Draw your favourite building, row a dragon boat and have a go at blind sports thanks to Melbourne’s multitude of community groups and events.
From the cosmopolitan central city to the peaceful streets of historic suburbia, there are so many ways to connect and engage in your neighbourhood and across the City of Melbourne.
Here are just a few of them:
1. Join a dragon boat team
When Natascha first stepped into a dragon boat at a free come-and-try session at Docklands, she never imagined it would lead to her competing at the Asian Dragon Boat Championships in Thailand. We supported this amazing achievement with an Inclusive sport and recreation grant. Read about Natascha’s journey and find out how you can have a go.
2. Sketch a beloved building
Suzanne’s lockdown hobby of sketching significant buildings in Carlton has turned into a business. Ask her to sketch your favourite house or building and unleash your own inner artist with the Melbourne Urban Sketchers community. Read Suzanne’s story.
3. Serve an ace in blind tennis
Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria runs all sorts of activities for people with vision impairment, including blind tennis in the city every Friday, online fitness programs and music quizzes. The team also advocates for events and spaces to be made more inclusive. We recently awarded BSRV a Connected Communities Grant to run walking tours to help people with vision impairment refamiliarise themselves with the city post lockdowns.
How to keep in touch with your neighbourhood
The City of Melbourne is a dynamic place made up of unique neighbourhoods – Carlton, Parkville, East Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, Kensington, Docklands, South Yarra, Southbank and the CBD.
Each neighbourhood has its own needs, services and priorities, and we’re focused on listening to community voices to help us make every area of the municipality the best it can be.
Our new neighbourhood portals are your one-stop shop for information that shapes how you live, work, study and play. They showcase the priorities for each neighbourhood and provide updates on work underway.
Check out 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’ between council, residents and businesses to empower local people, build community capacity and guide city projects.
Image caption: Natascha (bottom row, second from left) has made lifelong friends through her dragon boat team.
