A toy library is an organisation that loans a vast array of well-made toys, games and puzzles that have been designed to support young children's development and imagination. Toy libraries aim to support families and encourage togetherness with quality time spent playing with children. Members visit the library during open sessions, have their previously loaned toys checked and returned, before selecting new items to borrow and return home with. As a not-for-profit organisation with no ongoing funding, we charge a range of low membership fees to cover our wage and administration charges. We use grants and donations to purchase new toys (and add hundreds to our collection each year!).

We have toys and games to suit kids big and small of all ages! The majority of our toys cater for children aged 6 months to 7 years but we also have plenty of options for younger babies (reaching, grasping, tracking, tummytime toys) and older kids and teens, particularly in our board game section. Joining a toy library when your child is less than a year old is a particularly good idea because you are setting your family up to borrow, not buy, right from the beginning of your journey, as well as showing others around you that there's no need for them to spend money buying toys for your child. If you want a toy you can simply borrow it from us and then return it when you're done, rather than have it lay about on your floor or in your cupboard for the next few years. For birthdays or Christmas, how about suggesting family and friends spend their money on an experience (zoo membership, Puffing Billy trip, theatre, swimming lessons) or even a toy library membership rather than buy your child toys that will quickly become unnoticed?

Yes, please do! You can come and visit any time during our opening hours and can also view our entire toy collection online.

Yes. We offer 12 month, 3 month and 3 week membership options. Our short term memberships are perfect for membership trials, when you are living in the area for a short time only, or if friends or family with young children are visiting. See our Membership page for details.

Most of our duty volunteers are stationed for a 2 hour shift on the Counting Desks, working with returning members to check toys as they are returned to see that all pieces are present and that toys are in clean, working order. There are instructions for what to do and it's a relatively easy job that many members enjoy doing. You also get to see the range of toys in the toy library, have first pick of the toys being returned, and chat with the previous borrower about how the toy was played with in their family. Basic and Standard members then get to borrow an additional Duty Toy as an extra toy on top of their membership allowance. Premium Members are not required to do duty and may borrow one Duty Toy per term as an extra toy. You can sign up for duty sessions that suit you via your Member Site and also swap out of shifts if you become unavailable. Feel free to do mulitple shifts in one day or send another family member or friend on your behalf if this is more convenient for you. We will send you a duty SMS reminder a few days prior to your shift.

Yes they can. Our sessions are often busy so if you have a particularly active or demanding child you may find it challenging to both perform your duty and supervise your child. In this case it may be best if you find someone else to look after your child at home when you are on duty. Many parents entertain their children at duty by allowing them to play in the enclosed outdoor area or by selecting a toy with fewer pieces and allowing the child to play on the carpetted area behind the Counting Desks.

We welcome non-member community and corporate volunteers to help us with staffing sessions, stock take, messy play days and more. Check our current volunteer job listings on Seek Volunteer or shoot us an email on enquiries@maroondahtoylibrary.org.au to find out more.

We add around 10 new toys to the toy library every week across our range of toy categories. With over 4500 toys currently in our collection there is always something new and exciting to borrow!

Our standard borrowing period is three weeks but you are welcome to return your toys and borrow new ones as often as you like. You can also renew your toys for a further three weeks via the online membership portal with the exception of Duty Toys, and toys that have a paid Hold placed by another member.

Yes - no one wants to borrow a dirty toy! As a community run organisation we ask all members to return toys in the condition in which they would like to borrow them. We also have cleaning faciilities and equipment at the toy library.

Although our toys are sturdy and good quality, we understand that toys can be broken through fair wear and tear, or sometimes through rough play. If this happens, please return the toy and broken pieces and let staff at the Returns Desk know. Most lost parts are later found at home so we will often ask you to reborrow the toy until the piece is found. If the part still cannot be found, we will charge a $2 fine per missing piece. You can find a list of all missing parts recorded on your account via your Member Site. If you do then find the piece at home (even if many months later), please return the piece to us and the $2 fine will be refunded. In the rare case of a vital piece being permanently lost, you may be asked to subsidise the toy’s replacement, as decided by our coordinator. All missing puzzle (C) and game (M) pieces are considered vital pieces and you will be asked to reborrow the game or puzzle until the piece is found, or pay a $20 replacement fee.

Yes! We gladly accept toy donations but toys must be: ​ * Durable, easily cleaned and well made * Of exceptional play value and in excellent condition * Engaging and appealing to children aged from 6 months to 6 years of age * Transportable and able to fit into a standard sized car ​ Unfortunately we do not accept donations of soft toys, or consumable items such as play doh, pencils etc. ​ Simply bring your donations to one of our sessions and our coordinators will assist you with drop off.

In most cases our party hire items will fit in the boot of a standard car as long as the boot is empty and preferably with the back seats down. Our ball pit and balls take up a large amount of space and will require a large car with the back seats down, or a ute or trailer, in order to fit the four 1.8m long side pieces and all the balls in. Our jumping castles come with a large tub around 1m x 60cm plus a large bag of around the same size. Roller coasters come with three ramps stacked together, each of around 1m, plus 2 purple steps and one vehicle. Our picnic tables are around 1m x 60cm. We recommend you visit us over our quieter lunchtime period to pick up and return your hire toys and allow time for two trips in case your items don't fit in the first time!