Eight Melbourne Activities That Are Fun for Both Kidults and Their Actual Children

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For some, the arrival of children in their lives is the time they transition into maturity. This is not the article for those people.

Free-jumping on trampolines, swinging through trees, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, zipping down huge waterslides — these are activities for kids and kidults alike.

With that in mind, there's no reason why your next family outing shouldn't be one that delights your entire multigenerational crew — mums, dads and sprogs included. We've teamed up with Holden Equinox, the SUV for parents with nothing to prove, to point you towards these excursions in Melbourne. These are destinations where you'll come together to make memories, make Instagram Stories, make a fool of yourself (in a good way) — and all while making your kids' day.

FUNFIELDS

Breakneck speeds, hair-raising twists and turns, stomach-churning drops – you'll be pushing the kids out of the way to experience all you can at Funfields. While the site boasts three of the longest and tallest Proslide water slides in the world, little ones are also catered for with an excellent paddling pool and water-play area. All up, there are more than 20 attractions, including a go-kart track, toboggan slide and several rides of varied intensity. Admission ain't cheap – $160 for a family of four with two school-aged kids – but it's small change for hours of thrilling, childhood-reliving fun.

2365 Plenty Road, Whittlesea

SLIDES PLAYCENTRE

Yes, it boasts a tip-top toddler area with scooters, toy cars, cubby houses and a jumping castle, but Slides' centrepiece is actually a towering three-lane slide — which, at eight metres, is Australia's highest. It's all part of the multipurpose Eastern Indoor Sports Centre, where there are also indoor sports pitches if soccer or futsal is your thing, a well-maintained kids' party and cafe area, and some hidden play zones out back that boast a flying fox, spinning platforms and more climbable objects. The best bit? Parents play free.

1642 Ferntree Gully Rd, Knoxfield

ARTVO

This place is custom-made for the Insta-everything generations. An optical-illusionary experience that adds quirk to the traditional art museum, ArtVo has 11 themed zones and 100 large-scale illustrations that allow families to inject themselves into all manner of adventurous scenes, famous drawings and locations. Snigger as a loved one oozes vulnerability in King Kong's palm or under the paw of a giant cat.

26 Star Crescent, Docklands

BOUNCE

Kids bouncing off the walls at home? You too? Time, then, to hit the place where the name says it all. Boasting venues in Blackburn North, Glen Iris and Essendon Fields, Bounce is a buzzing indoor playground of interconnected trampolines and aerial assaults. Try your hand at slam dunking, wall running and dodgeball, or kick back in the cafe and observe others' skills. Bonus: your energy-sapped kids will almost always go to bed that night without complaint.

Hangar 4, 236 Wirraway Road, Essendon Fields; 22 Joseph Street, Blackburn North; 2 Weir Street, Glen Iris

SCIENCEWORKS

There's something for everyone at this culturally rich – and hip-pocket friendly – Spotswood institution. Scienceworks is perfect for budding — or big — mad professors, astronauts or sports nuts, or anyone who's simply curious as to what makes the world tick (and spin). You can lose yourself in the sights of the Planetarium and Lightning Room, and test those hammies racing the kids – and a digitised Cathy Freeman – on the 10-metre dual-lane running track. Nice outdoor cafe, too.

2 Booker Street, Spotswood

GLOWGOLF DOCKLANDS

Mini golf — the casual and quirky offshoot of the grand, slow-moving parent game — now comes with an extra layer of flair in the form of an 18-hole, glow-in-the-dark course, aptly called GlowGolf. Putt your way through a bunch of UV-lit, sound-effects-enhanced Aussie icons, including a rainforest, the outback, an outdoor dunny and even a Kingswood ute. Set to open early in 2018 is the Le Bar Europeen, self-touted as Victoria's smallest bar, with standing room for six to eight people.

NW F05 Star Crescent, Docklands

TREES ADVENTURE

Ever wanted to swing through the trees like Tarzan? Set among the breathtaking greenery of the Glen Harrow Heritage Gardens in the Dandenong Ranges, Trees Adventure gets you most of the way there. The site is home to a series of obstacle courses, zip-lines and aerial challenges that cater to all ages and abilities. Two-hour sessions (adults $48, children $25-$38, including training) allow safety-harnessed thrillseekers to tackle nine courses ranging from two to 25 metres high, all the while soundtracked by bellbirds and kookaburras.

Old Monbulk Road, Belgrave

PLAYTIME

Adults and arcade centres: it conjures up analogies of, well, kids and candy stores. Jam-packed with 100-plus classic and new-age video games and a spellbinding laser-tag arena, Playtime draws big and little kids aplenty. There are venues at Crown, Highpoint and Eastland, the latter boasting several "Cryptology Escape Rooms" that lock behind you upon entry. It's a great chance to team up with your kids to piece together the clues and puzzles that reopen the door within your allotted hour.

Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank; Highpoint Shopping Centre, 200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong; Shop MM12 Eastland Shopping Centre, 175 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood

Drive your family on adventures in and outside of town in the Holden Equinox, the SUV for parents with nothing to prove. Find out more on the Holden website.