Tuesday, November 19, 2013

McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park



We heart a guest review, especially from the lovely Mel and her babes. This week they tried and tested out the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park  for the Hey Bambini blog. 

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As the weather warms up, it’s nice to start thinking about somewhere to take the kids that gets them using up energy in the great outdoors. Parks and playgrounds are great if you just want to get out for a short time or catch up with your Mother’s group and the zoo is always fantastic. But sometimes you want to get out of the city and explore somewhere new. Somewhere with plenty of space for the kids to run around, but also with something for the adults to enjoy too. The McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park is just the place.

We recently discovered this gem on a day when a bit of a road trip was in order.

About an hour out of Melbourne, near Frankston, this gorgeous oasis of gardens, sculptures, gallery and café awaits. The 16 hectare property features about 100 sculptures, spread around the beautiful gardens. Take a picnic and explore the area on a sunny day. Guided tours of the gardens and sculptures are available Wednesday and Thursday at 11am and 2pm with a gold coin donation. For groups, tours can be booked on other days. Maybe a novel catch up for the mother’s group?

When the weather isn’t so nice, or you want to get out of the sun, there are three indoor galleries with permanent and changing exhibitions. When we visited, the exhibition was on birds and there was a kids area set up with drawing, origami bird making and tracing. Little Miss and the Little Man could easily have spent hours in there. It was only the lure of babycinos and something to eat at the café that convinced them to leave!

The café overlooks part of the garden and the lake and is a beautiful setting for brunch, morning tea or lunch. The menu is quite limited at breakfast and there isn’t a kids menu as such, but ham and cheese toasted sandwiches, fruit toast, scones or biscuits are likely to go down a treat. At lunch, there is kids lasagne and chips available.  For adults, the gourmet salads, baguettes and hot meals sound lovely. The babycinos come layered in a clear glass and the homemade raspberry and lavender jam with the scones was to die for!

A couple of high chairs are available in the cafe, but there are no changing facilities and no specific activities for the little ones.

All in all, the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park is a great place to visit when you don’t mind a bit of a drive and want to get out in the fresh air and experience something new. We’ll definitely be back!

Where ::  390 McClelland Drive Langwarrin
Opening Times ::  Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm
Entry Fee ::  Donation
Website ::   www.mcclellandgallery.com
 

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