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Winter school holidays guide 2025: what's on in Melbourne and Victoria
A guide to the best and most budget-friendly activities to do over the winter school holidays in Melbourne and Victoria.
The winter school holidays offer families time for fun adventures, activities, road trips and entertainment. The Victorian school holidays run from 5 to 20 July 2025, and there are plenty of ways to stay warm and beat the chill.
Here’s the best things to do, from free activities to ideas for a fun day at home.
RACV Members save on attractions all over Melbourne and Victoria
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Winter school holidays guide: things to do in Melbourne and Victoria
Family-friendly winter holiday activities in Melbourne's CBD
Come face to face with marine life at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Melbourne’s SEA LIFE Aquarium features more than 10,000 marine creatures, including sharks, crocodiles, and seahorses.
The Junior Penguin Keepers program is back at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium from 29 June - 21 July 2025. Take a deep dive into the world of penguins and learn about feeding schedules, habitat maintenance, and the crucial role of marine life conservation.
There's also an immersive Animal Crossing™: New Horizons experience at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. Based on the popular Nintendo video game, this is an immersive experience with character displays throughout the aquarium, meet-and-greets with popular character Isabelle, educational creature panels presented by the game's museum curator Blathers, and interactive themed stamp rallies.
RACV Members save on SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium tickets.
Strike a pose at ArtVo
Escape the cold and strike a pose at ArtVo. In this immersive 3D gallery, your photos appear as optical illusions, with you at the centre of it all – whether you’re sitting in a fairy jar, in the clutches of King Kong, saving someone on a broken bridge or going to sleep in a mermaid’s clam. Have a fun day out with the family making photographic memories.
RACV Members save on tickets to ArtVo.
Try to avoid jail at Monopoly Dreams Melbourne
Monopoly Dreams Melbourne is an immersive take on the popular board game, where visitors can take the Chance to win Monopoly money, battle through a laser maze, explore Mr Monopoly’s mansion and 4DX movie, and play games to get out of Jail. Bookings are recommended over the holidays.
RACV Members save on tickets to Monopoly Dreams Melbourne.
Thrilling rides at Luna Park
There's no such thing as winter at Luna Park - it's a hot destination year-round. These school holidays the kids can enjoy real-life animal encounters, thrilling rides and fun food, like dagwood dogs, hot jam donuts, churros and hot chocolate. Why not try the iconic, over 112-year-old Great Scenic Railway, which offers breathtaking views of Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay.
Luna Park is the perfect destination for families, offering a wide range of attractions suitable for both kids and adults. Rain, hail or shine, it’s guaranteed to be a great day.
ArtVo has several amazing rooms to capture surreal photos.
Family-friendly winter holiday activities and things to do around Victoria
Take a ride on Puffing Billy
Even in winter it's important to get fresh air, and the Dandenong Ranges make for a day of beautiful exploration in nature. Take a hike, walk through the botanical gardens, stay for lunch and have a ride on the historical steam train, Puffing Billy. Children will love dangling their feet off the carriage as the century-old old train glides through the rainforest.
RACV Members save on Puffing Billy Railway tickets.
See a blockbuster movie
The cinema can be a great place to stay warm and relax, with family movies released especially for the school holidays. Consider:
- Lilo & Stitch (PG) - a live-action remake of the 2002 Disney classic, featuring a lonely Hawaiian girl named Lilo who adopts a dog-like alien named Stitch to help learn the meaning of family.
- How to Train Your Dragon (PG) - another live-action remake, this time of the celebrated DreamWorks Animations film triology. The kids are sure to get excited to see the Viking chief's son Hiccup defy tradition by befriending Toothless, a feared dragon.
- Elio (PG) - a new Disney-Pixar animated film, in which underdog human Elio is accidentally beamed up to the interplentary Communiverse and mistaken for Earth's ambassador.
- Karate Kid: Legends - adults will enjoy the callbacks to the original Karate Kid as Mr Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) combine forces to teach kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) a new way to fight for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
RACV Members save when pre-purchasing movie tickets for Hoyts, Village, Palace, IMAX, Moonlight and Event Cinemas.
Pan for gold at Sovereign Hill
Sovereign Hill comes alive once more with dazzling sound and light projections, foam snow, and over 18km of fairy lights during the Winter Wonderlights celebration between 4-27 July 2025.
As well as the regular attractions like panning for gold, pantomimes, shows and candle making, the Winter Wonderlights also provides the opportunity for photos with St Nicholas (Santa), hands-on arts and crafts sessions, Christmas Carols played by the old-fashioned brass ensemble, and more.
