I’m Jess, school-lunch packer, chief organiser of all things “Muuuum, I’m bored!” and come Summer in Australia … cricket tragic.
When the Ashes 2025 fixtures dropped, I was ridiculously excited – as usual. Five Tests, five cities, one very overstimulated Australian mum trying to work out how to fit in as much as possible. The Ashes first Test is in Perth this year – a huge change from the usual Gabba opener – and I honestly feel so lucky we’re heading over for it. Perth is a beautiful city and their new stadium is amazing.
I’m especially pumped because we’ll get to see Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett make their Test debuts in that Perth opener – it’s the first time since 2019 that Australia has handed two baggy greens out in one hit. As a long-time fan, watching new players walk out for the first time gives me goosebumps… and maybe a couple of misty-eyed moments I blame on “sunscreen in my eyes.”
And while all-rounder Beau Webster has to wait for his chance after missing selection for the opener, I’m still quietly hoping we’ll see him at some point across the Ashes 2025 Summer.
But as any parent knows, loving Test cricket is one thing. Loving five days in a plastic seat with fidgety kids is another. So this is my mum’s guide to:
- What to do in each Ashes 2025 Test city
- How to keep kids happy before, after and even during play
- A few links and resources if you’re planning your own Ashes family adventure
The Big Picture: Ashes 2025 Test Cities & Dates
The men’s 2025–26 Ashes runs from 21 November 2025 to 8 January 2026, with five Tests in: (Cricket Australia)
- Perth Stadium (Optus Stadium), Perth – 21–25 November
- The Gabba, Brisbane – 4–8 December (day–night)
- Adelaide Oval, Adelaide – 16–21 December
- MCG, Melbourne – 26–30 December (Boxing Day Test)
- SCG, Sydney – 3–8 January
For fixtures, broadcast details and ticket links, I keep an eye on Cricket Australia’s Men’s Ashes hub.
Now, let’s talk city-by-city – from the perspective of a mum who loves a good cover drive and a good playground.
Perth: West Test, New Caps & Quokkas
Why I’m So Excited About Perth
This year the Ashes first Test heads west, with Perth Stadium (Optus Stadium) hosting an Ashes match for the very first time. It’s a gorgeous modern ground, easy to navigate with kids, has toilets that you can actually get to easily and the light over the Swan River as the day goes on is magic.
Add in Jake Weatherald opening and Brendan Doggett steaming in for his first Test, and it feels like such a special game to be at as a family. My eldest is already practising his chants and stretches like he’s in the slips cordon.
Kid-Friendly Things To Do Around Perth
On rest days (or if the kids hit their limit by tea on day three…), Perth is a dream:
- Kings Park & Botanic Garden – One of the world’s biggest inner-city parks. You get skyline views for the adults and epic nature play areas for the kids – think treetop walkways and proper climbable stuff, not just one sad slide.
- Swan River foreshore – Hire bikes, scoot or just walk along the river from Elizabeth Quay. Pack a picnic and give everyone a break from stadium chips.
- Cottesloe Beach – Classic Perth: soft sand, family-friendly waves, and if you hang back for sunset, you’ll get that fiery Indian Ocean glow.
- Fremantle – Markets, street performers, coffee for you, ice-cream for them. Plenty of shady nooks when the day gets hot.
- Rottnest Island (Wadjemup) – If you’ve got a full day spare, jump on the ferry for bikes, beaches and quokkas. It’s a splurge, but the kids will talk about the quokka selfies for years.
Destination Perth has a handy family fun guide that’s basically a menu of “tire them out before stumps” ideas.
Brisbane: Day-Night Drama & River-City Adventures
I’ll be honest: I can’t wait for the match in Brisbane. I guess because it’s our home town but the Gabba under lights is such a mood, and this time it’s hosting the second Test, not the first. The day-night format means we can squeeze in a proper morning adventure before heading to the ground for the first ball in the afternoon.
Brisbane With Kids During the Ashes
- South Bank & Streets Beach – Free lagoon, playgrounds, ice-cream, and wide paths perfect for scooters. If my kids could vote, they’d spend the entire tour right here.
- Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – Only about 12km from the CBD, this is the world’s largest koala sanctuary and basically a guaranteed kid-crowd-pleaser. Kangaroos to hand-feed, koalas to gaze at, and loads of wildlife talks that secretly count as “school”.
- CityCat Ferries – Jump on a CityCat along the Brisbane River. It’s cheap, breezy and you can pretend it’s “transport” rather than “ride number three of the day.”
- Mount Coot-tha Lookout – Great for a pre-Test coffee with city views and short bush walks.
Visit Brisbane has a family-friendly short stay itinerary that lines up beautifully with a few days around the Gabba Test.
Adelaide: Chill Vibes, Beach Trams & Oval Magic
Adelaide Oval is one of my favourite grounds – beautiful, easy to walk around, and close to the river and city. The third Test lands in mid-December, when everything feels festive but not yet “I forgot to buy the teacher’s present” frantic. Sadly we won’t be there (some of us have to don’t you know) but you can bet I’ll be glued to the TV or listening to ABC Sport every chance I get.
If you are lucky enough to be there give the following a try:
Adelaide With Kids Around the Ashes
- Tram to Glenelg – From the city straight to the beach. At the Glenelg end you’ve got a big foreshore playground, Moseley Square fountains, cafes and that classic holiday feeling.
- The Beachouse – A full family entertainment centre right at Glenelg: waterslides, arcade games, rides. This is my “break glass in case of sibling warfare” card.
- Adelaide Zoo – Over 250 species, including the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s walkable from the city and perfect for a non-cricket day.
