Ready for some indoor fun? Geelong’s popular children’s museum – the Museum of Play and Art – has a second home in Melbourne in the bayside suburb of Sandringham.
The Melbourne children’s museum, known as MoPA Melbourne, is the largest Children’s Museum in Melbourne (2000sqm) and one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.
It’s colourful and exciting and like nothing you’ve ever seen and experienced!
What to Expect at Museum of Play and Art Melbourne
MoPA‘s founders, the husband and wife team Tom Mahon and Billie Georgieff, have received funding from the Victorian Government to bring Australia’s most acclaimed Children’s Museum to Sandringham.
The Melbourne children’s museum is full of opportunities for play-based learning and creative exploration and a place where children and families can have fun and learn together.
A lot of love has gone into this beautiful and creative space, such as every hand-painted window frame on the giant MoPA cityscape (that adults can climb into)…
…an acknowledgement of the Aboriginal owners of the land with a stunning rainbow tunnel and light-up interactive lilypads…
…confetti that sprinkles as you slide down the slide…
…a chance to dress up and enjoy a mini dance party…
….and gorgeous colourful murals by Billie herself adorning the walls.
Even the colour wheel in the centre of the museum has been perfectly placed so that everywhere you look the colours complement or contrast with the surrounding installations.
When trying to describe what it’s like, it would be best to say that this museum is a mix of NGV’s Children’s Gallery and Melbourne Museum’s Children’s Gallery.
There are many opportunities to get creative, immerse yourself in art or participate in active play – there really is something here to capture everyone’s interest.
Even though the children’s museum is aimed at 1-7 years olds, 11-year old Lady AB loves it so much and is reluctant to leave after the two-hour session.
She particularly enjoys digital art-making with colouring-in on-screen and selfie photo editing, but even simple things like building train tracks keep her engaged and the slide has her running up the slope to slide again and again.
MoPA Melbourne Parties
MoPA Melbourne also hosts parties, with party rooms named after famous artists – Picasso, Boyd, Bansky and Frida. Party packages include free play in the museum for two hours, balloons, cupcakes, craft activities and goodie bags.
If you get hungry or thirsty during your stay there is an onsite cafe with great visibility of the centre. It serves coffee, sandwiches, snacks and caters for different dietary requirements.
Around the corner are privacy hubs for breastfeeding mums (or just if you need a quiet break) and of course there are spacious toilets and change facilities.
I guarantee that kids and adults will love MoPA Melbourne, an indoor playground filled with sensory, immersive, and play-based learning experiences for babies, toddlers and right up to primary school-aged kids.
Given the popularity of MoPA Geelong I recommend that you book ahead for your session at MoPA Melbourne. If you’re based in Melbourne’s northside, you can visit MoPA Thomastown too!
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Click here for more things to do in Geelong with kids
