The Top Family Activities in the Boroondara Council Area
Boroondara is located in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne, between 5 and 10 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD and includes the suburbs of Ashburton, Balwyn, Balwyn North (part), Camberwell, Canterbury, Deepdene, Glen Iris (part), Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Kew, Kew East, Mont Albert (part) and Surrey Hills (part).
Boroondara Council Area Map
Indoor Activities
Bounce Inc (Glen Iris)
The centre has a free-Jump arena, slam dunk, dodgeball, high performance trampolines, big bag, the wall, dedicated soft play area for juniors and X-Park which is an adventure challenge course combining elements of climbing, jumping and free-running into an epic urban playground.
Playgrounds
The best playgrounds in the area are:Hays Paddock Playground (Kew East)
This iconic fenced playground was the original all-abilities playground in Melbourne. It includes a sandpit with sunshade with kids always using the construction equipment such as diggers, scoops and pulleys. The overall playground design enables all children to easily play together. The playground is in a lovely bushland setting with stands of eucalyptus trees. It is surrounded by huge grassy areas with picnic facilities, toilets, basketball half court, wetlands area, dog off leash area and even an archery paddock (although you should avoid this area when the archers are active if you don't want to end up like a pin cushion).
Markham Reserve Playground (Ashburton)
A large fenced playground with plenty of facilities including a small skate park, basketball court, picnic area and toilets. A huge ramp runs down the middle with play items such as slides and ladders coming off it. Other highlights are a large number of vertical and horizontal climbing nets and some beautifully carved kookaburras overlooking a covered sandpit. Outside the fenced area there are large grassy areas, sportsgrounds and the Gardiners Creek Trail.
Beckett Park Playground (Balwyn)
An interesting park with a stone observation tower (which you can climb the internal steps to the top and get views right across Melbourne as far as Mount Macedon), extensive playground with a wooden maze, interesting wooden sculptures and huge sandpit, grassy areas and next to Maranoa Australian Gardens and an Indigenous Flora Reserve. There are tables and toilets but no BBQs.
Central Gardens Playground (Hawthorn)
5 4 3 2 1 Blastoff! Central Gardens is known as 'Rocket Park' because it is dominated by a tall rocket climbing frame with slides. The rest of the playground has some standard equipment including a spinning carousel with lovely horse seats. The playground is set in beautiful gardens with toilets, plenty of seats, tables, BBQ and shade. This playground is getting upgraded but the iconic rocket ship will be retained.
Outdoor Activities
Kew Traffic School (Kew)
Kew Traffic School has provided a safe environment for children to learn road safety for over 50 years and offers children the chance to gain confidence and skills in a fun setting, away from the normal dangers on our roads.
Yarra Bend Park (Kew)
Yarra Bend Park, which has over 16 km of river frontage, is a huge green area and the landscape varies from steep, wild river escarpments to open woodlands, formal parkland, playing fields and golf courses. Highlights for families include:
- Boating, canoeing, golf, fishing, orienteering, picnicking, walking, cycling, bird watching and just enjoying the bush.
- Studley Park Boathouse offers cafe, bistro and restaurant dining and canoe and rowboat hire.
- View the Flying Fox Colony which number more than 10,000 grey-headed flying-foxes.
- Visit Dight's Falls, a weir was built in the early 1840s to supply water to the Dight brothers' flour mill.
- Take the dog for a walk. Dogs are permitted in most of the park and there are some dog off leash areas.
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One of Australia's oldest native gardens, this beautiful garden displays Australian plants in a range of colourful, habitat styles. You can walk through a variety of eco-systems and everything is well labelled. There is a big grassy area where you could have a picnic lunch and the gardens are next to Beckett Park playground.
Street and Public Art
Check out the Street and Public Art in Boroondara. The guide contains photos and a map of all the locations.
Art Activities
The Art Factory in Balwyn North facilitates art programs and creative events, Petit Painters in Hawthorn has children's art class with a difference and Bits & Pieces Craft Studio in Camberwell offers a place to spend some time to build/paint their wooden models.There are many art galleries in the area including the Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn which features a diverse range of contemporary and innovative exhibitions.
Museums & History
The most interesting museum is the Melbourne Tram Museum in Hawthorn which is home to 21 fully-restored trams. Since 1885, Melbourne has been one of the world's great tramway cities and you can explore the history of trams and the contribution they have made to Melbourne.Other museums include the Former Kew Police Station and Court House in Kew has some cells on display and presents displays and exhibitions of items related to the history of the area.
Skate & BMX Parks
The best and most popular skate park is the Hawthorn East Skatepark near the Camberwell Junction which has a street course and bowls. There are also some simpler skate parks at Ashburton and Hawthorn.Hill 'n Dale BMX Park in Glen Iris is a fun bike park which has a line of rollers and big boxes which is suited to a range of riders.
Aquatic Centres
The public aquatic centres in Boroondara are:Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre
Facilities include an outdoor 25m pool, indoor 25m pool, hydrotherapy pool, toddler play pool, two spas and a sauna. The indoor and outdoor pools are heated all year round.
Hawthorn Aquatic & Leisure Centre
Facilities include a 50m heated outdoor pool with nine lanes and a 20m indoor warm-water pool.
Harold Holt Swim Centre (Glen Iris)
Facilities include a 50m outdoor pool which is heated for year-round use, 25m indoor pool, warm water pool, cove-style leisure pool with water water fountains and an adjoining outdoor splash park available during the warmer months.
Boroondara Sports Complex (Balwyn North)
Facilities include a 50m heated year round outdoor pool, heated seasonal outdoor learner pool and dive pool with both a one and three metre springboard and a 5 metre diving tower (unheated and open on warm days).
Dance, Music & Drama
There are more than 25 Dance, Music and Drama studios within the council area. Use the Enhanced Dance, Music & Drama Search to search for classes for specific styles or ages.Library Storytime
There are free storytime sessions for pre-school children held at libraries across Boroondara - Ashburton library, Balwyn library, Camberwell library, Hawthorn library and Kew library.Toy Libraries
Toy libraries offer children a choice from many entertaining and stimulating toys all year for the price of just one or two new toys. There are toy libraries at Canterbury, Kew and Ashburton.Dog Parks
Take your dog for a walk at one of the dog off leash areas - there are more than 50 in Boroondara. Out favourite dog off leash area in Boroondara is Fairview Park which has lovely surroundings beside the Yarra River where confident dogs can swim. The park is popular and you will find quite a lot of dogs and their owners to interact with.
There is one fenced dog park at Gordon Barnard Reserve in Balwyn North.
