Kew: Play, Remembrance and Heritage

Kew brings together hands-on play activities and places of remembrance. For families who want to take different interests into account when planning a trip, the playground in Victoria Park and Kew Traffic School offer distinct options. There are also the Kew War Memorial and the Canoe Tree Monument, each conveying its significance in a different way. The details can help you decide which themes are of particular interest for your trip.

Play activities at Victoria Park and the Traffic School

The playground in Victoria Park offers several distinct ways to get moving. It has two ground-level trampolines, one of which is wheelchair-accessible. A large basket swing can be used by up to five people at a time. There are also climbing grips designed for different abilities, as well as a south-facing tube slide four metres high.

The equipment described ranges from jumping and swinging to climbing and sliding. The two ground-level trampolines offer a different experience from the large swing, which is designed for several people to use at the same time. The climbing grips are specifically described as being designed for different abilities. The slide, in turn, can be assessed by its height and orientation. If you’re trying to accommodate different interests when travelling with children, these differences may help you choose which play activities to focus on.

Kew Traffic School has specific requirements for vehicles: children must bring their own bicycle, tricycle or scooter, as well as a helmet. E-bikes, e-scooters, roller skates and skateboards are not permitted. Check the operator’s current visitor information before your visit. This will give you time to check the equipment with the children and bear in mind that not every type of vehicle is suitable for a visit.

Remembrance and history in Kew

The Kew War Memorial was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004 for its architectural, historical and social significance to the state of Victoria. These three aspects give the memorial a broad profile: it is significant not only from an architectural or historical perspective, but also for its social significance. Those interested in heritage will therefore find a connection here that encompasses several aspects of the memorial site.

The Canoe Tree Monument’s plaque offers a different kind of historical remembrance. It honours a significant canoe tree that had been hollowed out and is thought to have been more than 1,000 years old. The plaque draws attention to a single tree and how it was shaped; its age remains an estimate. This makes the subject of this memorial quite distinct from that of the Kew War Memorial: here, a tree is the focus; there, a memorial of architectural, historical and social significance to Victoria.

This gives you the opportunity to weigh up which aspects you would like to give more consideration to when planning your trip, without limiting the options to a single type of outing.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Highett, Flemington, Yering, Noble Park, Keilor, Eden Park, Yarra Junction, Doncaster East.

For the broader travel overview: Melbourne.