Making the most of your day at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Melbourne

It’s been 60 years since the modern LEGO brick design was patented, and with its commercial success climbing steadily every year since, there are now more LEGO mini-figures in the world than any other population group!

This is just one of the facts that our family learnt on a recent trip to the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Melbourne.

Accessed via Chadstone Shopping Centre in Malvern East, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is the ultimate indoor playground for little LEGO fans.

Setting the scene for the LEGO adventure is the giant “surfer girl” LEGO structure at the entrance of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Built from 67,575 bricks, she weighs an impressive 213 kilograms and stands at 220 centimetres tall.

Once inside, you’ll discover dozens of other awe-inspiring LEGO models, as well as two rides, a café, 4D cinema and lots of LEGO play spaces.

Making the most of your day at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Melbourne

1. Arrive early and book online

During weekends and school holidays, the venue can get full and you may end up disappointed! It’s best to book your tickets online before you go to guarantee entry. Arriving early is also a great way to beat the crowds.

2. Consider the age of your children

The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is targeted at children aged between 3 and 10 years. Teens may not find a lot to interest them, and babies/toddlers will spend most of the time trying to put small LEGO pieces into their mouth! However, children in the target age group will spend hours happily engaged in the different play zones, 4D cinema and creative workshops. There’s even adult only nights for the big kids that still enjoy the challenges of LEGO building.

3. Get creative at a workshop

When you first arrive, duck ahead and put the kids’ names down for one of the creative LEGO building workshops. Run every hour, these workshops allow kids to follow instructions to build a model, as well as go freestyle and let their master builder’s imaginations run wild.

4. Enjoy a coffee while the kids play

Cleverly designed, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre features a café in the centre of the action, meaning you can sit and enjoy a coffee while the kids amuse themselves in one of the surrounding play zones, such as the Underwater Quest play zone, a room full of “under the sea” themed LEGO and backdrops as well as an interactive digital build table.

5. Plan your Melbourne tourist itinerary at Miniland

Miniland is a miniature LEGO replica of Melbourne’s most loved buildings and landmarks (built from over 1.5 million LEGO bricks!). As well as being a super cool and interactive display, it’s also a great way to get a sense for the city and plan out the activities you may like to do in Melbourne, if you are holidaying in city.

6. Keep the kids busy over the school holidays

Each school holidays, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre runs interactive school holiday activities such as treasure hunts. For the summer of 2018, the theme is Cops vs Robbers, with a chase through the centre and tasks to complete, as well as a themed 4D LEGO movie – Officer in Pursuit. For those on the autism spectrum, special sensory sessions are held throughout the year.

7. Beware the gift shop!

Of course, there’s no way of avoiding the inevitable gift shop at the end of your visit, and as our family found, it’s very difficult to leave empty handed when there’s so many amazing LEGO sets for sale, including some you won’t find in departments stores. There’s even a whole wall of “pick and mix” LEGO and an area to build-your-own mini-figures.

For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com.au.