This fun, hands-on session is designed to improve your confidence by the river.

Join Life Saving Victoria's expert instructors on the banks of the Birrarung (Yarra River) to:

• Learn how to spot hidden dangers in the water and understand how currents work.
• Practise real-life safety skills and basic rescue steps, like using life jackets.
• Discover how to care for our rivers and enjoy them responsibly.

Please note:

• The session does not involve entering the water.
• Registrations are essential. All ages are welcome, under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
• Wear comfortable clothing, a hat, sunscreen and closed-toed shoes, and bring a drink bottle.

About Riverfest

This event is part of the 2025 Birrarung Riverfest. Celebrate our river at one of 60+ events hosted over three weeks from 6 to 28 September.

Whether you enjoy riverside walks, cleanups, creative workshops or paddling adventures, there's something for everyone at Riverfest.

Riverfest is presented by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association and our partners Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo collaboration and Melbourne Water.

Check out the full Riverfest program here.

Our Partners

Session host: Life Saving Victoria & Manningham Council

Riverfest host: Yarra Riverkeeper Association

Major partners: Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo - Yarra Strategic Plan, Melbourne Water

Have a FOGO question? We’ve got the answer.

Not quite sure how the new FOGO service works?

Drop in to one of our casual online Q and A sessions where our friendly staff will be available to answer any of your queries.

Swing by during the school holidays to make sure your bike is good to go!

Manningham Council and Manningham Youth Services have partnered with a volunteer mechanic to offer free 20-minute bike checks for young people aged 12 to 25 years.

What the 20 minute check includes:

• overall check with special attention to brakes, tyres, chain and wheels
• minor adjustments, tyres pumped and chain oiled as required
•  Mechanic will provide any recommendations for  additional work if required.

What to bring? 

• your own bike that needs a check up

Manningham Youth Services will be present at all sessions, offering snacks to keep you fueled and available to chat about who they are and how they support young people across Manningham.

It is recommended if you are under 16 years old to bring a parent or guardian with you. 

Bookings are essential. Limited spots available.

Matthew Dunne is an artist and writer living and working in Melbourne, Australia.

The Killing Sink is a response to the deliberate killing of Wedge-Tailed Eagles in Victoria. Using the trial of Murray James Silvester, who pleaded guilty to killing over 400 eagles, as a starting point, the project traces the history of the practice, the animals killed and the geography of the crimes.

The Killing Sink acts as both a public celebration of eagles and a eulogy for what’s been taken, focusing on how we relate to the nature around us. Part true crime and part psychogeography, The Killing Sink asks what has been lost and how far have we really come?

Installation View, Manningham Art Gallery, February 2022. Photo by Matthew Dunne. 

Kaleidoscope of Characters comprises nine cabaret acts across a season of 7 performances. Each night will feature a group of performers each presenting their self-devised cabaret.

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday 15th November:

• Brotherband with their EP "Little Fish" and Support Act: Charlie McCosh

Thursday 16 November:

• Emily Dingle in Self-Fulfilled Prophecy
• Imogen Whittaker in The Last Word

Friday 17 November:

• Lady Whisper in The Art of Seeking Attention
• Emma Blake in Basic Witch
• Pas x Rory in These Gays, They’re Trying to Murder Me

Saturday 18 November:

• Helmet Von Püsh in Püsh Presents “Taste.”
• Jenn Biggs & Jess May in Body of Work
• Pas x Rory in These Gays, They’re Trying to Murder Me

Wednesday 22 November:

• Emma Blake in Basic Witch
• Latecha Khairy in How Did I Get Here?

- Jenn Biggs & Jess May in Body of Work

Thursday 23 November:
- Imogen Whittaker in The Last Word
- Emily Dingle in Self-Fulfilled Prophecy

Friday 24 November:
- Helmet Von Püsh in Püsh Presents “Taste.”
- Latecha Khairy in How Did I Get Here?
- Lady Whisper in The Art of Seeking Attention."

Come along to this unique workshop with Tim, Videographer and Filmmaker from TMC Media.

Students aged 13 to 17 years are invited come and learn how to create dynamic and exciting online content for social channels such as YouTube, TikToc, Instagram and more.

Whether you’re working on music videos, school projects or want to try something completely new, you’ll definitely leave inspired and skilled up.

The program consists of two workshops and a project review session.

A judgment-free space to learn how to better support LGBTQIA+ youth in your life.

An Allies session aimed at parents, carers, families, teachers and others to build their understanding of LGBTQIA+ youth experiences. The session will give participants the opportunity to ask questions, without judgement, and show them ways to be a better ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.

This session will be facilitated by Dr Tina Dixson (she/her) and Kochava Lilit (they/them) from Women’s Health East.

