Healesville is a fantastic destination perfect for a weekend away. Kids and nature lovers coming to Healesville will fall in love with the peaceful surroundings of Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary, the ample green spaces and even it’s own vintage railway. A thriving dining and café scene and a short drive away from many other small towns like Marysville and Warburton, make Healesville a perfect country escape with kids.
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Where is Healesville?
The quaint town of Healesville is nestled in the Yarra Ranges, just over an hour drive north of Melbourne, and a short 15 drive from the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley vineyards. The nearby popular town of Marysville is 30 minutes drive from Healesville.
Top attractions for kids in Healesville
Healesville Sanctuary
This park has a different feel from your average zoo and showcases the distinctive Australian wildlife and vegetation!
Located just a 5 minute drive from the centre of Healesville, Healesville Sanctuary is a wildlife park surrounded by natural bushland. Full of Australian wildlife, be ready to see koalas, kangaroos, emus, platypus, dingoes and more!
There is a strong focus on conservation especially on koalas, which you can see so many of at the sanctuary in the Koala Forest section. Don’t miss the Keeper Talks at 11 am and 2 pm to find out everything you need to know about this beautiful native animal.
There are also other Keeper Talks throughout the day at different times and about different animals. You can view the full schedule here.
The other highlight of Healesville Sanctuary is the Spirits of the Sky bird show in the Flight Arena, one not to be missed when visiting the sanctuary, on daily at 12 o’clock. The 30 minute presentation showcases a number of native birds like eagles, owls and parrots, who are flown over the crowds by the birdkeepers. It was truly amazing and a hit with the kids. A must do when in Healesville with the kids!
DETAILS: Open daily 9 am to 5 pm , 53 AUD per adult, 26.50 AUD for kids 4-15 yrs. Free under 3 years old. All Kids are FREE during weekends and public/school holidays. More info on the website for up to date times on Keeper Talks and what’s on.
Yarra Valley Railway
This incredible vintage train station can be easy to miss (it’s tucked away off the main street) but it’s a must visit if you happen to be in Healesville on a Sunday.
The original 1950’s single carriage train takes you on a 4 km journey through the vineyards towards Yarra Glen and back. The scenery is fantastic and the highlight is going through a 100 year old tunnel. The trip all up is just under an hour so it’s perfect for the kids to enjoy!
The volunteers running this railway are also extremely knowledgeable and will explain some interesting facts about the railway and the history of the area. The train driver will also let the kids in the drivers area too.
DETAILS: Open Sundays Only 9 am to 3 pm , 50 AUD for a family ticket or individual tickets 18 AUD per adult, 12 AUD for kids 4-16 yrs. Free under 3 years old. Trains run every 45 min – 1 hour. Entirely volunteer run so they do also operate on other days occasionally. More info on the website.
Apex Park Playground
Located just beside the Yarra Valley Railway, this cute little playground is of course, all train themed! Perfect for younger children, this park has slides. Along side the playground, there is also the Healesville Labyrinth Garden which was great for the kids to run around in!
DETAILS: Open everyday – FREE
Queens Park
Located right in the centre of Healesville this playground and park is amazing. Surrounded by nature and built using a lot of wood and reclaimed logs, it blends in seamlessly with the beautiful surroundings.
There are plenty of things to do for the kids to be entertained for a while! With a smaller toddler playground, larger climbing structure, swings, slides, a double flying fox and and much more. The garden itself very spacious, with lots of shaded areas & picnic tables. Grab something to eat from nearby Beechworth Bakery and the morning is sorted!
DETAILS: Open everyday – FREE
Other places to visit with kids near Healesville
Marysville
Drive just 30 minutes from Healesville and take the incredibly scenic Black Spur drive (an attraction in itself!) to Marysville. This gorgeous little town is surrounded by mountains and has soo many things to do! The now thriving town was almost all completely rebuilt after the devastating 2009 Black Saturday Fires and is now a popular weekend destination in the Yarra Ranges.
