Kids Corner at the Grand Prix

Where: Albert Park Lake – best entrance for easy access to Kids Corner is Gate 8, cnr St Kilda Road and Roy St.

When: 15 – 18 March 2012, gates open 10.30am – 8pm

What: Motor racing, stunts, live performers, kids activities…

Cost: FREE general admission for children 12 and under when accompanied by a paying adult, for adult ticket prices click here

Review

Back in 2012 my lovely friend Nicki called me and invited us to join her today for a morning with the kids at the Grand Prix… kids, Grand Prix – really?!  “No no” she reassured me, “we did it two years ago and [the eldest, now six] has been asking ever since when can she go again”.  Say no more – I was sold, and who can pass up an invite like that anyway 🙂

So what would you expect from a day at the Grand Prix?  Loud noise, check.  Lots of blokes, check.  Lots of entertainment pitched at blokes – check, check and check!  We kept it simple and limited ourselves to the Kids Corner – but there was also the Crusty Demons, Globe of Death, Jet Pack Man, Water Stunt Show and heaps of other things to check out if you wanted to do more.

Highlights for us included the roulettes flying over, the jumping castle, the trike track, the roving balloon maker extraordinaire, badge making station, watching a vintage car demonstration race (this is a good race for the kids as it’s not very noisy) and of course some F1 practice laps…  By the time the practice laps started, we’d been there almost three hours and our little ones were turning into pumpkins – so it was great to catch a little bit of the action before heading home.

My tips:

• Get there as early as possible, by midday it started getting crowded
• If you have children who are between 6-10 years the Porche Driving School is worth looking into.  It starts every hour on the hour – but spaces are limited and they book out quickly.. so book in as soon as you arrive.
• If you need ear-muffs for the kids there are options to buy at the track.  Noise canceling ear-muffs (in pink or blue) were available from the merchandise shops for $25 or ear plugs ranged from free (with a coffee purchase) to a few dollars from roving vendors.
• Practice laps were a good way to introduce the kids to F1 as not all the cars were out at one time and they were not necessarily going at their fastest speeds – so it’s not as intense as a real race noise wise.
• Nic brought along some plastic bags for us to sit on – a stroke of genius on a soggy day!
• Food options are limited to (overpriced) hot dogs, pizza, chips, nuggets… so definitely worth packing snacks for the kids.
• Catch public transport if you can!

For more info about off-track activities click here

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