Lego Melbourne Discovery Centre
Melbourne officially became a must visit destination for Aussie families today – the reason – the first Legoland Discovery Centre in the Southern Hemisphere opened in Victoria’s capital. Conveniently located in Chadstone Shopping Centre we checked out the Legoland Discovery Centre at its opening today and it was in one word – fantastic. The reason – 12 varied attractions under the one roof that catered exquisitely well to all three of my kids (ages 3,6 and 8). Entering through the doorway we were greeted by Legoman and then onwards to a simulated and interactive factory tour.
Legoland Discovery Centre – interactive factory tour
A visit to the Legoland Discovery Centre incorporates different aspects of play – two rides – an interactive medieval themed target ride – Kingdom Quest and Merlin’s apprentice, a spinning ride. There are four building zones – one for kids aged under 5 – Duplo Farm, the feminine Lego Friends zone, Earthquake tables where kids are encouraged to see if their constructions can withstand an earthquake and a Lego Racers Build and Test Zone. Lego mad kids could spend a whole day in these zones – the limits are set only by the imaginations of the visitors.
Duplo Farm
Legoland Melbourne Discovery Centre
A more traditional play area, the Lego City Fire Academy means that kids can burn off physical energy between construction sessions. A highlight for my three children was the 4D movie particularly as the final scene of the movie involved a 4 D fart joke.
Legoland Discovery Centre – 4D movies
Legoland Melbourne Discovery Centre
The Lego masters had obviously been hard at work before the opening as Mini Land – an intricate (and again interactive!) model of Melbourne was laid out beautifully. When I think “model city” I don’t usually think of fun – but this Lego masterpiece really is amazing and the interactivity meant the children lingered rather than racing past.
Legoland Melbourne Discovery Centre
Lego Melbourne Discovery Centre
What I loved about the Legoland Discovery Centre
Finding activities that cater to all three of my kids can be a challenge – they have different interests and temperaments and they are at profoundly different developmental stages. The Legoland Discovery Centre worked so well for all of them. I was comfortable for example closely supervising my toddler in the Duplo Farm play area knowing my boys were creating nearby and couldn’t wander far. All three of the children enjoyed the rides equally as they did the movie.
There are strict height restrictions on the rides prohibiting kids under a certain height riding without an adult. Two of my kids were below these limits and the cheerful staff were quick to volunteer to ride with one of the children so we could all be accommodated together.
What else you need to know about Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne
-Plan to spend around 3 hours at the centre (longer if your kids REALLY love LEGO). I can imagine spending an entire wet weather day here with the kids.
-Admission is sessional (15 minuted staged entry) to allow flow through.
–Online booking is the only way to guarantee entry at a particular time. Once you are in the centre you can stay as long as you want.
-All kids over 3 need a ticket.
-We had a sneak peak at the birthday rooms – this would be an amazing place to have a kids birthday party.
-Budget for the gift shop – too much LEGO temptation in this shop to refrain and this is from a mumma that has perfected the gift shop “NO”.
Pick and Mix Lego at the Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne
Legoland Melbourne Discovery Centre – expect gift shop temptation
Disclaimer: We were the guests of the Legoland Discovery Centre at the opening – as usual all opinions are my own.
Danielle thank you for sharing! What a lovely article and the photos are amazing too! I love how you put together these information on “Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne. The first in the Southern Hemisphere”. Easy to read, very relatable and great tips! Can’t wait to read more!