Melbourne on the cheap: Kids

Enrol at a toy library

For an annual subscription, the Moonee Valley Toy Library offers a choice of 1,000 toys (for ages 0-6) for three weeks. Subs cost $50 ($25 conc) for three toys, or $80 ($40 conc) for six toys, and free if your kid is under six months. Lots of other suburban toy libraries offer similar deals, so find your nearest one.

Watch candy being made from scratch at Suga

Bring the kids along to the Royal Arcade to watch Suga’s resident lolliologist stir, pull, squeeze and twist rock candy to perfection – and if you’re there at the right time you’ll get a sample to try.

Discover a magical kingdom

Only the magical-minded child would notice there’s a dolphin fountain, miniature Tudor village, fairy tree and a dragon to be found among the trees in Fitzroy Gardens. You can even pop onto their site for a $12 printable treasure hunt map.

Giddy up with Breath of Life

The history of Australian puppetry is well represented at this exhibition inspired by the success of War Horse. We gave it five stars, so catch it before it closes on Mar 11.

Escape the heat at Seville Water Park

Head to the Yarra Ranges and get drenched. There’s a barbecue area and lots of water activities – including the Magic Buttons, which trigger one of 15 random water eruption sequences. Enter the rockery and amble through the echoed pipes or roll down Dinosaur Hill. Kids can also have fun exploring the native gardens.