Victorian school holidays run 27 June to 12 July 2026. If you live in Templestowe Lower, you already know the problem: it gets dark by five, it rains sideways for days at a stretch, and the kids have exhausted the backyard by about day three. There is no beach fifteen minutes away. The ski fields are a genuine full-day commitment. And the city feels further than the map suggests when you have small children and school-holiday traffic on the Eastern Freeway.
This is not a list of things to do eventually. It is what actually works for families in this pocket of Melbourne’s north-east when winter school holidays arrive and the weather does not cooperate.
1. Warm up at a local cafe
Templestowe Lower has a solid cafe strip worth knowing in this season. A hot chocolate and something from the cabinet is a legitimate mid-morning reset, especially after a park run in the cold. Check the Cafes with Full Details and Full Brunch Guide — Templestowe Lower pages on this site for current options, hours, and whether they have high chairs. Places fill up on school-holiday weekday mornings, so go early or go on a weekday afternoon.
Budget: $6-12 per person.
2. Anthony Avenue Reserve — local leg-stretch
Anthony Avenue Reserve gives you grass and open space without loading everyone in a car. Winter mornings here are cold but quiet. Bring a thermos. Let the kids run until they are tired enough to do something calm. It is not a destination; it is a reset between activities, and it is free.
Cost: Free.
3. Crawford Road Reserve — second local option
Same principle as above. Crawford Road Reserve and Dellfield Drive Reserve are the kind of places that work best for the under-sevens who just need to move. Brief, local, free. Stack either of these before or after an indoor activity rather than treating them as a half-day on their own in mid-July.
Cost: Free.
4. Your local library and council school-holiday program
Manningham City Council runs free and low-cost school-holiday activities every break — craft sessions, storytimes, and STEAM workshops at Doncaster Library and other branches. These fill fast. Go to the Manningham Council website or Eventbrite now, before you read anything else on this list. A lot of parents in the area leave it too late and miss the free spots. Sessions typically suit ages 3-12.
Cost: Free to low cost. Book ahead — they close out quickly.
5. Nearest heated indoor pool or leisure centre
The closest heated leisure centre to Templestowe Lower is a short drive. An indoor pool on a wet July day is genuinely one of the best-value options for families: it burns energy, it is warm, and it works across a wide age range. Check your nearest council leisure centre for school-holiday swim times and whether they run any holiday swimming programs.
Budget: $5-15 entry depending on age and centre.
6. Indoor play centre or trampoline park
There are several indoor play and trampoline options within fifteen to twenty minutes of Templestowe Lower. These work best booked on weekday mornings — weekend sessions during school holidays are loud and busy. Check opening times and age limits in advance, particularly for the under-fives areas.
Budget: $15-25 per child depending on session.
7. O’Brien Icehouse — ice skating, Docklands
O’Brien Icehouse in Docklands has a dedicated under-8s area and skate aid penguins, which makes it far less stressful for parents of young children than a full open-skate session. From Templestowe Lower, allow around 35-40 minutes to the city depending on traffic. Book online — school-holiday sessions sell out. Skate hire is included in the session price. It is loud and cold in the best possible way.
Drive: ~35-40 min. Cost: Varies by session; check icehouse.com.au for current pricing.
8. Firelight Festival — Docklands (3-5 July, FREE)
This is the free winter highlight of the school-holiday break. The Firelight Festival runs at Harbour Esplanade in Docklands on 3, 4, and 5 July with light and water shows at 6.30pm and 8.30pm. There are food trucks. It is outside, so dress everyone properly — layers, gloves, and a good jacket. The show itself is around 20 minutes. Most families do dinner from the food trucks first, then watch the 6.30pm show and head home before 8pm. It suits children from about age three upwards.
From Templestowe Lower, allow 35-40 minutes to Docklands and plan for parking or drive to a train station.
Cost: Free entry. Drive: ~35-40 min.
9. Queen Victoria Winter Night Market — Wednesday evenings
The QV Winter Night Market runs every Wednesday from 5pm to 10pm through to 26 August (it started 3 June). Entry is free. There are fire pits, over forty food vendors, and enough variety to satisfy a group with competing tastes. This is better for families with children aged seven and up who can manage a busy evening market without getting overwhelmed. Go early — it is much more manageable at 5pm than at 8pm.
Cost: Free entry. Food and drinks extra. Drive: ~30-35 min to city.
10. NGV — Winter Masterpieces and free permanent galleries
The NGV International on St Kilda Rd is running Cartier: The Exhibition as this year’s Winter Masterpieces (12 June to 4 October). It is ticketed and pitched at older children, teenagers, and adults — the jewellery, objects, and historical context land better with a twelve-year-old than a five-year-old.
For younger children, the NGV’s permanent collection is free and genuinely good. The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square (also free, Australian art) works well for shorter attention spans. From Templestowe Lower, it is around 30-35 minutes to the city on a mid-morning school-holiday day. Combine with the QV market on a Wednesday if you want a full day.
Drive: ~30-35 min. Permanent galleries: Free. Cartier exhibition: Ticketed — check ngv.vic.gov.au.
11. Lake Mountain snow day trip
Lake Mountain near Marysville is the closest snowfield to Melbourne and genuinely accessible from Templestowe Lower — around 90 minutes to two hours depending on conditions and traffic on the Maroondah Highway. The season runs 6 June to 6 September, weather permitting. There is a snow-play area that suits young children, and tobogganing for ages six and up (around $33 at time of writing, check lakemountainresort.com.au for current rates).
Be honest with yourself about the commitment: it is a full day, there can be queues at busy weekends, and you need snow chains in the car or to hire them. Pick a weekday if you can, check the resort’s snow report the night before, and go early. The drive back through Healesville is scenic if the kids are asleep.
Drive: ~90-120 min. Entry and snow-play fees apply. Weekday mornings are easiest.
Planning note
The two things families in Templestowe Lower consistently leave too late: Manningham school-holiday craft sessions (book this week — they go fast) and O’Brien Icehouse school-holiday sessions (book online before the break starts). Everything else on this list you can decide day-by-day based on the weather. The Firelight Festival and QV Night Market are your best free city options if you only make two trips in. Lake Mountain takes more planning but earns its place as the one genuinely memorable thing most Melbourne kids still talk about years later.