Melbourne · With kids

A children's gallery, a blue whale skeleton and a rainforest under glass beside the Carlton Gardens; half a day. Ages 3+.

Hands-on physics, a lightning room and a planetarium inside a converted pumping station; a train and a short walk from the city. Ages 5+.

Little penguins come ashore on the breakwater at dusk and are free to watch from the boardwalk. Wrap up — it is cold and windy. All ages.

An hour east, a steam train through the Dandenongs with legs swinging out of the open carriages; two hours return. Ages 3+.

Four seasons in a day is not a joke, so carry layers. Prams board low-floor trams easily, under-fives ride free and older children pay concession.