Don’t miss visiting Bruno’s Art and Sculpture Garden, to see this enchanting forest filled with a myriad of hand made (and many full sized) clay, wood & brass sculptures. Bruno himself is usually around too!
Nearby, Gallipoli Park, has a wonderful playground as well as a a memorial built by Bruno, called New Life to represent the rebuilding of life in Marysville after the fires.
Steavensons Falls is a must see attraction in Marysville and a very easy trail to do with little ones. Located just 15 minutes drive out of town, the 700 mt walk is very accessible, fenced and takes you to the lookout of the waterfall.
In winter time from Marysville, you can also easily access to Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, to see the snow and do some tobogganing. More on that below!
Warburton
About 40 minutes drive from Healesville, you will find the quaint town of Warburton, surrounded by green and lush forest. A must see attraction is the Warburton Redwood Forest. Huge Californian Redwoods are planted in perfect rows and you can wonder in the forest, which also takes you to a river covered in ferns.
It really is a magical place to visit and the kids will love wondering and exploring the tree art scattered everywhere!
Heads up, this place gets BUSY especially on weekends, holiday periods and during summertime as it’s now a popular spot for day-trippers. If you can, head there early (before 10 am) or out of peak periods.
Lake Mountain
If you are heading to Healesville in wintertime and want to see some snow, Lake Mountain is just 1 hour away by car from Healesville and 30 minutes from Marysville.
Lake Mountain Alpine Resort is set up with 3 tobogganing tracks, cross country skiing and lots of snow play areas. You can read more about Lake Mountain Alpine Resort with kids on my other post here.
In the summer time and outside the snow season, you can access the mountain to go for bushwalks and hikes too.
Where to stay in Healesville
There are several accommodation options to stay in and near Healesville, here are some of my favourites:
Yarra Gables
Check Availability and Prices for Yarra Gables HERE
Centrally located just a 10 minute walk from the main area of Healesville, Yarra Gables offers modern accommodation in rooms and self contained cottages. Family rooms are also available.
Balgownie Estate
Check Availability and Prices for Balgownie Estate HERE
Just 10 minutes drive away from Healesville surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards, Balgownie Estate has had extensive renovations in recent years and now has some beautiful renovated suites and restaurant. 2 Bedroom Suites are perfect for families and the restaurant caters for children also. A pool, hot tub, gym and full spa are also available in this resort.
Family Friendly dining in Healesville and the Yarra Valley
There are so many great places to eat in Healesville so you will be spoilt for choice! These are just some of the places:
- Beechworth Bakery: A classic country bakery which is the perfect stop for a pie (they have a very extensive menu!) or baked goods. My personal favourites, Sri-Lankan Beef Curry & the Bee Sting cake (Open 6.30 am to 5.30 pm everyday)
- Innocent Bystander: spacious restaurant and cellar door, serving wood fire pizzas. Kids menu available (Open 11 am to 4 pm everyday, open till 9 pm on weekends).
- The Bodhi Tree: family friendly dining with pizzas and modern australian classics in charming setting
- Chachi: A quirky little spot tucked between the shops on the main street. Pizzas and homemade pastas. Open for breakfast and freshly baked cookies too (Open Fri-Sun only).
- Four Pillars Gin Distillery: for any gin-lovers, no trip to Healesville is complete without a stop at Four Pillars. They have a bar with tasting paddles and small snacks as was a store to purchase any of the full range of gins they produce (Open 10.30 am to 5.30pm everyday, open till 9 pm on weekends).
The wine region of the Yarra Valley is located just at the doorstep of Healesville, just within 15-20 minutes drive. There are plenty of family friendly dining options for a winery lunch that the whole family can enjoy:
- Zonzo Estate: Kids menu, plenty of place to run around outside
- De Bortoli Locale Restaurant: small playground and kids menu
- 1309 Restaurant at Balgawnie Estate Winery: kids friendly menu
Want to read more?
Hope you enjoyed reading this post on the Top 7 Things to do in and around Healesville. If you want to read more about country escapes for families in Victoria, check out my post on Visiting the Grampians with kids and Lake Mountain Alpine Resort with Kids.