Book a stay RACV Goldfields Resort so you're nice and close to the action.
Puffing Billy is fun for the whole family at any time of year. Image: Visit Victoria
Free winter school holiday activities and things to do in Victoria
Explore a new playground
We’ve rounded up some of the best playgrounds in regional Victoria and around Melbourne. Whether your kids love playgrounds shaped like a pirate ship, exploring musical play equipment, challenging obstacles or just a fun play on the good old swing and slide, a playground is the perfect place for some free outdoor fun in the sun.
Have a family bake day
Got a budding sous chef in your midst? Get the kids together for a play in the kitchen and let budding hands make some of their own marvellous creations. Let them experiment with these child friendly recipes from the RACV Club kitchen, including salted caramel choc-chip cookie recipe, mini pancake cereal, or a chocolate mousse cake recipe.
Go on a scenic hike
Hiking is one way to stay warm, and Victoria's rainforests and waterfalls look their best in winter. Whether you want to go chasing waterfalls, or you’re looking for family friendly walks, fun dog trails or nature hikes around the state, there’s always somewhere new to explore on foot. Best of all – these experiences are free to do.
Get on your bikes and ride
Children usually have energy to burn, so don't let the colder weather put you off going for a family ride around your suburb. It’s free, fun, and a healthy way to explore the great outdoors. If you want to explore a new region, you can head on one of these family-friendly bike routes, from a trip taking in the solar system exhibit along Port Phillip Bay, to the Capital City Trail, which goes past the zoo and through parklands.
Brush up on the latest cycling road rules here.
Visit the libraries, galleries and museums
Did you know that there are many libraries, galleries and museums with free entry and activities over the school holidays? The NGV, ACMI, the Australian Music Vault, The Immigration Museum and The Australian Sports Museum all have free entry, while kids under 12 are also free to visit The Heide Museum of Modern Art, Scienceworks, and The Melbourne Museum.
We've put together a list of our favourite libraries and their facilities here, along with the best modern art galleries in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Free day trip guides to regional areas
Did you know there are ways to explore greater Victoria without breaking the budget? There are plenty of things to do in the Melbourne school holidays without spending much at all. Check out our guides for how to have a fun, free day out in the Yarra Valley, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula and even right here in Melbourne.
Winter is no barrier to children having fun at playgrounds across Victoria.
Winter getaways in Victoria
Hit the ski slopes at alpine resorts
This makes the winter school holidays the perfect time to pack the car and hit the slopes for some snowy fun. Whether it's a day trip to toboggan, or a longer stay, there’s plenty of fun to be had in the mountain regions of Victoria. One of the closest places from Melbourne to see snow is Lake Mountain, and the drive is one of Victoria’s most scenic. Break up the journey with a meal or stay at Healesville Country Club & Resort, then drove along Black Spur Drive for spectacular views of towering mountain ash trees.
Be sure to check out our guide to driving in snow before you head off so you know what safety precautions to take.
Get up close with the Fairy Penguins at Phillip Island
Take a drive south-east of Melbourne to visit the largest Little Penguin colony on the planet (also called the Fairy Penguin colony), just 40 minutes from the RACV Inverloch Resort.
The Penguin Parade happens nightly at the Phillip Island Nature Parks, where visitors can witness thousands of penguins make their way to shore to tend to their penguin burrows from the RACV Penguins Plus viewing platform – it really is fun for the entire family.
Spot whales around Victoria's coastlines
Winter means plenty of whales frolicking in the water off Victoria's coastlines. Two of the best place to spot whales include Phillip Island and Wilson's Promontory - both of which have great whale watching cruises.
Or, why not take a road trip along the Great Ocean Road, make some great pit stops along the way, and finish in Warrnambool to watch the southern right whales and their calves? Head down to the viewing platform at Logan’s Beach for your best chance to see them.
The Great Ocean Road is also a foodie’s paradise, with fresh lobster, handmade cheese and ice-cream, local gin and whiskey, as well as orchards where children can pick fruit. Book in a night or two at RACV Torquay Resort at the start or end of your road trip for an experience the family will remember for years to come.
Go on a day trip
If you’d prefer to break up the school holidays with a day trip, there’s plenty of great day trip destinations around Victoria. Enjoy a thermal bath at Daylesford, take the kids to a petting zoo or farm, head on a chocolate lover’s tour or admire Australia’s biggest outdoor gallery on the Silo Art Trail.
