Top Best Japanese Restaurants in Docklands

"As its name suggests, this restaurant serves up classic Japanese dishes with a heavy dose of contemporary innovation. Don’t miss out on the slow-cooked pork belly don served with a free range onsen egg, yuzu salt on biodynamic rice, or the mini meatball katsu-sando served with tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo. Wash it all down with a neko negroni, made with strawberry gin, campari, schochu and vermouth."

"Brunetti's recent revamp of its flagship store in Carlton has transformed it into an enormous, mosaic wonderland of Italian desserts. With a gelati bar at one end and curvaceous cabinets framing an array of pastries peeling up to the other, Brunetti is a Melbourne staple that still knows how to deliver the goods, like frittole (doughnuts with pinenuts and sultanas), custard-filled panzerotto, and bigne di San Giuseppe, full of strega chantilly cream. Take home a cake, such as the chocolate money-bag Bacio, for an impressive dessert."

"This tiny soft serve parlour is easily swirling up the most photogenic desserts in town. Their original sea salt flavour arrives in an adorable shade of pastel blue, which you can adorn with caramel popcorn, popping candy, toasted marshmallows, and best of all, a big cloud of fairy floss. They’ve even got colourful, decorated walls for you to take pics up against."

"Werribee Open Range Zoo offers families an African adventure close to home. Kids will love to check out the rhinos whose survival is under serious threat, you can come face-to-face with a pride of lions in a dramatic savannah landscape at Lions on the Edge, and you can even take a Family Off Road Safari- ride around in a protected car as you get super close to giraffes, hippos, zebras, and ostriches. For more information, visit their website."

"Visit SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne Zoo or Werribee Open Range Zoo Once back down at ground level, head to SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium to discover the amazing range of creatures from a variety of seascapes including the depths of Antarctica, Rivers, Reefs and the weird and wonderful that live further down below the ocean's surface."

"Go on an African adventure with the kids and take them on a safari tour they will never forget. Gorillas, giraffes, zebras, lions, and hippos are all part of the animal family. But you must’ miss the kangaroos either!"

"Albert Park, a suburb located right in the south-central of Melbourne, is home to a lovely little beach featuring a sandy, narrow stretch of coastline with safe, sheltered waters that makes it a great choice of beach destination in Melbourne with kids, especially due to how easy it is to reach from most major accommodation spots in the city. Accessible via public transport within around 20 minutes from the Melbourne CBD and situated next to the tram terminal on Victoria Ave, Albert Park Beach eases gently into the shallow and calm waters of Port Phillip Bay, making for ideal swim conditions for kids. The beach is a popular location for all beach-going purposes; not only swimming but sunbathing, windsurfing, kite boarding and walks along the road pier are all viable options to pass the time on the beach, while there are also many walking and bicycle paths that are popular with those rollerblading or simply going for a stroll."

"Easily Melbourne's largest and most popular beach, a day out at St. Kilda beach is always a mixed bag in terms of what to expect. Popular with people from all walks of life (especially during the summer months) including those with kids, it is always a major drawcard for a ton of tourists, especially in comparison with some of the other beaches listed here, and is basically Melbourne's equivalent to a Manly or Bondi of Sydney beach fame. While St. Kilda beach has a fairly "seedy" reputation, many steps have been taken over the past decade or so to clean up its image and improve on the public perception, especially in terms of catering to families with kids, with the beachfront having been recently redeveloped."