Something is hiding in Healesville 🦕

Fast 5

Your top weekday events guide + the best posts for under 5s

P.S. Mother’s Day is next Sunday, and if you’d prefer to skip the last bit of content before then, you can opt out here.

Made Just For Mum

No two mums are the same — and Spotlight’s Mother’s Day range knows it.

Whether Mum is a crafter, a home decorator, a keen cook or a lover of beautiful things, Spotlight has something she’ll genuinely love.

Shop the Mother’s Day Gifting Range for thoughtful, quality gifts across home, kitchen, sewing and craft — or take the guesswork out of it entirely with a Spotlight Gift Card.

Plus, VIP members save 20% on the full Mother’s Day Gifting Range.

Weekday Event Picks

🗓️ Melbourne CBD ➝ See More

Play School: Come and Play (Daily until Sunday 12 Jul) Celebrate 60 years of Play School with this hands-on exhibition where your little one can direct, present, climb aboard the Rocket Clock and explore.📍 Melbourne CBD

Enlightenment (Thursdays – Sundays until 31 May) A stunning 30-minute audiovisual show filling the Immigration Museum’s historic Long Room with breathtaking seasonal projections.📍 Melbourne CBD

Stompers (Thursdays during term) A free weekly story and movement session at Southbank Library designed for toddlers aged 18 months to 3 years.📍 Southbank

🗓️ Melbourne NORTH ➝ See More

Hoopla Messy Play (Mondays + Wednesdays during term) Slime, splatter art and themed adventures for creative little ones — and the best part? You don’t have to clean up. 📍 South Morang

Elmo’s Circus Dream (Various dates, Friday 1 – Sunday 17 May) Your favourite Sesame Street characters live under a magical Big Top — acrobatics, dazzling illusions and toe-tapping tunes included. 📍 Craigieburn

Bubble Planet (Daily until Monday 29 Jun, excl. Tuesdays) An immersive world of bubbles, themed rooms and fantastical landscapes to explore through all five senses. 📍 Brunswick

🗓️ Melbourne SOUTH ➝ See More

Aspendale Gardens Playgroup (Tuesdays + Thursdays during term) Playdough, painting, water play, music and storytelling in a warm, nurturing community environment. 📍 Aspendale Gardens

Young at Art (Thursdays during term) Hands-on creative workshops for kids aged 3–5 led by an artist educator, with storytime and a take-home art box. Parents must attend. 📍 Mornington

South Side Festival (Various dates, Friday 8 – Sunday 17 May) Ten days of live music, theatre, workshops and family-friendly performances celebrating arts and culture in Frankston. 📍 Frankston

🗓️ Melbourne EAST ➝ See More

Dinos Lost Sanctuary (Daily until Sunday 12 Jul) Giant animatronic dinosaurs hidden in the bushland at Healesville Sanctuary — stomp, roar and hatch eggs. Free with admission. 📍 Healesville

Art Babies at Heide (Tuesdays – Fridays during term) A gentle sculpture park and gallery session for newborns to 12 months, with sensory play, puppets and songs. 📍 Bulleen

Kidworks at Brickworks (Wednesdays during term) Educational and creative workshops for preschoolers held weekly in the cosy community space known as ‘The Hollow.’ 📍 Burwood East

🗓️ Melbourne WEST ➝ See More

Toddler Time (Weekdays during term) Singing, stories, movement and play for toddlers aged 1–3, designed to build early language skills and social confidence. 📍 Braybrook, Maribyrnong, Yarraville, Footscray + West Footscray

Vietnamese Playgroup (Tuesdays during term) A bilingual art, craft and storytime session supporting fine motor skills, language development and cultural connection. 📍 Maidstone

Endless Mess (Wednesdays + Fridays during term) Messy play for babies, toddlers and preschoolers — zero prep, zero cleanup and plenty of time for the grown-ups to connect. 📍 Altona + Williamstown

New + Noteworthy

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Fancy That

These Melbourne high teas are worth dressing up for this Mother’s Day. Book before they sell out.

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Let’s Lunch

From relaxed bistros to stunning venues, here’s where to take mum for a Sunday she’ll remember.

It’s Showtime

Disney On Ice hits Melbourne in July. These are our tips to make sure the magic goes off without a hitch.

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Escape the City

With free PT all month long, these autumn day trips near Melbourne are practically calling your name.

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Next Level Play

This isn’t your typical play centre…it’s huge, imaginative, and the adults have just as much fun.

Hot Off the Feed

Tot Perks in action

👀 POV: you’re a Tot Perks member and this is your weekend.

Our latest member party at SuperPark Melbourne looked like an absolute blast – so many activities under one roof, and the kids didn’t want to leave.

Don’t miss out on this kind of fun, and get on the waitlist for the next Tot Perks season.

About Joyce Watts

Joyce Watts is a former intellectual property, IT and media lawyer turned serial entrepreneur.

As well as being the founder of TOT: HOT OR NOT she helps businesses with their SEO, email marketing & social media as BrightSmart.com.au; she owns an online bike store CycleStyle.com.au and develops and produces creative experiences for families via WheelieGoodFun.com. She used to publish another popular lifestyle and food blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne.

She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband, two children and seven bikes.

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