Monsterz, Family Escape Room in South Yarra
Family • South Yarra, Melbourne • 60 minutes • 2 to 6 players
The story
Sneaking into the monster world was easy. Getting back is the hard part. A sneaky monster is up to his old tricks, and there is not much time to find where he has hidden the missing piece of the door. Find it and escape, before you are stuck in the monster world forever.
At a glance
Suitable for: All ages. A bright, playful monster-world adventure with no scares, great for kids and families. Under-16s welcome with a participating adult.
A bright, colourful monster-world adventure with no scares, no darkness and nothing that chases you. Genuinely all-ages, and a favourite for kids, families and first-timers.
Pricing: $74 per person for 2 players, scaling down to $70 per person for 6. Children aged 9 to 13 are $42 each, with at least one paying adult per room.
Book Monsterz at South Yarra
Not ready to lock in the whole group?
Hold your preferred time with a single-player booking ($100 a room), which secures the room while you round up your team. Everyone else pays the difference when you arrive. Booking is instant, and you can reschedule for free up to 2 hours before your start time.
Is this theme right for you?
Monsterz is a bright, playful adventure through a colourful monster world: you have snuck through the door into the monsters' side, a mischievous monster has hidden the missing piece to get you home, and you need to find it before you are stuck there for good. If you loved Monsters Inc, the doors into the monster world, the odd-couple monsters and the warm, funny, not-remotely-scary tone, this room was built for you. It is genuinely all-ages, all colour and fun rather than fright, and a favourite for kids and families. Fans of the film will feel right at home, and you do not need to know it to have a great time.
Why book with Rush
- Melbourne owned and operated. More than a decade building Melbourne's highest-rated escape rooms, every room designed, built and run in-house.
- A 4.9 star experience. Rated by thousands of players across our venues.
- Bespoke, never off the shelf. Every room is designed and built by our own team, not bought as a kit.
- Handmade and authentic. We work with local artists and restore vintage set pieces, so every room feels real and fully immersive.
- Always being upgraded. Our in-house team is constantly refining the tech, puzzles and sets, so the rooms stay cutting edge.
- Our delight guarantee. If your experience falls short, tell us and we will make it right.
Planning a birthday or corporate event?
Monsterz is one of our most popular rooms for kids' birthdays and family days out. Each room holds up to 6, so larger groups split across rooms at South Yarra and play at the same time. For corporate team-building and group functions, see our team-building page or email enquiries@rushescapegame.com.au. For birthdays, parties, and hens or bucks nights, see our celebrations page. To hold a date, book a single player as a deposit.
Good to know before you go
- No experience or special equipment needed, just your group.
- Wear comfortable clothing and closed-in shoes.
- Arrive 10 minutes before your start time.
- Players under 16 are welcome with a participating adult in the room.
- You are never locked in and can step out at any time.
Escape rooms in South Yarra
Monsterz is one of our most family-friendly rooms and one of six escape rooms at our South Yarra flagship, a two-minute walk from South Yarra Station. It is one of the best kids' and family escape rooms in Melbourne and a favourite for birthday parties. Alongside it at South Yarra are the family-friendly Cluemanji and Game of the Dragon, the spy adventure Secret Agent Man, and our scarier rooms It's Nightmare and HackSaw: Chapter 2, so a group can pick their level. Easy to reach from the Melbourne CBD, Toorak, Prahran and Windsor.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Monsterz based on Monsters Inc?
- It is our own original monster-world adventure, made for fans of that kind of film. If you loved Monsters Inc, the doors into the monster world and the friendly, funny monsters, you will feel right at home. It is bright and playful with no scares, and you do not need to know the film to enjoy it.
- Is Monsterz suitable for young kids?
- Yes. Monsterz is an all-ages, family-friendly room with no horror or scares. Younger children are welcome with a participating adult, and the puzzles are designed so the whole family can join in.
- Will it scare my kids?
- No. There are no live actors, no scares and nothing that chases or grabs you. It is a playful adventure through a colourful monster world, built to be fun rather than frightening.
- Is it still fun for the adults?
- Definitely. The puzzles have enough depth to keep grown-ups engaged, so it works just as well for a team or a group of friends as it does for families.
