Play in Darebin

child playing with blocks

Darebin Toy Library

The Darebin Toy Library is a free service for families with children aged 3 months to 6 years to borrow quality toys to enhance their early-learning experiences through play. 

By joining the Toy Library, families can access a broad range of toys and equipment for children to enhance their play and development. 

Sustainability is a focus of the service. Rather than buying new, you can borrow toys – saving you money and reducing your impact on the environment.

The Toy Library aims to be an accessible, equitable, inclusive, safe and respectful service that actively welcomes and supports the inclusion of all children and their families. We value and celebrate the diversity of families who use our service.

Toy Library membership

As a member of the Toy Library, you can borrow 3 toys per child for 3 weeks.

  • Members should ensure toys are cleaned and checked prior to return. If there are missing piece(s) please let us know and we can renew your loan in order to give you extra time to locate the missing piece(s).
  • Members can extend their loans via their online member login.

To join the toy library or make an appointment to borrow items use our Toy Library Online registration to join and make appointments. 

Register or book an appointment

Opening hours

Please note: Darebin Toy Library will be closed on Tuesday 30 June, however, we will be open for the remainder of the winter school holidays. A good opportunity for families to bring their children in, who have started prep this year and borrow some toys. We look forward to seeing you!”

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am–12pm and 1–3pm (Please note that the Toy Library is closed between 12pm and 1pm). Bookings are by appointment only.

Address: 185 High Street, Northcote

New extended Toy Library hours

New time and location: every Monday 1.30pm–3.30pm at Darebin North East Community Hub (35 Copernicus Crescent Bundoora). Sessions are free and bookings are not required.

The Darebin Toy Library has an extended toy library hours for a temporary period. The sessions are aimed at supporting children with various diverse learning needs, including children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Additional support services, including Darebin preschool field officers, speech therapists and physiotherapists, will be scheduled to visit the extended hours sessions to offer recommendations of resources and services available to families.

The sessions will provide developmentally appropriate sensory and inclusive resources to support your child’s learning, and a quiet and calming space for families to explore resources. Families are welcome to stay and play.

Download the Toy Library extended hours flyer(PDF, 2MB)

Volunteering at the Toy Library

Would you, or someone you know be interested in volunteering at the Darebin Toy Library? If so, we would love to hear from you!

Volunteers can help with a variety of tasks including checking and cleaning returned toys and processing new toys.

Learn more about volunteering

Contact us by emailing volunteering@darebin.vic.gov.au.

More information

toylibrary@darebin.vic.gov.au
Call during opening hours: 03 8470 8104 or 0427 787 061

Play maps

We asked children and families in playgroups, childcare centres, kindergartens and primary schools where they enjoyed playing. We then used their answers to help create Darebin play maps. These maps offer affordable, simple ways to your get children playing and exploring our wonderful spaces.

You can use them to stimulate ideas, give prompts and mark local spaces that children love to play in. While we've made every effort to make sure suggestions are appropriate, you need to use common sense and boundaries to ensure your children are safe.

For more information, check out our play maps information sheet (PDF, 2MB).

Download play maps for your area

Project credits

  • Lead artist and facilitator: Cat Sewell
  • Darebin Council partner: Linda Harman
  • Darebin Council playgroup support: Michelle Prendergast
  • Graphic design: Tricia Brady
  • Photographers and videographers: Bryony Jackson, Andrew Fraser and Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore
  • Sound recordists: Zoe Barry, Steph O’Hara and Corey McGregor
  • Sound editing for play map films: Zoe Barry
  • Video editing for play map films: Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore 
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