Three family friendly activities in Melbourne

Melbourne City Skyline. Photo / Roberto Seba/Visit Victoria

Family-friendly activities in Melbourne, writes Chris Schulz.

1 ACMI

Take a wander through Screen Worlds, which attempts to tell the story of television, movies and the internet in one wild, wide-eyed interactive display. We shot a Matrix-style short film, played plenty of old-school arcade games, had a dance party with our shadows and took photos in front of one of the actual cars used in

Mad Max: Fury Road

. ACMI's next big exhibit is Wonderland, based on the classic Lewis Carroll character, due to begin on April 5 and running until October.

Where:

Fed Square

More information:

acmi.net.au

Screen Worlds Exhibition at ACMI. Photo / Visit Victoria

2 Melbourne Zoo

We spent a solid four hours wandering around the zoo on a super hot sunny Melbourne Saturday and there was plenty for both kids and adults to enjoy. It's especially good for kids wanting to check out local wildlife such as kangaroos and koalas, but the alligators and snakes were a bit scary, even for the adults. As for the rutting lizards, they should get a room to themselves — their R18 activities were a little inappropriate for a 7-year-old. The follow-up questions were a bit awkward.

Where:

Parkville, Melbourne, 4km from the city centre

More information:

zoo.org.au/melbourne

Melbourne Zoo. Photo / Visit Victoria

3 South Melbourne Food Market

Hey, you have to eat sooner or later and there are better options than

kid-favourite junk food. Head along to this massive market for plenty of ready-to-eat food, from French pastries and pies to artisanal icecreams. It's even better for stocking up the fridge — I counted five butchers, and all were doing a roaring trade. Just make sure you check the times — the South Melbourne Market is open only at select times four days of the week.

Where:

Coventry St and Cecil St, South Melbourne

More information:

southmelbournemarket.com.au

South Melbourne Market. Photo / Roberto Seba

FACT BOX

GETTING THERE
Jetstar flies daily from Auckland to Melbourne.