actual stairway makes up for the shortage of steps of the stairway. Before you start, there is a sign that tells you to leave your water bottle and other belongings. As long as you know not to litter, you can disregard that sign. I'd recommend going up the stairs and then taking the other non-stair path back down. But then everybody has their own preferences. Plenty of shade, so you won't be baking in the sun. On the other hand, you can't actually see your progress since all you'll see are more and more stairs. There are certain parts that are leveled, and you'll see a few benches available to sit. Most people we encounter along this trail seem to be at least somewhat fit. The most resilient hikers end up being the older individuals. Overall, it's a great place to get a good exercise. You'll be compelled to finish the trip the moment you start.

Love this place so fun for kids, teens and adults. Staff…read moreare so nice and helpful when you need it. Not to expensive, The food is ok can be better. Over all super fun and great 10/10 would recommend

From the owner: Rush HQ's extensive range of activities includes a huge multi-level obstacle course, two large…read moredodge-ball areas, a newly refurbished multi-wall rock climbing area, several jump n' slam basketball lanes and over 100 state of the art interconnected trampolines. We also have 5 large party rooms, a group catering menu, as well as a wide range of food options within Hunger HQ.

This is a great family run old school style gym. With personal training available from national &…read moreinternational bodybuilding champions, I'm very happy that I'm getting the results I'm after. I recommend this gym to all my friends & my wife joins me here as well. Casual visits are $10 but I pay monthly as I'm there 5 times a week. No long term contracts.

The Birchfield Reserve is a great little hidden gem in Wantirna South. While only small, it has so…read moremany features that make it the perfect place for countless children's games. There is a little playground with two swings that is, as usual, surrounded by tanbark. The area around this is pretty flat and has a good spread of grass. There is a long line of pine trees along one side of the park and they are perfect for the game "What's the time Mr. Wolf" or even "Forty-Forty". Hide and Seek would also be good, but it'd be pretty obvious that you would be hiding behind a tree because there is really nowhere else to hide! The park doesn't seem to be very well attended to as there were three trees lying on the ground that had fallen over at some point. There are three paths that lead to the various exit points - two out of three are cement but one is loose stones and crunched up cement. The birds here were really noisy but there was no other sound so it was actually really peaceful. The streets that border the Reserve are all courts or dead end streets and there is barely any traffic at all. I really enjoyed spending time in this Reserve.

Good service and friendly staff who I believe may be family also, well it has a family run feel to…read moreit.. Good variety of fish and reptiles for all kids, big and little to check out too..

From the owner: Aquarium Reptiles Custom made Tanksread more

Lakewood Lake is situated in the middle of the Lakewood Estate in Knoxfield. It is a medium size…read morebody of water that is complete with its own island in the middle. It is the home to a diverse range of wildlife - from the Pobblebonk frogs in the smaller pond adjacent to the lake, to the territorial magpies that are prone to swoop cyclists. (If you are going to cycle around the lake make sure to put pipe cleaners - or something similar- on your helmet to scare the magpies away). I have been swooped a handful of times riding my bike there and crashing into a tree as a result isn't really the elegant cyclist look I was going for. Ducks and Geese live in the lake and love getting a free feed from visitors who venture out onto the pier to feed them. The only annoying thing about the pier is the amount of bird poo on the railings, which prevents you from leaning out over the water - in hindsight that is probably a good thing. There is a wide walking track surrounding the lake with the option of talking the short 800metre route or extending your walk by taking detours through the forested surrounds to a maximum of 1.2kms. The busiest times are around six am and six pm. There are a handful of benches to sit and enjoy the view and a drinking tap. Despite being set in the middle of the suburb you don't really notice the houses or hear traffic. It is a really peaceful place to relax and unwind.

This place hasn't changed in decades, yet still remains relevant. It's like a time warp! Such a…read moregreat family activity. Can't wait to go back again.

Caribbean Rollerama was the venue for about ten birthday parties I attended growing up and man,…read morethey were fun. The staff who hold the parties are really good at putting together fun times for the kids - who knew rollerskating to 'the chicken dance' could be so much fun?! My sister also had a party hosted there and it was great. They have function rooms out the back and they are super comfortable. Like the walls of the skating ring, most benches and seats in this place are covered in carpet so bottoms sore from falls on the ring have somewhere soft to sit - it's a really smart touch. There is a little cafe that sells junk food and hot dogs but it is quite overpriced so I'd think about bringing your own pre-made food. They also have a games area here, which is off to the right. Some games cost money and some don't. The music here is quite varied and they often have theme nights. I like going on the 90's nights because everyone gets really into it and that was the time when I first started going to Rollerama. It has a lot of history and a lot of character and it's a really fun place to go. Skate hire is only about $3 and entry is something like $7 for adults.