- Coastal boardwalks – South of the city, there are beautiful, accessible trails like the Witton Bluff Base Trail that are perfect for a sunset wander with older kids.
South Australian tourism has a useful roundup of family and kids’ activities in Adelaide if you’re building a longer stay around the Test.
Melbourne: Boxing Day Test & Big-City Energy
The Boxing Day Test at the MCG is peak cricket-tragic Christmas for me. By this point in the series, the kids are fully invested in who’s scoring runs and who’s dropping catches, this is truly a special day and the city is buzzing.
If you’re in town for a few days, Melbourne is brilliant for mixing cricket with culture.
Melbourne With Kids
- Free trams in the CBD – My kids think the trams are an attraction on their own. The free tram zone makes it easy to hop around between laneways, museums and the MCG.
- Scienceworks – Interactive science museum with loads of buttons, levers, and exhibits that make you feel clever and give you 90 minutes of solid kid focus.
- Melbourne Museum & IMAX – Dinosaurs, First Nations history, an excellent children’s gallery, plus the option of a giant-screen movie if everyone needs to sit quietly in the dark for a bit.
- NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) – Great kids’ programs and free entry to the main collection. You can dip in for an hour between meals or showers.
If you’re planning a couple of days around the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, this official family itinerary from Visit Victoria is a great starting point…
Sydney: Final Test, Ferries & Fireworks Vibes
The Ashes wrap up at the SCG in Sydney in early January – perfect timing to roll Test cricket into a Summer family break.
We’re hoping Australia will have it in the bag by this stage though I like most cricket fans are hoping for a tough showing from the Poms and maybe a few nail biting finishes.. with Australia winning of course.
Sydney With Kids During the SCG Test
- Taronga Zoo – You get there by ferry (cool), it has epic harbour views (also cool), and it’s packed with animals and shows to keep kids bouncing between enclosures.
- Darling Harbour – Big playgrounds, water features, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, plus plenty of food options. It’s a good “everyone’s happy, nobody’s walking too far” hub.
- Royal Botanic Garden & Opera House foreshore – An easy, pram-friendly wander with space for kids to run off steam while you soak in the postcard views.
- Australian Museum (Hyde Park) – Free entry, loads of hands-on exhibits, and an amazing play space that works beautifully on hot or rainy days.
If you’re extending your stay, a 3-day Sydney family itinerary like this one from the official Sydney tourism site is perfect for turning the SCG Test into a mini city break.
Surviving (and Enjoying!) Test Days With Kids
I could talk city itineraries all day, but the real magic is in figuring out how to actually do the cricket with children without needing a third coffee by the first drinks break. Here’s what’s worked for us.
1. Pick Your Sessions
Five full days at the ground is a lot, even for grown-ups. We usually:
- Do one “big day” (often day one or two) where we commit to most of the play
- Choose shorter stints on other days – e.g. morning session only, or just come in after tea for the last session under lights (especially in Brisbane)
That way the kids feel like they’ve “been to the Ashes” a bunch of times without burning out.
2. Make the Cricket a Game
We turn the Test into a running family game:
- Everyone picks a batter and a bowler for the day
- You get points for runs, wickets, catches, and even just surviving a tricky session
- Extra points if Jake Weatherald, Brendan Doggett or Beau Webster (if/when he plays) does something special – because we love cheering the “new guys” as a family.
Suddenly the kids are begging to check the scoreboard.
3. Pack Like You’re Going Camping
My cricket day bag looks suspiciously like my camping gear:
- Refillable water bottles
- Sunscreen, hats, light long sleeves
- Simple snacks (things that don’t melt instantly)
- A small pack of cards or a mini notebook and pencils for when play slows down
- Noise-reducing headphones for little ones, especially at louder grounds
Tying It All Together: Road Trips, Rest Days & Future Dreams
If you’re stringing multiple Tests together – or even doing a big family loop between a couple of cities – this is the kind of trip that can become part of your family story.
On womens.travel, we’ve got a couple of pieces that fit beautifully with an Ashes-themed holiday:
- If you’re mixing Tests with driving days, our guide to the 10 best Australian road trips to do with a caravan is full of ideas for stretching the journey between cities into its own adventure.
- For a broader look at inspiring family spots (including Aussie icons like Sydney and beyond), check out Empowered Adventures: Exploring Australia’s Best Family-Friendly Destinations.
- And if the Ashes sparks bigger travel dreams, I love our Greenland with kids slow-travel guide – proof that you can chase big, cold-weather adventures with little humans in tow too.
Final Over: Why I’m Dragging the Kids to the Ashes (Again)
Yes, travelling for Ashes 2025 with kids takes planning. There will be meltdowns, spilled drinks, wrong-gate moments and at least one argument about who gets the aisle seat.
But there will also be:
- The roar when a debutant like Jake Weatherald gets his first boundary or Brendan Doggett claims his first Test wicket.
- Late-afternoon light on the Swan River in Perth, city lights flickering on around the Gabba, warm evenings on the Glenelg foreshore.
- Boxing Day at the ‘G, kids clutching their own little scorecards, and that feeling that you’re part of something that stretches back generations.
- Sydney ferries, Brisbane koalas, Melbourne laneways and the simple joy of watching your kids fall in love with both cricket and travel.
For me, that’s the heart of it.
We’re not just ticking off stadiums. We’re building stories – city by city, Test by Test – that my kids will tell one day when they’re dragging their own little cricket tragics around the country.
And if along the way we see Beau finally get his chance in the middle, well… I might even let the kids stay up past lights-out for that one.
