Hadn’t been to Forest Hill Chase in ages. Didn’t expect it to have changed this much.
Found a completely free play space too, on Level 1. Everything except a slide. Drawing station, a car track, books, blocks, a play kitchen, basically a mini kids cafe without the price tag. Suits kids up to about four.
The room’s split into a few zones, pink wall on one side, teal on another. Carpet everywhere, no cold tiles.
Most of the equipment’s in the kitchen section. Full wooden stovetop, four burner discs, knobs you can actually twist, an oven with a little window in the door. Sink next to it with a real steel basin sitting in the timber bench. There’s a fridge too, wooden, doors that properly open and shut. Rui Rui parked herself in front of that fridge for ages, just opening and closing the doors over and over. Second little kitchen setup as well, hotplate, sink, microwave shelf up top.
There’s a soft canvas tent in one corner, big enough for a couple of kids to squeeze into, cushions thrown around it. Little wooden step stools, a rainbow activity cube, a round woven rug to sit on with a picture book pulled off the shelf.
Music corner too. Low wooden bench with a hanging chime, some small hand drums with African-print fabric on them, wooden xylophones, a basket of blocks. Owl cushion on the floor, random but I liked it.
Curved wooden table for drawing, paper and pencils in a basket, some textured board for shapes. More little chairs around it, low bookshelf against the wall with a plant on top.
Sky played in there for close to four hours. My husband and I just took turns, one watching her while the other went to shop or grab a coffee. Zero effort as a parent.
One thing worth knowing, it gets busy right before lunch. During actual lunchtime it empties out, weirdly. So grab an early brunch first, then head over once the lunch crowd clears.
There’s a donation box in there for The Nappy Collective. If you’ve got a spare pack at home, easy thing to drop off while the kids are busy.
The Outlets Are Worth a Look
Food court’s now double the size it used to be. There’s also a bunch of new outlet stores now. Country Road, Bardot and Oroton are the ones I’d point you to. Price isn’t even the main thing, it’s that they’ve actually got proper range in stock, more styles, more sizes. Country Road and Bardot especially had a lot of nice kids’ clothes. If you’ve got a daughter, watch your wallet.
Worth the Trip?
If you’re not fussy about food, don’t feel like being outdoors, and you’ve got a younger kid at home, this is a genuinely easy way to kill a few hours. Free, huge, and enough going on that a toddler won’t get bored.
If you’re after more free things to do around Melbourne, our Beckett Park Balwyn review is worth a look, and our things to do with kids directory has more options. Planning around the holidays? Check our VIC school holidays and term dates for 2026 page.