If you haven’t been to the Early Start Discovery Space, do yourself a favour and go this week. Run, don’t walk! Just by reading the description of the place, you’ll feel like the best parent ever.
“Inspire their imagination and curiosity at Australia's first dedicated hands-on children's museum.”
We have an annual membership, which will set you back $50 for an adult and a child or you can pay $15 a go. Kids under 12 months are free. We are so lucky to have this museum on our doorstep. We go if it's raining, or on those days when it's too hot to be out in the sun or simply because we love it. I wish I had this place when I was little. Any parent or friend I take is so impressed with the facilities.
My kids run around like headless chickens whenever we go and it's a constant battle to keep them all in one spot at the same time. You can go to the Antarctic on an actual ship and see life-sized penguins and whales or do some grocery shopping at the market using your own trolley, run the pizza shop, make your own combinations and manage food service, or take a stroll through all things emergency service from SES, Police and the Fire Department, OR jump on the steam train. And I have missed out on a few activities.
It’s located in the Wollongong University campus and has a great cafe, Ugly Duckling, that you can access from the Discover Gardens. You can also pack your own drinks and snacks too. After one round of the centre, we usually take a snack break in the gardens. I often pack a change of clothes though, because there is a waterspout with a man-made creek flowing through the garden and eight out of 10 times, they are drenched by the end.
On the way out, there is also a gift shop, which I often quickly shuffle the kids past, but is fantastic for creative, educational presents come Christmas and birthdays.
The Early Start Discovery Space is at UOW's Main Campus, Building 21 Northfields Ave, Wollongong. For more information, visit the website
