6 Best Places to go Ice Skating in Melbourne with Family and Friends

One of the best things a Melbourne winter can offer is the chance to go ice skating!

And right now the Melbourne ice skating scene is buzzing as winter hits and ice skating season begins (although many ice skating rinks are open year-round).

Melbourne has a number of great places to go and enjoy an ice skating experience with the whole family. From the large outdoor public ice rinks to the smaller ice skating rinks located inside shopping centres and arcades, you can bet that this city has it all. 

We love skating in the winter season! Not only does it offer tons of winter holiday fun but also poses a great opportunity to go out and get moving.

Each of these ice skating rinks is well worth a visit, but before you lace up those skates, here’s some info you’ll need to know about some of the best places to go ice skating Melbourne wide.

Ice Skating Melbourne Featured photo px

Ice Skating Melbourne

1. Winter in Williamstown, Williamstown

Escape to Winter in Williamstown this season and embrace the festive spirit at Commonwealth Reserve from 28 June to 14 July 2024.

Lace up your skates for a glide across the synthetic ice rink, marvel at the mesmerizing Winter Lights Display, and enjoy live entertainment with DJ sets and roving performers.

Williamstown Ice Skating in the Park:

  • All abilities are welcome! 
  • Session running: 12pm – 6pm Sun to Wed, 12pm – 8pm Thurs to Sat
  • $1 Children, $5 Adults (13+) plus booking fees
  • Skates included
  • Penguin helper hire is FREE for small children (pre-book)

Winter in Williamstown, (From 12 pm daily, Sat 28 June to Sun 14 July 2024) Commonwealth Reserve, Williamstown VIC 3016

Book ice skating tickets here

winter in willie ice skating ratio

2. Eynesbury Winter Festival, Eynesbury

Opening on Thursday 27 June the Eynesbury Winter Festival – a spot that’s perfect for ice skating in Melbourne and for enjoying some tasty winter food and drinks, plus a bunch of other winter activities. 

The winter celebration offers so much for families to see and do. On top of the hourly superstar ice skating experience, you’ll also get to be entertained by the live music and performances, wander the winter market and much more.

Eynesbury Winter Festival is a perfect winter outing and a destination that is a contender for best ice skating rink Melbourne wide. The festival is free to enter but you’ll have to pre-book tickets for the ice rink, sessions start at $15.

Eynesbury Winter Festival, 479 Eynesbury Road, Eynesbury, +61 3 9971 0414, events@eynesbury.com.au.

Pxl .Mp Eynesbury Winter Festival Photos Amy Gardner ()

3. O’Brien Ice House, Docklands

Known as Australia’s premier Olympic ice sports venue, The O’Brien Icehouse is a HUGE ice skating rink with great facilities that is open all year round for skating. So if you’re looking to have some fun ice skating Docklands might just be the destination for you! 

This rink is open seven days a week and offers ice skating classes, parties and events and school group bookings. It also has an onsite cafe and bar.

O’Brien Icehouse, 105 Pearl River Road, Docklands, 1300 75 66 99, Info@obriengrouparena.com.au

OBrien Group Arena px

4. Olympic Ice Skating Centre, Oakleigh

Skating enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy the public ice skating sessions at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre. The location is a training ground for future Olympians and offers free skate rental, along with free parking. 

This spot is one of the nicest around and is definitely worth checking out If you’re looking for a great place to go ice skating as it’s perfect for a family outing and you’re sure to have a blast!

Olympic Ice Skating Centre, 1080 Centre Road, Oakleigh South, +61 3 9579 3755

Olympic Ice Skating Centre Oakleigh px

5. Ice HQ, Reservoir

Formerly known as the Puckhandlers inline hockey stadium, Ice HQ is an indoor Ice Skating Rink that’s been transformed into a state-of-the-art ice skating centre for ice hockey games, lessons and general ice skating sessions. 

Ice HQ is open for ice skating daily except on wednesdays. However, the rinks schedules may change from time to time so it would be best to check first before you vist.

Ice HQ, 1 Blake St, Reservoir, +61 3 9478 2876

Ice HQ Reservoir px

6. Ballarat Winter Festival, Ballarat

The Ballarat Winter Festival is a celebration of the city’s signature season and for 2024 the joyous celebration is set to take place from 29 June to 21 July 2024! 

On top of the unique events and various winter offerings, you can bet that one of the long awaited activities for the festival is the ever popular pop-up ice skating rink which will only be up for a limited three-week season (so it would be best to book your tickets online now to avoid missing out.)

Be sure to take the time to visit the Sovereign Hill Winter Wonderlights while you’re in town as well as eating and drinking your way through Ballarat’s burgeoning food scene.

Ballarat Winter Festival, Armstrong Street South, Ballarat Central, 1800 44 66 33, events@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Ballarat Ice Skating

Ballarat Winter Festival is your Family Getaway Destination This Winter School Holidays

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Click here for my 10 tips for a family ski trip or snow holiday

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About Joyce Watts

Joyce Watts is a former intellectual property, IT and media lawyer turned serial entrepreneur.

As well as being the founder of TOT: HOT OR NOT she helps businesses with their SEO, email marketing & social media as BrightSmart.com.au; she owns an online bike store CycleStyle.com.au and develops and produces creative experiences for families via WheelieGoodFun.com. She used to publish another popular lifestyle and food blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne.

She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband, two children and seven bikes.

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