Discover a new sense of belonging and help make your suburb the best it can be through our new neighbourhood portals.
The City of Melbourne is made up of unique neighbourhoods – Carlton, Parkville, East Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, Kensington, Docklands, South Yarra, Southbank and the CBD.
On any given day, amazing things happen in each of these neighbourhoods. Ethiopian refugees learn and share basket weaving skills in Carlton. A small business owner supports a person in need in North Melbourne. Friendships are forged at a new pocket park in Southbank.
We’ve launched new neighbourhood portals to help you feel more connected and informed about community groups, events, resources, council projects and opportunities to have your say.
We invited some community champions to explore the neighbourhood portals and share their feedback.
Lisette Malatesta owns the milk-bar style East Melbourne General Store, which invites you to step into yesteryear for a one-stop shop of goods topped off with old-school community kindness.
She said the neighbourhood portals help new and established residents feel welcome and connected, learn about First Nations history, and be part of Council’s decision-making process on important topics.
‘The portals also support small businesses by increasing community awareness, and remove reliance on community groups by centralising key information on a site with great graphics and functionality,’ Lisette said.
‘These tools can help us achieve a more connected neighbourhood with more diversity and empathy, increased safety and less loneliness and isolation. A respectful, supportive place “where neighbours become good friends”.’
MaryKay Rauma from the Southbank3006 residents’ group said there wasn’t a comprehensive and up-to-date resource to connect residents prior to the Southbank Neighbourhood Portal:
‘The portal is an incredibly valuable tool to set the foundation for creating a connected community. A connected community is a caring community and caring communities thrive.’
MaryKay’s favourite features of the portal are the community stories and the interactive map showing local landmarks and services. She hopes the portal will help more locals become active in shaping Southbank’s future.
‘Quiet, green-lined streets that favour pedestrians over traffic, pocket parks, off-leash areas and community spaces where people can meet, exercise and take classes are critical,’ MaryKay said.
‘This is the infrastructure that draws humans together.’
Susan Henderson from East Melbourne Neighbour Network agrees that, before the portals, information about what’s available in the community was often difficult to find.
‘The one-stop for all activities and information is a huge benefit for residents,’ Susan said.
‘My vision for the future is that each local community will look after its own young, new, older, vulnerable and lonely members, supported by the City of Melbourne.’
Get connected
Explore your neighbourhood portal today and bookmark the new community noticeboard to browse events and activities near you.
Seven passionate neighbourhood partners are also on hand to hear your feedback and ‘connect the dots’ to empower local
people and guide city projects.
