Summer Outdoor Activities You Can Do in Melbourne
Spice up your casual drinking session with some low-key outdoor activity.
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One of Australia's most redeeming qualities is its ability to give good afternoon sun. There's something about its familiar glow that almost demands casual drinks. To help you out as summer comes rolling around, we've got a couple of fun (sometimes sweaty) suggestions for afternoon activities you can enjoy with your friends. They'll be all the more fun when coupled with a cold Heineken 3 in one hand.
CROQUET
Not just for fancy people, or old people, the low-key sport of croquet has gone through a resurgence of late. You can grab a croquet kit from K-Mart, set yourself up anywhere where there's grass and hit balls through pegs with a mallet and a beer in hand. It's quite a time, and strangely it makes you feel very sophisticated. The perfect place to play is at the Royal Croquet Club, which started in Adelaide but now tours its way through Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. From the December 8 until December 23, The Royal Croquet Club will take place at Birrarung Mar. Details are to be confirmed, but you can definitely eat some food, drink some beer, and play some croquet out in the afternoon sun.
PETANQUE
Ah, pentanque, the classic non-taxing "sport" – it harks back to the 12th century, and remains an A+ summer jaunt. It's just like bowling except you're shoeless and it's good for people with little hands and not many arm muscles. Feel the fake grass between your toes and let your hair down as you try to aim the silver balls for the little coloured ball and then forget about all that and just throw balls around willy nilly while drinking a cold beer. Pick your favourite spot of grass, get a Petanque (or bocce) set, and get on the green.
BACKYARD CRICKET
Backyard cricket is a bit of a great Australian summer pastime: play with your family, friends, or dogs before someone inevitably hits your last ball over the fence. All you need is an expanse of grass, a couple of bats, a tennis ball, and some large object you can make into the wicket. Don't forget to bring an esky outside for a potential boundary, and so you can easily access a drink (a Heineken 3) to replenish lost electrolytes after you've had a bit of a jog around in the sun.
BADMINTON
Have you ever played Badminton with a beer? It's fun. Badminton has hands down the best named playing vessel – the "shuttlecock" – so embrace the 'cock and go and hit it around a net with some other friends. Played in either singles or doubles, you can play on a court on ground or on the beach, or anywhere you can set up your the net you bought from K-Mart. It was developed in British India and has taken off especially in Asia, and it's a game of extreme agility and precision. The longer your summer afternoon kicks on if you're having a beery one, the worse you'll get at hitting the cock, but it'll still be fun.
KUBB
Kubb! What a time. The basic principle is throwing things (wooden batons) at other things (wooden blocks) to knock them over, and when a game is that simple you know you'll be able to cope no matter what state you're in. Rumoured to be born in the Viking times, it's a game much as old as time. It's perhaps one we haven't fully embraced yet, which means you might have to venture to your local sports store to grab a set. We think it should be an Olympic sport – the only way to achieve this is for as many sun-seeking revelers to partake as possible, so get kubbed this summer.
Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 – we're helping you make the most of them.
