By day three of the school holidays I was out of ideas. It was grey outside, the kids had reached that particular pitch of restlessness that only happens indoors, and my group chat had spent the whole week going on about a huge new indoor playground that had just opened in Oakleigh. Someone described it as “the size of an aircraft hangar,” which is the kind of claim that gets you in the car pretty quickly. So we found the grip socks, bribed everyone with the promise of a claw machine, and went to see Minoland for ourselves.
I’ll be honest, we picked possibly the worst day to go. It was smack in the middle of the school holidays and the place was heaving. But underneath the crowds there was a lot to like, so here’s the real version of our visit, not the polished one.
So What Actually Is Minoland
Minoland is the new indoor play centre that’s opened at 4 Croft Street in Oakleigh, and it is genuinely enormous. It’s roughly 4,000 square metres, spread across two connected soft-play structures done out in purple and blue, and it’s about a five minute walk from Huntingdale Station if you’d rather not deal with parking (more on that shortly, because you probably will need to deal with parking).
What surprised me most was how sensibly it’s laid out. Rather than throwing every child into one big free-for-all, it’s split roughly by age. There’s a proper toddler area with crawling structures, ball pits, dress ups and a corn pit, well away from the high ropes course, climbing wall, flying fox and trampolines, which all have a 110cm height minimum. There’s a role play village, arcade games, a bank of claw machines that will happily eat your coins, mini electric ride-on cars, and a quieter reading corner with books and busy boards for anyone who needs five minutes away from the noise. Upstairs there’s a café you get to by lift, and this is genuinely one of the better ideas I’ve seen at a play centre, because your entry fee goes toward your coffee and there’s a screen showing the play areas so you’re not completely cut off from what your children are doing to each other.
There are also party rooms if you’re after somewhere for a birthday, including a bigger Grand Celebration Room that holds up to 60 kids. If you want the specifics before you book, Minoland’s own site has current session times, and every visitor under 18 needs a waiver signed by a parent or guardian, which you can do online in advance.
What I Actually Loved About It
I went in a bit sceptical, because “biggest play centre in Australia” usually means “big for a shopping centre.” This is not that. My two ran off in opposite directions within about thirty seconds of walking in, and I properly lost sight of one of them for a minute inside the soft play maze, which should tell you something about the scale of the place.
The age zoning is what makes it work, in my opinion. My youngest could potter around the ball pits without a nine year old landing on her mid ninja course, which happens more often than you’d think at smaller centres where everyone under twelve gets thrown into the same space regardless of size. And that café upstairs, with the little TV feed of the play area, meant I actually finished a hot coffee for once instead of the usual lukewarm half cup you get halfway through chasing a toddler around.
The Bits Nobody Warns You About
Here’s where I’ll level with you, because most of what’s floating around about Minoland right now is glowing opening week hype, and a few things are worth knowing before you commit a whole day to it.
It gets very crowded during the school holidays. We went on a peak day and it genuinely felt like a population density test inside the ball pits. If your schedule allows it, a weekday outside peak times will be a completely different, much calmer experience, and from what other families have said, staff seem more visible and on top of things when it’s quieter.
The toddler area can get a bit messy by the afternoon. With that many small children moving through soft play all day, bits of grit and stray toys tend to build up, which is really just the trade off of a brand new venue being this popular this quickly.
It’s also easy for kids to wander further than you’d like. With that much floor space, older kids love the freedom to roam between zones, but that also means it’s easy for a younger or more nervous child to lose the group. There are staff dotted around, but Minoland is upfront that parents and guardians are responsible for supervising their own kids the whole time, so this isn’t the kind of place where you drop the kids and go shopping.
And then there’s parking. The venue’s own car park fills up fast, so you’ll likely end up on the surrounding 4P or 6P street parking, or you can take the train to Huntingdale and walk in.
Grip socks and a completed waiver are compulsory for everyone entering the play areas, adults included, so it’s worth sorting that before you arrive rather than queueing for it on the day.
Pricing and Sessions
Sessions run for two hours, with the option to upgrade to unlimited all day play, and there are multi-visit passes if you think you’ll be back regularly. Pricing at the time of writing sits at roughly $17 to $20 for infants under one, from around $28 for toddlers aged one to four, and from around $33 for children aged five and up, with a small adult entry fee that’s redeemable against food and drink. Weekends, public holidays and school holidays are priced a little higher across the board, and the all day upgrade adds a bit more on top. Because prices and sessions do change, it’s worth checking Minoland’s booking page directly before you head out, especially during school holidays when sessions can fill up.
Would We Go Back
Yes, though probably not on a peak school holiday day again. For a wet, cold or scorching hot day when you need somewhere that will actually wear the kids out, the scale here is hard to match anywhere else in Melbourne, and having proper age zones means it works whether you’ve got a toddler, a tween, or both trailing after you at once. Just go in expecting crowds if you’re visiting during the holidays, and try for a quieter weekday if your schedule lets you.
If it’s not quite what you’re after, our indoor play centres directory has plenty of other options around the country worth a look, and our Victorian school holidays and term dates for 2026 page will help you plan ahead so you’re not scrambling for somewhere to go on day three, like we were.
Details on pricing, hours and promotions can change, so it’s always worth checking directly with Minoland before you visit.
The Details
- Address: 4 Croft Street, Oakleigh, VIC
- Hours: Open daily, roughly 9am to 6pm (worth confirming on the day, as holiday hours can shift)
- Getting there: About a five minute walk from Huntingdale Station; on-site parking is limited, with 4P/6P street parking nearby
- Website: minoland.com.au
- Good to know: Grip socks and a signed waiver are required for everyone entering the play areas, including adults. Height minimum of 110cm applies to the high ropes course, climbing wall and trampolines.