- Is it good for a birthday party?
- Yes, it is one of our most popular choices for birthdays. Each room holds up to 6, so larger groups split across rooms at South Yarra and play at the same time. To hold a date, book a single player as a deposit, and see our celebrations page or email enquiries@rushescapegame.com.au for party or group pricing.
- How hard is it, will we finish?
- It sits at a moderate difficulty and is very achievable. Your games master gives hints whenever you need them, so most families and groups make it out with time to spare.
- How many players do we need?
- Two to six. Larger groups split across rooms at South Yarra and race head to head.
Getting here & what's nearby
160 Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC 3141. Please enter via 147 Osborne Street.
Metres from South Yarra Station, with trams running along Toorak Road and Chapel Street.
Get directions → •
Parking nearby → •
Restaurants & bars nearby →
Chapel Street and Toorak Road are on the doorstep for food and drinks before or after your game. Questions? Email southyarra@rushescapegame.com.au or call 03 9972 8021.
More rooms at South Yarra
Other Rush venues across Melbourne
St Kilda: Alice in Wonderland, The Conjoining, Treasure Island, The Last of Them | Book St Kilda
Chadstone: HackSaw: Remastered, Mission:Possible, Da Vinci Down Under | Book Chadstone
Monsters played for warmth rather than fear, and the gentlest hour we run anywhere. If you are choosing for a group that has ruled out anything frightening, the full set of options sits on adventure escape rooms in Melbourne.
Are the monsters actually scary?
No. This is the least frightening room we run, and it is the one we recommend for the youngest players in the network. Monsterz is rated Not scary, our lowest tier, and in this room that is not a technicality. It is the entire design brief.
The premise is that you have gone through a door into the monsters' side of the world. A mischievous monster has hidden the piece you need to get home, and you have an hour to find it before you are stuck there. The monsters are not hunting you. They are a species with a world, and you are the strange thing that has turned up in it.
Bright, colourful, three out of five on puzzles, two to six players, all ages. If you have a child who is curious but easily spooked, this is the booking.
The oldest fear, turned inside out
There is a particular fear almost every human being has had, and it is one of the few genuinely universal ones: something is in the room while you are trying to sleep. Under the bed, in the wardrobe, at the end of the hall, on the other side of a door that is open slightly more than you left it.
Almost all horror is downstream of it. Our own It's Nightmare, six metres away in this building, is built on precisely that fear and rated Terrifying. Same starting material, opposite treatment.
Monsterz takes the same idea and inverts it, and the inversion is genuinely old. Folk traditions everywhere have monsters who are neighbours rather than predators, creatures with their own business who are as startled by you as you are by them. The comedy of it, and the relief, comes from the reversal: you walk through the door and discover you are the intruder. The monster world has doors and jobs and rules and someone who is going to be in trouble for hiding your things.
For a child that reversal does something worth more than an hour of entertainment. The wardrobe stops being a threat and becomes a place with an interesting other side. We are not going to overclaim what a sixty minute escape room achieves, but plenty of parents have told us on the way out that this was the point of the booking.
Designing a monster that is not frightening
This is harder than it sounds and it is the actual craft in a room like this. A monster is, by definition, a thing built wrong. Too many limbs, the wrong number of eyes, a mouth in a place a mouth should not be. Get the balance a fraction off and you have made something a seven year old will think about at two in the morning.
The rules for staying on the safe side of that line are well understood by anybody who works with creature design. Soft over sharp: rounded shapes read as friendly, angular ones read as predatory, and teeth are the single fastest way to flip a design. Big eyes, high on the face: infant proportions trigger care rather than alarm, which is why almost every friendly monster in history has an oversized head. Colour away from nature's warnings: bright purple and teal are safe, and the deep reds and blacks the horror rooms use are not. And most importantly, asymmetry with intent: the wrongness has to look playful and deliberate rather than damaged, because a creature that looks injured or diseased is frightening no matter how many googly eyes you glue to it.
Then there is the uncanny valley, which is the real trap. Things that are almost human are far more disturbing than things that are obviously not. So a friendly monster has to commit to being a monster. Nothing in Monsterz is nearly a person, and that is why it is comfortable to be around.
