From indoor entertainment to day trips beyond the city, these options offer something different depending on your mood and the weather. This one is only suitable for families used to long walks or parents happy to carry their kids, lol; it’s not for the fainthearted at the 8km in total. Your efforts, however, are well rewarded with not one but two lighthouses and a couple of playgrounds along the way. The museum has a fantastic kids’ area, Kidspace and accompanying activity programs. Kidspace offers a story time period between 2 pm and 3 pm each weekday.
World-class playgrounds like Darling Quarter Playground, Blaxland Riverside Park in kids entertainment sydney cbd Olympic Park, and Livvi's Place in Ryde are completely free. Most beaches are free including family-friendly options like Balmoral, Clovelly, and Manly's sheltered Shelly Beach. Council libraries run free storytime sessions, many museums offer free entry for kids under certain ages, and parks like Centennial Park and the Royal Botanic Garden are always free to enjoy. The most popular option remains the traditional play centre party. Prices range from $25 to $40 per child, with most venues requiring a minimum of 8 to 10 kids.
Putt Planet brings the city streets of Mombasa to Miranda with 18 holes of themed fun. Though the course is relatively challenging, it’s suitable for all ages. There’s a dedicated function room for parties and café that’ll cater events or serve up snacks once your tournament is won. And it’s all enclosed; wet weather will never ruin the green or your day out. Compare Sydney's best birthday party venues, check availability, and send enquiries to multiple places with one form. If you’ve worked through the main attractions and still want more, here are some brilliant extras to round out your Sydney family adventure.
On the Northern Beaches, Little Beans Cafe in Brookvale is purpose-built for under-5s with a soft play zone, imaginative play kitchen, and a cafe menu that goes well beyond the standard party pies and chicken nuggets. Our birthday party venues guide covers the full range of options across Sydney, and our Party Planner tool lets you compare venues, check availability, and send enquiries to multiple places with one form. While there is no special children’s pool, older kids will enjoy this pool with a view, and it makes a nice diversion after a walk through the botanic gardens.
Plus there are indoor and outdoor sports activities galore and fun programs for kids over the school holidays. Luckily, our city is brimming with indoor playgrounds and kid-friendly museums – as well as craft workshops, leisure centres and active areas – so you can keep ’em busy 'til the rain, rain goes away. Get in front of thousands of local families searching for exactly what you offer. Sydney is genuinely one of the best cities in the world for free family activities, thanks to its climate, coastline, and investment in public spaces. Sydney's best play cafes include Nubo in Alexandria (the original and still the benchmark), The Cubby Cafe in Surry Hills, Little Beans Cafe in Brookvale, and Bear & the Bunny in Willoughby.
The Australian National Maritime Museum located in the harbour city of Sydney is one of the largest maritime museums in the world. It’s recommended to allow at least 2 hours to fully explore the museum, especially if you are planning to visit any of the special touring ticketed exhibits. There are combo tickets available to visit some of the other popular attractions in Sydney too, including Wildlife Sydney, Madame Tussauds and the Sydney Tower Eye. They also have a range of ticket upgrades, with behind-the-scenes tours, VIP experiences and an aquarium dining experience if you want to do something a little extra special. At Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, you can explore the ocean without getting wet.
If you're keen to burn the kids energy out, challenge them to a game of laser tag and rest assured that they'll sleep all night. The cheapest time to skate is Mon-Fri 4pm-5pm, when tickets are $20 for adults and $19 for kids (including skate hire). Whether it's a lingering drizzle or a downpour for the ages, you don't want to get caught out in the city when it rains, nevermind with little ones in tow. It pays to have a few wet-weather tricks up your sleeve for when the cartoons and colouring-in book at home just aren't cutting it anymore. The “Boy” Charlton pool is a saltwater pool located adjacent to the Botanic Gardens and overlooking Woolloomooloo. This pool is named after one of the country’s most successful swimmers who won five Olympic medals during the 1920s.
There are lots of free BBQs at Bronte where you can cook your own meals or a variety of cafes if you prefer to dine in. The search and discover collection allows kids to get their hands on dinosaur bones, taxidermied Aussie animals, live stick insects and lots more. Darling Harbour is home to many of Sydney’s biggest and best free festivals, so make sure you check their What’s On pages to see what is happening this month. Why not take my free self-guided walk of the Rocks and drop in at The Rocks Discovery Museum.
In fact, there’s even a reality TV show based around this popular Sydney beach – Bondi Rescue, following some of the rescues and unusual situations the lifeguards of Bondi encounter. You can do a self-guided audio tour that can be purchased for a few dollars at the visitor centre. Queens Park is 26 hectares, with sports fields, playgrounds, free BBQ facilities and great views of Sydney. Although not as old as its Melbourne counterpart in St Kilda which opened in 1912, the two parks are quite similar, right down to the iconic smiling face entrance. Many of the cruises include lunch or you can do a twilight dinner cruise. Are also cruises that stop at some of the unique harbour city attractions, such as historic Goat Island in Sydney Harbour National Park.
There are around-the-clock music videos screening during sessions and a brand-new compressor and dehumidifier to create optimum skating conditions at all times. Playground data includes information from © City of Sydney (CC-BY) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Vacation care quality ratings from ACECQA National Register (Australian Government).
The pressure to find the perfect venue, manage RSVPs, organise food, and keep 15 sugar-fuelled kids entertained for two hours is real. The good news is that Sydney has an enormous range of kids birthday party venues, and most of them take the hard work off your plate. The coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee is suitable for kids aged 5 and over.
And you can ride each of them as many times as you like during your visit. If you’ve got a few days to spend in Sydney and want to get beyond the city for a day or two, there are some downright epic day trips from Sydney or weekend getaways in the Greater Sydney region. There is also an ocean pool for swimming, which is great for kids who are a little cautious about swimming in the waves.
The garden is also a good spot to let young ones run around for a bit if they are getting frustrated by being trapped in a pram. A day at Taronga Zoo is not a budget option, and there are not many ways to reduce the cost. They have a birthday promotion where you pay just $1 to spend your Birthday at the zoo.
Art is for everyone, but the kids will be particularly fond of the ceramic-painting workshops at Jenny’s Painted Pots. You can decorate ceramic mugs, plates, animals or signs and lettering starting from $15, and they supply all the arty equipment. It’s also home to a traditional lolly shop, so you can scoff old-timey sweets while you paint. It’s a great way to keep the kids entertained when it’s grizzly outside and it could be a prime opportunity to procure some sentimental stocking-fillers for the family.
Things to Do in Sydney: Toddlers to Teens Guide
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5 min read
