Carrum Beach, Melbourne: Playground, facilities & swimming

On Port Phillip Bay, Carrum Beach has plenty of family-friendly facilities, including a big playground and a barbecue area. The Dandenong Creek Trail ends here at Beauty Spot Park on the Patterson River.

Where is Carrum Beach?

Carrum Beach is one of several Melbourne beaches on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. It stretches for 2km south of the Patterson River mouth towards Seaford. Its other neighbour is Bonbeach Beach, just north of the Patterson River.

Carrum Beach is one of the most-family friendly beaches in Melbourne.

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Carrum Beach playground

This is partly due to the Carrum Beach playground on the foreshore. As playgrounds go, it’s a pretty big one, with an exterior fence and separate areas for older and younger children.

But the other facilities around the playground are impressive, too. There are picnic tables, shelters, a barbecue area, drinking fountains and deck chairs.

There’s also a boardwalk stretching a significant way through the Carrum Foreshore Park.

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Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.

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Getting to Carrum Beach

It’s also reasonably easy to get to Carrum Beach, as there is a car park.

Also, Carrum station on the Frankston line is a short walk from Carrum Beach.

It maybe a little further out than the likes of Sandringham Beach or Mentone Beach, but this helps makes Carrum Beach less crowded.

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Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

Swimming at Carrum Beach

Carrum Beach isn’t the safest of beaches on Port Phillip Bay for swimming, largely because it faces south-west and gets hit by westerly winds. This can make for unusually big waves breaking over the bars that line the beach.

Particular care should be taken by the river mouth, where there can be strong tidal currents.

That said, it is all relative, and the secluded nature of Port Phillip Bay provides considerable protection. The beach is also patrolled by the Carrum Surf Life Saving Club.

The Patterson River mouth is also where you’ll find the Beauty Spot Park near the breakwall. This park has barbecue facilities and is the end point of the Dandenong Creek Trail.

For more information, see the City of Kingston website. Other attractions relatively nearby include the Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale and the Cranbourne Gardens.

How to do Melbourne IN STYLE

If there’s a special occasion while you’re in Melbourne, consider splashing out on these memory-making experiences…

An indulgent Yarra Valley food and wine tour – with lunch at Yering Station.
A sunrise hot air balloon flight across the city – followed by a champagne breakfast.
See the city by helicopter.
A private Great Ocean Road tour – with an early start to beat the crowds.
Tandem skydive from 14,000ft – and land on the beach.