How we rate scare, and why it is not difficulty
Two independent scales, because they measure different things and confusing them is how families end up in the wrong room. Difficulty is the puzzles, one to five stars. Scare is the experience, four named tiers.
Monsterz is Not scary and three out of five on difficulty. Worth being blunt for the parents: the word monster in the title does not mean this room sits anywhere near our horror tier. If you want the same age suitability with a completely different subject, Cluemanji in this building is a bright jungle adventure at the same rating.
Three out of five also means the adults have a real job. This is a family room, not a children's activity, and a group of grown-ups will enjoy it on its own terms.
Who this room is for, and who it is not
Book it if: you have young children, you are booking a kids birthday, somebody in the group is nervous about escape rooms generally, or you want the least intimidating hour we offer.
Pick something else if: you are experienced players wanting a serious challenge, or you want atmosphere and tension.
Age. All ages with an adult in the room, and this is the room we would start youngest with, from around five or six. It is the gentlest thing in the network.
Kids birthdays. One of our two standard birthday rooms at South Yarra, alongside Cluemanji. With six rooms in the building, a larger party splits across both and plays at the same time, then compares who got out faster, which is reliably the highlight.
Nothing frightening. No horror content, no dark used to scare anyone, nothing jumps out, nothing chases anybody, and no live actors in this or any of our sixteen rooms, at any venue, in any season including Halloween.
Claustrophobia. You are never locked in and the exit is always available. Bright, open and not built around confinement.
Language. The puzzles are deliberately designed not to depend on English fluency. Almost everything is solved through symbols, patterns, objects, numbers and physical logic rather than reading and wordplay, across all sixteen rooms. In the room with our youngest players that principle matters most of all, because it is the difference between a five year old taking part and a five year old watching.
Questions people ask before booking
Will it frighten my child?
No. It is our lowest scare tier and the least frightening room we run. Bright, colourful, no darkness used to unsettle anyone, nothing jumps out, nothing chases anybody.
What is the youngest age this works for?
Around five or six with an adult in the room. It is the room we would start youngest with anywhere in the network.
Are the monsters real, as in live actors?
No. There are no live actors in this or any of our sixteen rooms, at any venue, in any season. The monster world is built, not performed.
Will adults be bored?
No. Three out of five is a genuine puzzle. It is a family room rather than a children's activity, and adults playing it without kids have a good time.
Monsterz or Cluemanji for a birthday?
Monsterz for younger children, Cluemanji for slightly older. Both are Not scary and three out of five. For a bigger party, book both and run them at the same time.
What if my child gets upset anyway?
You are never locked in and you can step out at any second. Your games master watches the whole game and can talk to you or come in within seconds.
Our rooms by youngest suitable age
The practical version of the scare scale, for anyone booking with children.
| Room | Venue | Scare | Suits from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monsterz | South Yarra | Not scary | Around 5 or 6. The gentlest room we run. |
| Cluemanji | South Yarra | Not scary | Around 6 or 7. Bright jungle adventure. |
| Treasure Island | St Kilda | Not scary | Around 6 or 7. Pirates and a cursed ship. |
| The Nine-Nine | Hawthorn | Not scary | Around 7. Comedy detective caper. |
| Game of the Dragon | South Yarra | Not scary | Older kids and up. Harder, four out of five. |
| Alice in Wonderland | St Kilda | Spooky | Around 8, if they are fine with low light. |
| Strangest Thing | Hawthorn | Spooky | Around 10. Eerie, and the hardest room at Hawthorn. |
Everything above the Spooky tier is teens and up, and our Terrifying rooms are sixteen and over.
Finding us in South Yarra
Monsterz is one of six escape rooms at Rush South Yarra, our flagship at 160 Toorak Road, entered via 147 Osborne Street, two minutes from South Yarra Station. Easy from Prahran, Windsor, Toorak, Richmond, Armadale, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, St Kilda and the Melbourne CBD.
Six rooms in one building is why the birthdays end up here. The kids can play this while the older cousins take on something harder in the next room, and everyone meets back in the lounge to compare times.
Sessions run seven days. Two to six players, sixty minutes, instant confirmation and free rescheduling up to two hours before your start time.