School holidays are here and entertaining the tribe can quickly begin to add up. Well not with this list of FREE activities that the tribe will love! Check out our best picks of what’s on in your state that won’t cost you a cent.
NEW SOUTH WALES
- Play at the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens park which has a nature fort, rock climbing wall, spider-web merry-go-round, in-ground slides and more.
- Take them to Kids Gardening Classes at Flower Power Garden Centres in various locations.
- Have a day at Sydney Festival visiting The Beach at The Cutaway in Barangaroo Reserve. Plunge into over 1 million balls and bring your floaties for extra fun!
- Take the tribe on a coastal walk along one of Sydney’s most beautiful points, from Bondi to Coogee. Cape Solander is a great point to stop off for some bird watching and in winter – whale watching!
- Catch a free movie at Cinema Under the Stars. There are different events happening in February around the Hunter, Central Coast, New England, Central West regions and more!
- Enrol your kids in The Good Guys Super Hero Academy these school holidays as part of Kids in the Park. Taking place in January in Sydney Olympic Park, the kids will learn circus skills in this fun and free workshop!
- Visit Circus City as part of Sydney Festival for the Aerialize workshop in Parramatta Park this January. There is a range of circus workshops for tiny tots up to adults.
- Sydney Park is home to Sydney’s best bike track for the kids! It includes challenges of all riding levels, curves, bridges, stop and go signals, a tunnel and more!
- Pack a picnic and throw the kids bikes in the car and head to Western Sydney Parklands. You can hire a BBQ area, play in the parks, go bird watching, walk the dogs, or just play a game of backyard cricket in the great outdoors.
- Take the kids on The Amazing Chase bike clue trail in two locations at Sydney Olympic Park. Bring bikes and helmets and follow the clues on the grid map to solve puzzles at each pit stop.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
- Head out to Braithwaite Nature Park for a playground that will keep the tribe busy for hours. Did we mention it has a flying fox, tunnels, slides, water play and a birds’ nest to climb in?
- A visit to Synnergy Parkland in Perth will be packed with options for things to do! See the large replicas of extinct Australian mega fauna, cool off in the interactive water mist play forest, play in the playground or climb the DNA Tower for beautiful views of Rottnest Island, Swan River and the Botanic Gardens.
- Have a play at Eden Beach Foreshore Playground in Jindalee. This state of the art park will wow the kids on arrival.
- Take the kids for a spin on their bikes at the Peachey Park Adventure bike track. It includes fun challenges like slalom, bone shaker and wall turns.
- Forget paying to go to a trampoline centre. Baldivis Parks Estate Playground has some awesome in-ground trampolines built into the park!
- Cool off by visiting the Water Labyrinth in Forrest Place, Perth. This interactive water sculpture is the perfect place to stop off this summer.
- Pop down to the Freemantle Arts Centre and enjoy some tunes and snacks in the garden with live performances in their Sunday Music sessions.
- Join a Family Nature Club. Each family nature club is different, but the idea is to meet other families and reconnect with nature. You can do trail walks, go geocaching, bird watching, whatever interests you!
VICTORIA
- Let the tribe’s imaginations run wild at the Williams Landing Airplane Park in Williams Landing, Victoria. This aviation themed park has a control tower with a curving tunnel slide and dual wave slides.
- The Dragon Park in Fitzroy Gardens will delight the kids. There is a giant dragon slide and a tall giraffe swing. Nearby you’ll find the Fairies Tree. This is one magical day out for the tribe!
- It’s not too late to check out the We’re All Smurfs exhibition at Harbour Town in Docklands. Meet Smurf characters, participate in kids crafts and see the 4-metre high giant Smurf!
- Plan a day for some play at North Road Reserve in the pirate ship themed park right on the shore at Brighton Beach.
- Check out public art in Melbourne including Union Lane, Docklands and the Federation Bells at Birrarung Marr.
- Grab a fishing rod and some tackle and go fishing at St Kilda Pier.
- Take the kids to Caldermeade Dairy Farm to watch the cows being milked, pat the baby animals and play on the equipment. It’s free to enter but there is a café on site too which is kind of perfect!
AUSTRALIAN CAPTIAL TERRITORY
- Pay a visit to the National Arboretum Canberra and check out the fantastic Pod Playground where the playground features acorn shaped cubbies, nest swings and banksia pods and is a great place for the tribe to climb and explore.
