With one of my nicknames being "the Ice Princess" and having a natural inclination towards winter sports, I have for some time wanted to try out the 'new' Olympic-sized ice skating rinks at the Docklands in Melbourne - the 'Medibank Icehouse' (http://www.icehouse.com.au/). Cudo had some short term vouchers available for all-day ice skating for $10 including gear hire, so I bought a couple. The locker cost of $3 for 3 hours was not included.
There are two rinks - one which is primarily used for ice hockey (as you come into the stadium) and the other for general recreational skating. On the first occasion I just skated on the general rink using hire skates. This was an afternoon session and as there were not too many people it was quite possible to 'find your feet' without unduly interfering with anyone else. I hadn't skated for quite a while, so I took things cautiously at the start but by the end of my visit was happily skating around 'hands free'! In the background loud pop music was playing and there is a large video screen for the music videos and also atmospheric lighting. One thing I didn't enjoy so much was the hire skates. They were a bit sloppy and even with the laces fully tightened I couldn't get a really stable fit to stop my foot from rolling sideways in the boot. I also didn't like the amount of heel on the boot (as I normally wear pretty flat heels) and by the end of the session managed to work out that figure skates have a heel and ice hockey boots (in common with many other types of sports boots) do not. It was possible to 'upgrade' to ice hockey boots for an extra $2 hire cost.
On the second occasion I took my own skates (which do not have a heel) and provided a snug and stable fit, and felt much more comfortable right from the start and skated much better as a result. Unfortunately it was school holidays, so the main rink was pretty crowded, and there were lots of shaky beginners to avoid. Beginners have the option of using a metal frame not unlike the walking frames used by elderly people. There were some free group lessons offered during the course of the afternoon, but as the beginners lesson took too long, a number of us were disappointed by the intermediate lesson was cancelled. When people kept arriving, the ice hockey rink was opened up for the more confident, and this was simply a joy to skate on. It was harder and faster and less 'chopped up'. I had a lot more fun this time around.
Both times there was a break in the middle of the session for the 'Ice Cat' machine to come out and resurface the recreational rink. On the second occasion, when we were allowed back onto the rink we were sent around in the opposite direction, so it was fun to have the experience of going around both ways!
As well as general skating sessions there are also themed sessions and ice skating and ice hockey lessons. Curling teams also practise at the Icehouse. Group bookings and functions are also available. There is a special deal for students on Tuesdays.
The Icehouse is accessible by both tram and car, but there is very limited street parking (commercial parking is available). Except in the evenings, street parking also carries a cost. Anyone interested in receiving information regularly can sign up for an email newsletter.
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