Melbourne Family Holidays - Planet Kids Play Centre

It was a chilly four degrees Celcius when I rugged my kids up and headed out to meet my long time school friend and her daughter for a play date.  We had been planning where to go for a few weeks before our trip back to Melbourne and she had previously visited Planet Kids Play Centre in Southbank.  It sounded like a great option: suitable for all three of our kids (aged from two to four years old), they served coffee for the mums and it was a reasonably simple tram journey for me from the Melbourne CBD.

Well in theory.

I hopped onto the free city tram along Elizabeth Street and I was delighted because it was a new tram and I had made the call to bring the stroller to keep at least one child 'under control'.  So we rolled into the tram and were happily chugging along to make our change to the tram along Collins Street.  Then things went a bit pear shaped.  I had two choices between the 12 or 109 tram to reach Southbank where the play centre is located.  The next tram that pulled up happened to be the 109 and it was also a new tram so I quickly rolled into that tram and thought to myself : I am totally gunning this trip.

I tapped my Myki card and the kids were happy looking out the window at the sunny cityscape outside.  Then I checked my phone and the navigation said I needed to exit from the tram at stop 126 and so we did just that...and discovered too late I had been using the navigation for tram 12 not tram 109 so I should have alighted at stop 125 instead and I was now a good 10 minutes walk from our destination and certainly quite disoriented.  I took a little while to get my bearings right, thanking God for the pocket Wifi my husband had bought us, that I had even remembered to bring it and that it was not raining either!  A brisk though unintentionally long stroll found us walking past the Planet Shakers Church building which is next door to Planet Kids Play Centre.  It was a sight for sore eyes and my eldest toddler was starting to doubt my promise of "it is just a little further".  I think that the estimated walking time on Google Maps is always a bit ambitious especially if you have toddlers and and a stroller in tow.

Connected directly to Planet Kids Play Centre is a lovely cafe called Ciel Cafe and it actually caught my attention first when we walked past, enticing me with the promise of good food and coffee for us later in the day.  You need to walk right pass the cafe along Cecil Street as the entrance of Planet Kids Play Centre is immediately next door.  The exterior was very subtle and I was worried I had missed it.  Honestly though, the entire design of this precinct has been very tastefully done compared to some of the garish play centres I have seen.  Pram and wheelchair ramp entry is actually via Ciel Cafe but we went through the main entrance as I could collapse our lightweight stroller and walk inside.  The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming upon our arrival.  The cost was $8 per child over one year old and $2 for those under one.  You can order coffee and simple child friendly cafe meals at the front counter too which we realised is supplied by the Ciel Cafe kitchen.  The staff just walk back and forth to bring your orders from the adjoining cafe!  A very clever and efficient set up.

There were childproof gates at all the entrances and exits to keep the kids safe inside.  We found my friend who had to wait patiently for us inside and my boys ran off immediately to climb and explore.  The space is not huge but definitely fun enough for my children.  Mr A was almost five years old when we visited and I think this is probably the maximum age this place caters for given the facilities.  There was at least one mothers group there with infants and I would say most of the play areas cater to toddlers under three years old.

The space is quite literally as shown on the website.  It is not huge but the layout has been well thought out.  There is a central common area with tables for snacks and room for the kids to drive toy cars around.  There's also a large faux grass field in front of a huge computer projection along one wall where kids can play games or watch movies.  Along the front windows there is an enclosed padded area with lots of soft foam shapes to build, stack and climb.  There's another room with a small ball pit and lots of plastic toys suitable for very young toddlers.  There are also a set of multi-purpose rooms and that morning, the mothers group seemed to have hired out one.  But in the back corner was where my boys were happiest.  Suitable for older kids, there is a multilevel jungle gym and obstacle course with padded steps, a big side by side slide and a trampoline.  It is very familiar to the ones we have visited in Hong Kong but it is certainly not very big though more than ample for my children.  We were there on a week day morning during school holidays and4 there were more than 10 children inside at a time, it would probably be at maximum capacity.

The play area is connected directly to Ciel Cafe by a small passage and there are again childproof gates at this entrance.  There is a very comprehensive parents room in this shared area with multiple change tables, sink and drinking water and huge comfy couches for feeding.  The other toilets are located inside the play centre and while there were no toilet seats for children they did provide steps to reach the sinks.  Overall the space is big enough for the children to run around and yet small enough that you know where your children are at all times which is really good.  My friend's daughter is almost 2 years old and was very contented in the padded soft play area and toy room while my boys happily split their time inside the obstacle course, the padded area and driving the toy cars around in circles.

We had a small break for snacks which we enjoyed at the communal tables and the kids had a round of babyccinos and the mums ordered coffees.  When lunch time approached we adjourned to Ciel Cafe.  The staff were very friendly and there were high chairs available.  There were lots of child friendly options and we tried the croque monsieur, salmon and cream cheese toasties and the corn fritters between all of us and there were also sweet treats on display behind the counter.  I also ordered the freshly pressed apple juice which was really delicious and highly recommended.

After a lovely meal we let the kids head back indoors for a final play while we finished catching up and most of the morning crowd had all but left the play centre by this time.  Some other customers trialled the computer games on the projection screen and then settled on playing a cartoon movie while they stopped for snacks.  My kids had trouble leaving the venue now that the show was playing and the toy cars were all free to ride as there was nobody else around to share with anymore.  But we still had 2 trams to catch to get back home for late afternoon naps.  My friend had driven in to meet us and reported that finding parking had not been as difficult as she had anticipated on a week day morning.

We walked down to the number 12 tram stop to ride home and it was definitely not easy to move the two kids onto one of the old trams.  Firstly the stop is right in the middle of the road without a raised platform so it feels harrowing with toddlers by your side to be so close to the traffic.  The old trams also have big huge steps and a stroller albeit a collapsible and lightweight one.  A very helpful passenger helped get all of us on board before the tram took off but honestly, I was so nervous that the tram may shut the doors on me and take the kids away before I could climb up with the stroller.  I suggest if coming from the CBD to stick to the 109 tram stop next time as it has new trams which accommodate strollers.  I have to admit that navigating trams with a stroller let alone with two small toddlers is no easy feat in Melbourne and even more challenging at peak time.  The new trams and raised platforms make a huge difference as you can wait safely away from the surrounding traffic and then safely roll onto the trams without steps but there just aren't enough of them yet, especially to some of the outer Melbourne areas.

Both kids were thoroughly tired out from the morning and it was only the fact that one of the stops was called "Batman" Park that they both perked up and started laughing.  Otherwise Mr R was starting to slump in his seat and asking if he could lie on his brother's lap for a nap!  This was certainly a first for him so if you ask me, a successful day out had been achieved at Planet Kids Play Centre and we will be back.