An alleged drink driver is facing a possible five year jail term for rolling her car with nine unrestrained children on board.

Tanya Chilly, 34, of Epping, in Melbourne's north, has indicated she will plead guilty to 14 offences, including dangerous driving causing serious injury.

She was charged after rolling a four-wheel drive on an unsealed road in Rockbank, in Melbourne's outer-west, last year.

The Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard there were 10 children on board and nine were not wearing seatbelts.

Seven of the children are Chilly's. Three others were her boyfriend's who has a total of 15 children.

The court heard three of the children were badly hurt in the crash.

Two children suffered broken bones and one child may may lose vision in one eye.

The children were all aged under 16, and included a six-month-old baby.

The mother was charged with having a blood alcohol reading more than four times the legal limit.

Her lawyer, Jillian Prior, told the court the children were hungry and instead of leaving them with their drunk father who had passed out, she chose "the lesser of two evils" and drove along "the worst road in Melbourne" to get food.

Chilly was originally charged with 34 offences but that has since been reduced to 14.

She has indicated she will plead guilty to three counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury, nine counts of failing to ensure a child was restrained, one court of exceeding the proscribed concentration of alcohol and one count of unlicensed driving.

Ms Prior told the court she had arranged for the Koori Court at Broadmeadows to hear the matter.

But the Magistrate, Gerard Lethbridge, said he would hear the plea hearing in Melbourne.

The children are no longer in Chilly's care.

Chilly is expected to return to court to plead guilty to the 14 charges in June.

The matter will be heard in the Magistrates Court, thereby limiting any jail sentence to no more than five years.