Macquarie Ice Rink

For those that come from a colder climate and thoroughly enjoy the art of ice skating, there’s just the place for you in Sydney. “Macquarie Ice Rink” sits a small train ride outside of the heart of the city and is offers a great place for those interested in ice skating. Do not be intimidated if you’re a complete beginner (like myself), as the place caters for all sorts of levels.

Macquarie Ice Rink could be accessed via the city’s train network. The stop you need to get off is Macquarie University Station. The Ice Rink is literally minutes away and could be found easily as it is located in a larger shopping mall, called Macquarie Shopping Center.

Other than the excitement of ice skating, you can also find yourself wandering around the mall, with many, many shops and eateries to satisfy your wants and needs. As you may guess from the name of the station, this area is known for its university. You will see a lot of younger people walking around here, which makes the area very diversed and friendly. This particular suburb north of the city is also well-known for awesome Asian restaurants, particularly in the Chatswood / North Ryde region. If I remember correctly, Chatswood's got a few well-known Chinese restaurants, I believe it's called New Shanghai, with really good dumplings and in general Chinese cuisine.

The ice rink itself it very spacious and you’ll always find room to do something on your own. Otherwise, you could skate your way through the rink and roam around! At certain designated times, the staff at the rink will organize games and activities in the middle for those that want to participate. During my session there, we had this mini game that could see right below! As always, skaters of all levels are welcome, which I find to be an excellent element of this place.

I do not recall the exact amount I had to pay to get in, but I reckon it must have been some where close to $20. Not sure if this is a lot in comparison to other places, but it went a long long way for me. This gave me a skate-until-I-can’t-skate-no-more access. Once again this was a while back so I can’t be sure to say if this included the rental of the shoes (or whatever the real term is) or not. Nonetheless I had a fantastic time trying out this awesome sport, without breaking a sweat!

What I would recommend you do, if you have a lot of free time, is to spend a good portion of your day at the mall. Take your time to walk in and out of shops, either shopping or window shopping. Like any good mall, Macquarie Shopping Center has most - if not all - of the brands that I believe are well recognized. When tired of the shops, treat yourself to a meal. I love food and I strongly believe that there is an option for everyone out there. To name a few from the top of my head, the mall has Nando’s, Mad Mex and a few Asian restaurants, as well as Top Juice and Max Brenner’s Chocolate for great snacks.

If you’re interested in more information about what Macquarie Ice Rink has to offer, be sure to have a look at their official website.

As I mentioned, the mall in which the ice rink is located in is a fantastic place to spend your afternoon. Check out the opening times of different shops, restaurants and cafes so you could have a better idea of when things are available.