There are some great places to play hide n seek with little ones, a cafe and a skate park to burn…read moresome energy off. This fort built play area will give hours of enjoyment and with toilets, shade, swings and climbing equipment for all ages there is plenty to do. Enjoy.

Sometimes I wish I had kids, just so that I could have an excuse to spend hours at playgrounds like…read morethis. Then I remember that it's a free world and disapproving looks from the more mature members of the grown-up community does not prevent me from having a jolly good time on what has to be one of the most fantastic playgrounds in suburbia. It has everything. Everything. Wobbly things, running things, things to stick your head into and get it stuck, swings, slides, bridges, flying foxes and other general obstacles. I can only imagine how brilliant a game of tiggy would be (but at night, so as not to injure small bodies with my own lumbering clumsy one). Built by a team of parents, friends and workers, this playground is a wonderful gift to children, child-minders and child-minded alike. A great way to spend an afternoon in the sun, or even the gloom.

Trekking across town to attend my nephew's 1st birthday, it was our first time at Lollipop's and we…read moreloved it! Not being familiar, we found it a bit hard to find but once we found out it was on Level 3 next to all the cinemas and games, we were set! The play centre is well laid out with a separate area for toddlers so they don't get knocked over by the older kids and there is an awesome foam ball room with canons and vacuums that suck up the balls to different sections ready to launch. There's even an awesome pirate ship ride inside the venue! On first impression the centre is clean and well maintained and the staff were very attentive especially amongst all the birthday excitement. The staff were loud and clear when giving instructions and made sure all the kids had drinks topped up and birthday cake. Both the kids and adults were fed with sandwiches, fruits and hot food and you if you're after something a little more special you can also order some desserts from the window display. I think we've found another new place to catch up with our mummy friends! :)

I wasn't too interested in stopping by this playground, for one, the opening hours are after school…read morehours and generally the kids are a bit pooped and ready to rest, but two... You can't get your kids out once they are in there. This place consists of so much play equipment and guess what?!? ITS FREE! Yes I did say free. It's a community playground run by awesome people and it has so much fun stuff to play with. I can put my 7 year old in there and let him go off and eventually find him later on, all while spitting on a cup of tea and relaxing and talking to other Mums, if I like. Although I do have an almost 3 year old which requires a bit more supervision so I tend to be running through the forts and jumping over toys and other kids to keep up with the energy of a 3 year old. They also have a sand pit and one of those zip line flying things (Sorry don't know the technical name for it!) It is open during school holidays so it's defintely a great place to hang out and let some of the kids get that school holiday energy out.

I have a 4 year old son who doesn't just like to run but needs to be run and this is most certainly…read morethe best play ground in Melbourne. It was built by the community in the 1960's or 70's and there is none of that politically safe rubbish, oh my kid needs to be padded up and protected from everything type attitude stuff going on in this play ground. Your kids can be kids and climb, jump, play, throw, run, get dirty and all that other fun essential stuff kids are meant to be doing. As an adult they have a wee kitchen that you can make yourself a cup of tea, some tables and chairs and you can read your book or have a picnic while the kids run wild. I had my son't birthday there last year which cost around $180 to hire out a room type thing. I had parents come up to me after saying it was the best place they have taken their kid to for a party. HIGHLY recommend this place and am surprised there are no other reviews on this place. Mind you it is reasonable undiscovered and you almost don't want the world to know it exists, so you can keep it for yourself...

Had my 10 year old daughters party here and couldn't have asked for a better experience…read more They have all new inflatables and finally put in cooling

A great rainy day activity for small and big kids alike. Flipout is within a big sports centre in…read moreAltona and costs $10 for access to all trampolines. There's a dedicated area for under fives with a foam pit and smaller trampolines. There's also an adult/big kids area, runway trampolines with a foam pit, slam dunk area and dedicated flip area. We went on a Friday, and it was reasonably busy but not crowded staff levels were good and all staff members were friendly

Absolutely over the moon with this playground - which we found by accident while desperate for a…read moretoilet! The place is themed like a moon base. There is a moon crater, a moon worm, rockets, a space ship etc. Boo loved the mini rockets and the music making areas. The place is spotless and very well maintained - and lots to entertain for hours! There is an area at the back that has some information and learning areas about plants. Try pushing the button on the rocket! All in all we had a ball here and wish this was near our house as boo loved it! Check out the pictures to see her smiling face! There is a Liberty swing and toilets and a big car park.

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!

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)

We jokingly refer to this neighbourhood park as "our other garden". The Yarraville Gardens…read morefeature lush and beautifully landscaped grounds with plenty of room for recreational activities. A mix of native and European trees line the terraced, upper portion of the park that abuts Hyde Street. There are some lovely flower beds, a grassy field to picnic in, plenty of BBQ sites, and a great adventure playground for the kiddies. As you descend through the park down to Docklands Hwy you pass through several reserves: The largest one is reserved for after work runners and kid-o soccer games, while the lower two reserves which face Docklands Hwy are for doggies (and summer cricketers desperately avoiding poop piles). I love the dog park here: This is a safe, secure, and very bucolic place to bring your pooch, and I've never had a safety problem in the three years I've been visiting with my dog. In the past year food trucks have been lining up on Somerville Road and Hyde Street most evenings. Mr. Burger tends to out at least three times a week and we also see White Guy does Thai, Taco Truck, Dude Food, and Los Diablos. Generally, Friday and Sunday nights are the best time to catch a truck, but there is usually at least one (and sometimes up to seven) present. Awesomely, there is a rarely a long wait at any of the trucks. There are hipsters and cool kids in Yarraville, but this ain't Brunswick and the crowds are still mild here. Grab some grab on a warm night and make a picnic of it. Just avoid the dog reserve if you want to eat unmolested by hungry canines!

You know you're at a good park when you can take your shoes off and feel the thickness of the grass…read morebetween your toes. Throw in BBQ facilities, playground, dog park, and a nightly lineup of Food Trucks and you have yourselves the total package. The council has limited the food truck frenzy due to rubbish issues, but you can still find up to 10 trucks here on any one night. Perfect for an impromptu picnic that you don't need to plan much for!

Templestowe you have done it again with yet another totally awesome park. This one is located on…read moreThe Grange and is surrounded by large houses. The park itself is always pretty quiet as not many cars tend to peruse this street. There is a fun playground with lots of unique play equipment. It is very colourful as well. There is a swing set, a climbing frame and some springy toys for young children as well. For older patrons there is a netball and basketball hoop complete with little concrete squares to allow a small game. For cricket fans there is even a set of three wickets in the middle of the reserve. There is plenty of grass to run around on and a nice scattering of trees that provide just the right amount of shade. To help you enjoy the surrounds are three wooden seats. It is a really nice place to relax on a warm afternoon and is big enough for a few people to share without feeling cramped.

Big enough to lose your kid in .. (Which one mum did whilst we were there)…read more Big wooden playground which has 2 sections, one for older and one for the younger kids. My 4 yo enjoyed himself .. And it tired him out.