About the session

Topics covered include:

• building belonging, practical allyship for thriving LGBTQIA+ youth 
• information for carers, parents, grandparents, family, teachers and other allies in the community 
• increasing knowledge of sexual, gender, and bodily diversity and equipping participants with strategies to support LGBTQIA+ youth to flourish socially, emotionally, and personally 
• how to have conversations about topics like gender, sexuality and consent in a respectful and affirming way, and how to speak up for and with LGBTQIA+ young people as effective allies 
• practical advice, with a focus on listening to and understanding LGBTQIA+ young people and forming stronger community connections 
• practical tools to foster belonging and build stronger connections with LGBTQIA+ youth, recognising their diversity.

About the facilitators

Dr Tina Dixson (she/her) is a queer Ukrainian feminist, academic, and social policy professional who sought asylum in Australia with her partner, Dr Renee Dixson. She has worked across LGBTIQA+ equality, refugee protection, and gender-based violence. Tina completed her PhD at the Australian National University, exploring the lived experiences of queer and trans refugee women. She co-founded the Forcibly Displaced People Network, Australia’s only national LGBTIQA+ refugee-led organisation.

Kochava Lilit (they/them) is a queer Disabled advocate and educator who has worked in queer, trans, and youth peer support and advocacy spaces. Kochava is the project coordinator for Get the Go-Ahead at Women’s Health East, an affirmative consent education project codesigned by a group of disabled Young Experts. Get the Go-Ahead includes resources on discussing consent, relationships, and sexuality with young people and shares experiences from LGBTQIA+ Disabled young people.

Manningham Council is committed to creating a community that embraces inclusiveness and equality.

Are you interested in connecting with others to talk about climate safety and climate action?

Reducing our climate impact and preparing for extreme weather caused by climate change is easier than you think! 

Drop in for a free cuppa at your local cafe and chat with CFA, SES and Council about topics like:

• ways to take climate action in our local communities
• how to build environmentally-friendly practices into our everyday lives
• how to be prepared for severe weather like floods, storms and bushfires.

People of all age and abilities are welcome. There will be great resources to take home, including information for people with disability and additional needs.

This session is being run in partnership with Nillumbik Council.

If you don’t know who you are and you don’t know where you’re headed, you might find yourself spiraling in ever-tightening circles until you come to rest in a nondescript part of town in a crummy two-star hotel, where the service is churlish, the lift doesn’t work, the toast is burnt and the pot plants set off your allergies.

But keep your expectations low, really low, and, who knows? – you might be pleasantly surprised by how everything works out. 

Life without Me, by the much-awarded playwright, Daniel Keene, is a funny, honest and heart-warming story that invites us to question life, or at least our own. A mix of drifters, set in a hotel lobby, capturing the emotional truth of the almost absurd characters in search of the concept of happiness.

Presented by PEP Productions.

Come along to find out how you can electrify everything to improve your home environment, and ease the burden on your budget.

This webinar will explore essential transition areas including:

• why an all-electric home
• the benefits of getting off gas
• which items need attention
• how to plan your transition
• what assistance and rebates are available.

Our presenter, Ian Moxon, is a seasoned sustainability consultant with over 15 years of experience in this field. He’ll share his extensive knowledge and valuable industry insights into the benefits of changing to an all-electric home.

This event is part of our Inspired Living Series. This series showcases an exciting range of fun and sustainable activities and events for all ages, supporting sustainability at home, in the community and at work.

Bookings are essential.

Did you know that the average Australian household increases its waste output by around 30 per cent during the festive season? 

So how can you reduce your waste without missing out on the traditions you love, or creating a stack more work for yourself?

Join permaculture and sustainability educator, Anna The Urban Nanna, and learn how to make eco-conscious, sustainable decorations using upcycled and natural materials.

This free hands-on workshop touches on ways to decorate your home during the festive season without adding to the global waste crisis. Some homemade festive snacks will be supplied during the presentation, and you will take home what you make as well as instructions to continue crafting at home.

Registrations is essential and spots are limited. 

Fast Fashion has become one of the greatest waste problems in the past few years, but how can we change our habits when we’re surrounded by it? The simplest way is to buy second hand and take care of what you already own.

Join permaculture and sustainability educator, Anna The Urban Nanna, to learn about simple, effective ways to lower your environmental impact by using basic mending skills to repair clothes and break up with Fast Fashion.

This free hands-on workshop will take you through the most useful basic mending skills, and help you understand how each one can be put to use in modern wardrobes. You will follow step-by-step instructions to learn several methods of mending, including sashiko, boro and patching, and begin working on your own mending patch to take home. Includes a follow-up list of useful resources and links to many videos showing you how to do each type of mend, step-by-step. 

Registration is required and spots are limited.

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Have a FOGO question? We’ve got the answer.

Not quite sure how the new FOGO service works?

Drop in to one of our casual online Q and A sessions where our friendly staff will be available to answer any of your queries.

Please note: this session will be run in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.