- Join the Brick Club at Kippax Library. It’s a program aimed at kids aged 5-8 where the tribe can build and design the monthly challenge with LEGO bricks.
- Take the kids to Summer Story Time at the National Library of Australia where they will be read charming stories from the library’s collection.
- Visit the Royal Australian Mint and teach the tribe about the history of Australian money. You can also go on a mini treasure hunt with free My Visit To The Mint activity books available at reception.
QUEENSLAND
- Street Science is a cool group hosting a free workshop at Caboolture Library where kids can use the latest digital microscopes to learn the difference between living and non-living specimens. This workshop is ideal for 8-12 years.
- Take the tribe on a trip to the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium where general admission is free. There’s lots to see and if you want to participate in some of the Skydome Shows, be sure to check out the kids program to see which one is best suited to your tribe.
- A trip to the Roma Street Parklands won’t disappoint. The gardens are spectacular to visit any time of year and there are loads of free and fun events hosted in the gardens at different times.
- Take the kids out for a night walk to find Glow Worms at Springbrook National Park. There is a resident colony of glow worms living in the park, and you will also spot some luminous fungi and fireflies to add to the fun.
- A visit to the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is a must! GOMA has a Children’s Art Centre where the kids can interact with installations, or even visit on Toddler Tuesday, which is a free program that uses storytelling and making activities to encourage toddlers to have fun while learning about art.
- Come on down to Clontarf on the shorefront to see the Redcliffe Kite Flying Club flying their kites (weather permitting of course!). Tribes can bring their own kites and participate or just sit back and admire the colourful kites in the sky.
- Get into the Trolls action and visit the Trolls Craft Village at Capalba Central where kids can design and decorate their own Trolls themed picture frame to take home.
- Take a walk with a difference at the Tree Top Walk in Lamington National Park. You can walk through a canopy of tree tops on a walk that is made up of nine suspension bridges, the highest one being 30m above ground.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
- Take the tribe to the newly launched Katherine Street Reserve Playground. It has swings, mini in-ground trampolines, a spinner, a large sandpit, a slide for multiples to ride at the same time, shade sails and water fountains including one for your pooch!
- Try taking a walk to the Giant’s Cave! This 3km trail inside Morialta Conservation Park is sure to impress the kids! Spot wildlife including frogs, koalas and yellow tailed black cockatoos to name a few.
- Feed the animals at Wooribinda Lake Reserve. The ducks will be waiting for you to visit hopeful that you brought something to eat! Plus it’s a great spot for a walk and to do some bird watching!
- Saint Kilda Adventure Playground is one spectacular playground worth taking the kids for a visit. Built like a castle, it has slides, a flying fox, a pirate ship and a bouncy boomerang climbing structure! Prepare to spend a lot of time here!
- A day at the Stirling Laneways Markets is always different to your last visit! Each market celebrates life with a different theme that creates an engaging visit with fresh and fun activities for the tribe!
TASMANIA
- Spend a day at MONA (it’s free for Under 18’s and Tasmanians). There is always something quirky and mind boggling to see and experience at MONA making it an unforgettable visit, and we love the relaxing food/picnic vibe out on the front lawn.
- Take a day to visit The Cataract Gorge. You can stroll around the gardens, follow a pathway along the cliff face to The King’s Bridge, and use the inclinator to be transported from the top level to the lawns below. There are also chairlifts on site for a more scenic ride.
- Battery Point sculpture trail is a site worth taking the kids to see! This art trail celebrates the history of the area with installations of public art appearing along the shoreline and some even in the water! Sculpture by numbers is both interesting and educational for the tribe!
NORTHERN TERRITORY
- Swim in a lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct. There is a wave lagoon with 10 different wave settings open from 10am-6pm all year round. There is also a recreation lagoon with a sandy beach perfect for digging and building sand castles in.
- There is loads to do at Leanyer Recreation Park including a water park with slides and a children’s paddling pool, swimming pool and water playground, skate park, cycling paths, basketball courts and an all abilities playground.
- Search for Magnetic Termite Mounds in Litchfield National Park. There are literally hundreds of them standing up to 2 metres high!
- Pay a visit to Fannie Bay Gaol and learn about the history of the prison which opened in 1883. It’s sure to be an interesting day for the tribe!
- Head to East Point Reserve and participate in the Interactive Science Trail. Collect a map from the Council Civic Centre and start exploring the rainforest with the kids!
