Sydney’s Sutherland Shire is a family-friendly area, with loads of easy walking tracks suitable for kids, indoor and outdoor adventures, and activities the whole family can enjoy. Around Cronulla and more of The Shire's key destinations, you're spoiled for choice if you’re looking for ways to entertain the kids.
We’ve found some of the best things to do with kids in the Shire, including outdoor fun, art, gaming, indoor play centres, food options and more.
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- Best Outdoor Activities For Kids In The Shire
- Kid-Friendly Dining In The Shire
- Best Indoor Play Centres For Kids In The Shire
- Best gaming activities for kids
- Best Arts And Culture Activities In The Shire
Best Outdoor Activities for Kids
Woronora River
Image credit: The Boatshed | Instagram
If you’re keen on a water adventure, The Boatshed at Woronora offers canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and pedal boats for hire. It also has kayak tours that are suitable for kids. The tours last two hours and take you across the scenic river. The Boatshed is also a tasty option for lunch before or after your adventure to keep the kids happy and full.
Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails
There are a number of family-friendly hiking trails across the Sutherland area, including for kids under five. One is the Burraneer Park Walk: a 0.8-km loop trail that takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Another fun one for kids is the Coonong Creek Walk, which leads down to Gymea Bay Baths Reserve. This walk is also dog-friendly.
Cronulla Bundeena Ferry
When the weather is good, consider heading towards Cronulla Wharf and exploring the Port Hacking River. The Cronulla Ferry service is the oldest commuter ferry operating to a timetable in Australia. The kids will love jumping aboard the Tom Thumb II, seeing the sights (which include the Royal National Park) and learning the history from the engaging guides.
Best Indoor Play Centres In The Sutherland Shire
Vitaland Kids Cafe Miranda
Image credit: Vitaland Miranda | Facebook
This play centre is every kid’s dream. Conveniently located on the bottom level of Miranda Westfield, Vitaland is a cafe and play centre combined. It caters to babies and children up to seven. It has created several spaces for children to dream and play, including a ball pit, slides, toy cars and trucks for the kids to ride, a pretend grocery store, and even dress-ups. A highlight is the functioning train that the kids can ride once an hour.
Indoor Rock Climbing
For adventurous kids, indoor rock climbing is the perfect activity to let them learn a new skill. Both Climb Fit at Kirrawee and EMF at Miranda cater to kids. Climb Fit offers casual bookings for kids as young as three, while Climb Fit is suitable for slightly older kids over 10 years old in kids' camp and after-school sessions.
FlipOut
FlipOut Caringbah is an indoor trampoline centre with a bunch of fun activities for kids of all ages. For school-aged kids and teenagers, there are beginner, intermediate and advanced Ninja classes run by trainers to help them improve agility and aerial awareness. Younger kids (including toddlers) will enjoy playgroup sessions. These last up to three hours and are designed to be interactive and help kids with social skills.
Inflatable World Miranda
Located at The Rec Club, Inflatable World is one of the biggest inflatable playgrounds in Australia. Just as the name suggests, it’s a giant centre filled with inflatables including slides, boxing rings and more. No bookings are required and the $25 entry gets you two hours of play (plenty of time to tire the kids out!).
Best Gaming Activities
Timezone Cronulla
Image credit: Timezone Cronulla | Facebook
Another indoor option made for kids, Timezone Cronulla is suitable for most ages and abilities and offers a range of games to play. Kids can enjoy over 70 classic games including arcade games and bowling. Playing through the centre lets them add to what they win and collect prizes at the end, which adds to the fun.
VR Gaming Miranda
VR Gaming at Miranda is the place for adventurous kids and gamers alike. Located in Westfield Miranda, kids can try their hand battling friends, riding roller coasters or even taking on zombies or robots in an immersive virtual reality experience. This one is suitable for kids over five years old.
Best Art And Culture Activities
Part Time Ceramics
Image credit: Part Time Ceramics | Instagram
Kids love getting their hands dirty, and why not let them do that by combining it with art and learning a new skill? Part Time Ceramics in Taren Point offers Kids Clay Workshops for ages four and up, where children can learn to make a bowl, vase, mug, or anything they are able to do. The workshop is suitable for kids up to 13 years old.
Sydney Tramway Museum
The Sydney Tramway Museum is a fun day out for the whole family. Located next to Loftus station and with plenty of parking, you and the kids can ride a vintage tram towards Sutherland and the Royal National Park. The museum is entirely volunteer-based and has been operating for over 50 years.
Hazelhurst Arts Centre
Hazelhurst Arts Centre runs weekly art workshops designed for kids aged between three and five. The workshops are only $10 and include a storytime session, introducing the kids to various artworks, and then some hands-on art-making.
Kid-Friendly Dining In The Sutherland Shire
Family-Friendly Pubs And Clubs
Image credit: Oli's Cafe Miranda | Instagram
The Shire has so many kid-friendly pubs, bars and clubs that families are spoiled for choice. Taren Point Hotel has a great outdoor play area for kids, as does The Prince Hotel at Kirrawee. Newly opened Pippi’s in Cronulla has a closed-off play area for kids and offers beautiful views over the bay. Another option with a view is Cronulla RSL, which has a designated indoor kids area to keep them entertained.
Kid-Friendly Cafes
There are plenty of cafes that cater to families in the Shire, too. Oli’s Cafe at Miranda has a kids play area in the courtyard and a delicious menu, while Rubyniks Kids in the same suburb in Westfield offers colouring books, pram parking and a great kids’ menu (babycinos included). Tradies Caringbah is another great option. You can pay $5 for access to a supervised play space that’s decked out with activities and games for children over three.
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Main image credit: Vitaland Miranda | Facebook