Santaland

Good experience once you get to the front of the queue but expect a 2 hour wait on the weekend at least. There is also online booking apparently but it is poorly advertised.

The Myer Christmas Windows have in previous years brought to life Christmas stories including The Twelve Days of Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, etc. etc. If I was writing this as my former child self then I would have given it a whopping 5 stars. A true Melbourne family tradition that’s a must see. If your a toddler in Melbourne or know a toddler in Melbourne than make sure they are seen here at some point from Thursday the 6^th of November onwards. Not only will you be doing them a favour but you will make their Christmas that much more magical! Even as an adult walking past I look beyond the hoards of strollers which block all the walk-​ways and main arterials to the mall, the whinging, screaming kids tapping on the glass & appreciate the joys of another christmas in the CBD. It’s also my annual reminder to start buying christmas gifts.

Putting the magic into Christmas for kids this grand city wide is Myer’s Santaland. I fortunately stumbled across this enchanting Christmas wonderland two years ago while frantically looking for a toilet for my toddler. She thought we’d stumbled across Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, and I could do nothing but stare at the incredibly joyous setting Myer had managed to create in the basement of the Bourke st store.
Now an annual tribute like the infamous Myer windows, Santaland delights not only my kids but me as it captures the very essence of the magical world of Santa and the North Pole.
The Santaland Express train ride is adorable for smaller kids, and is free for kids to ride around the clickety train tracks and through the giant Santa tunnel. Santa’s little helpers (aka Myer staff) are on hand to snap a memoir of the occasion which you can purchase for a fee.
Within Santaland station kids can also access a computer, send Santa an email and then receive a printed letter back from the jovial man himself.
It can test your patience waiting in line for an hour or so to go in and see Santa in his special room, but the moment you walk in and cast your eyes on the most believable Santa you’ll ever see, as well as a sleeping, snoring Rudolph curled up in front of a roaring fire it will be worth every waiting second.
It’s just too hard to describe in words how truly magical Santaland is, so you will have to experience it for yourself to know what I’m talking about.
Photo’s are taken of your child on the train and with Santa if you wish and are available for purchase. Be sure to take your own camera so you can capture the kids standing at the bronzed, historic reindeer sled, in front of the giant, beautifully decorated Christmas tree and all around the basement where Myer creatively display their beautifully crafted decorations in a way that adds to the magic and fascination of Santaland.