Everyone has the capacity for creative expression and enjoyment. 

Heide’s Creative Age Programs are designed specifically for people living with early stage dementia and their Carers to discover their creativity through the non-verbal avenue of art, and to promote health and wellbeing. Heide’s Creative Age programs are kindly supported by the Phil Taylor Foundation.

The sessions run from 1:30pm each Thursday until 3 April 2025.

Transport option are as follows:

Public Transport
Train (Hurstbridge line) to Heidelberg station and bus #903 (Mordialloc bound) to Heide. Disembark at the Bulleen Road/Manningham Road stop. Estimated bus travel time is 5-10 minutes. Walk to Heide through Banksia Park, via the pedestrian path next to the Helmet sculpture on the corner of Bridge Street or by walking North on Bulleen Road and entering via the upper car park.

Bicycle
Heide is located next to Banksia Park near the Main Yarra Trail. From Southbank, this 33km bike trail passes ancient gums and billabongs before ending at Westerfolds Park in Templestowe. With a flat grade and good quality track, this trail makes for an enjoyable experience and a truly ‘green’ way to travel to Heide.

Car
Free parking available on-site and additional parking available in adjoining Banksia Park (enter via 5 Templestowe Road)

Bus / coach parking
The parking at Heide is not suitable for buses so we advise bus and coach drivers to park in the bays on Templestowe Road, immediately preceding the entrance to the museum at 7 Templestowe Road (alongside picket fence).

Meeting Date: 29 April 2025
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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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

Meeting Date: 23 July 2024
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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Meeting Date: 22 August 2023
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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Meeting Date: 31 October 2023
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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Join wildlife ecologist John Harris as we undertake a biodiversity survey of 100 Acres Reserve. This community biodiversity survey is part of the global City Nature Challenge (CNC).

How to participate

It is free, easy, and fun to get involved.

Bring your mobile phone or digital camera to take pictures of the wild plants, animals and fungi you see, or make sound recordings of frog or bird calls.

Any observations taken over the four days, need to be uploaded to iNaturalist and included in the City Nature Challenge 2023.

To prepare for the guided walks and talks:

• install the iNaturalist app on your mobile phone and create an iNaturalist account
• make sure your phone battery is fully charged on the day
• wear weather-appropriate clothing, bring a rain/wind-proof jacket, and wear safe, fully-enclosed walking shoes to go in long grass
• bring your own drink bottle and snacks
• become a member of the Melbourne City Nature Challenge project to discover nature in our neighbourhoods

About the City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge runs from Friday 28 April to Monday 1 May 2023.

In this worldwide BioBlitz, cities compete to make the most observations of the most species by the most people.

Manningham is collaborating with over 25 local governments to form the Greater Melbourne project.

Last year Greater Melbourne came 33rd from 445 cities for the number of observations made. Hume City came fourth amongst the other local government areas.

We invite you to join us in acknowledging the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) as we gather together to recognise the strengths, contributions and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Attendees are welcomed to join us in raising the Pride Flag on the concourse out the front of the Civic Centre. We will then move into the function rooms to listen to and learn from our guest speaker, Sally Goldner, share her lived experiences and speak to this year's IDAHOBIT theme.

2024 IDAHOBIT theme "No one left behind: Equality, freedom and justice for all".

Please note: registrations are required for this event. 

Keynote speaker

Sally Goldner AM’s massive involvement in Victoria’s queer communities spans nearly 30 years. Her diverse contributions include being a founding member of Transgender Victoria, presenting 3 CR’s “Out of the Pan,” Transfamily Treasurer, Just.Equal Australia Treasurer and Bisexual Alliance Victoria Treasurer. She is the focus of an autobio-doco “Sally’s Story”, a life member of four queer-focussed organisations and has made broad-ranging contributions to many groups.

Sally was inducted into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll in 2016 (the first trans and first known bi woman to receive the honour), awarded LGBTI Victorian of the Year in 2015 and noted in The Age’s Top 100 most creative and influential people in Melbourne in 2011. She was awarded the Order of Australia in 2019. She is a professional wrestling ring announcer, MC, speaker, educator, life coach and occasional performer (all in contrast to her original accountancy training!).

Come along to our 2025 Inspired Living Series presentation on the exciting world of sustainable food!

Jo Barrett 

Jo is one of Australia’s most innovative chefs, specialising in sustainable and low waste cooking. Having released her cookbook 'Sustain: Groundbreaking Recipes And Skills That Could Save The Planet', she went on to be named 'Chef of the Year' at the Good Food Guide 2024 awards.

Jo is a longtime collaborator with sustainability legend Joost Bakker, taking part in the groundbreaking eco-living experiment futurefoodsystem, a self-sustaining, zero waste, highly productive house at Federation Square. 

Jo also works with Wildpie, using invasive game species in pies, and is collaborating with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to develop creative, edible ways to use the 456 million loaves of bread wasted in Australia every year. Jo will discuss her journey to sustainable food and inspire audience members to embrace new ways of eating.

Serenity Hill

Serenity is a farmer at Pukawidgee Farm in Northeast Victoria and a food system innovator working with Open Food Network. Open Food Network supports regional supply networks and runs Discover Regenerative - a national website that makes it easy to find regenerative farmers, and Good Food for All - a voucher program that supports access to good food for low-income households. 

Serenity also provides advisory services to Sustainable Table and VicHealth on agro-ecological diet and supply networks, regional food activation and landscape regeneration. She is passionate about continually learning what makes 'good food' and increasing people's ability to access it, no matter their income, skill level or access to land. 

Inspired Living Series – keynote speaker events

Our 2025 Inspired Living Series showcases five insightful, not-to-be-missed evenings. The series will introduce you to a diverse lineup of local keynote speakers who will offer unique insights on embracing sustainability.

Topics range from sustainable food to low waste lifestyles. Each speaker will share their journey – inspiring our audience to embrace positive choices, nurture a connection to nature, and foster community for a stronger, more resilient future.

Registration for this event is essential. 

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Meeting Date: 13 December 2022
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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Meeting Date: 30 May 2023
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

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Meeting Date: 25 February 2025
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

Council meeting livestream

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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.