Winter with Kids in Geelong and The Bellarine

Winter can be tricky with little ones. But the cooler months are still packed with so much fun for families across Geelong and The Bellarine. Imagine this – fewer crowds, more space to explore, and plenty to keep the kids happy while you enjoy that well-earned coffee.

Here are some of our top family-friendly things to do this season.

Every year, Adventure Park in Wallington throws its annual Winter Glow Festival, taking place from June through to August. So what can you expect? Well, there’s snow (lots of snow) after-dark light installations, fire twirling, ice sculpting, theme park rides, and more hot chocolates than you’ve ever seen in one place before.

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The humble playground is still a safe winter bet with lots of crisp blue bird days to enjoy, and there are plenty of great ones in the region. Our favourites are definitely the W.G. Little Playground at Portarlington Park or the Frank Ellis Reserve Playground at Barwon Heads. Both come with spectacular views – all the way across the bay to Melbourne, in the case of Portarlington. You can also check out Kingston Park Playground, tucked behind the hinterland in Ocean Grove. Set amongst a 12-hectare nature reserve, it’s got what might be the tallest slide in the region.

The region has so many family-friendly dining to enjoy, with most of the major wineries and pubs now offering kids menus – and even full-blown playgrounds. If you’re in Geelong West, try Queen of the West on Pakington Street. For the best craft beer in Geelong, head to Little Creatures Brewery Geelong and its newly refurbished indoor play area. If its brunch and coffee you’re after, Barwon Edge has an outdoor playground and live music on weekends. Their bacon-and-egg rolls go down pretty smooth, too.

For locomotive kids, there are two train-related activities on The Bellarine. The first is the Bellarine Railway – a volunteer-operated steam train that chugs between Queenscliff and Drysdale most Sundays. The other great attraction is the Portarlington Bayside Miniature Railway; perfect for kids and grown-up kids alike. This one operates on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, plus Wednesdays during the school holidays.

A blustery winter’s day is the perfect excuse to get some culture indoors. Or at least paint a VW Beetle and race cars down huge handmade Lego ramps. For those last two, you’ll want to head to MoPA, the Museum of Play and Art. MoPA offers a stacked school holiday calendar, in addition to all their regular installations. Another must-visit is Geelong Arts Centre, which runs a dedicated kids program every year. Most of these are matinees, for obvious reasons, and can include anything from an Emma Memma dance concert to puppetry and theatre.

Need to entertain a teenager? How about battling VR zombies in a post-apocalyptic world? Or saving the galaxy from ravenous aliens? You can do both at Zero Latency Geelong – the Geelong chapter of the world’s biggest free-roam VR network, Zero Latency. No cables. No wires. And no limits. Just you and a state-of-the-art HTC VIVE headset. If sport’s more their thing, catch a game of footy at GMHBA Stadium, or hit a few balls at The Range at Curlewis, The Bellarine’s best driving range.