With winter behind us, it’s the perfect time to rediscover our region’s natural beauty.
The Spring Outdoors Festival is an opportunity to connect with nature through a broad program of environmental events.
Banyule, Manningham and Nillumbik Councils are proud to collaborate again to offer our communities exciting experiences in nature.
There are events to suit families, children and individuals of all ages.
Want to hear about more events like this?
The much-loved Spring Outdoors Festival is back this September, with a jam-packed program of free and low-cost events for all ages.
Running from September to November, the festival – a partnership program of Manningham, Banyule and Nilumbik Councils – features more than 50 events celebrating nature, sustainability and local biodiversity.
Manningham Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Diamante said the festival is a much-anticipated part of the annual calendar, offering the community a chance to connect with the environment and each other.
“We’re lucky to live in an area with such incredible biodiversity and green spaces,” Cr Diamante said.
“The Spring Outdoors Festival is all about inspiring our community to get outside, learn something new and take simple steps that help our environment thrive.”
This year’s program shines a light on biodiversity, with environment seminars, a wildlife gardening seminar series, a guided nature walk and more.
Festival highlights include:
The festival kicks off on 7 September and runs until November. Bookings are essential.
For the full program and to register, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/spring-outdoors
Advocacy is an important way for us to provide a voice for the community on issues that matter. This is an essential role of local government.
We are advocating to influence state and federal governments to fund important priority projects around planning, transport, infrastructure and services.
This includes seeking funding support for seven major projects as well as a series of local sports infrastructure, road and footpath upgrades in Manningham.
Aquarena is Manningham’s sole aquatic centre, the outdoor area (built in 1960s) is a much-loved space, however, is at the end of its lifespan and requires a total refresh.
This facility serves the entire municipality, receiving 1.14 million visits annually, and without this redevelopment, Manningham Council will struggle to accommodate the growing demands of the community and the delivery of essential health and wellbeing outcomes effectively.
Manningham is the only municipality in metropolitan Melbourne without train or tram, making buses the only form of public transport for our residents.
Manningham Council has continuously advocated for a High Frequency Busway link along Doncaster Road corridor from Mitcham Station to the CBD.
Our community continue to raise concerns regarding the safety of the intersection at Ringwood-Warrandyte Road, Croydon Road, Husseys Lane and Brumbys Lane in Warrandyte South (commonly known as ‘5-ways’).
Manningham Council has been advocating to the State Government and directly to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) for multiple years seeking help to fix this serious safety issue.
NELP has committed to deliver a like for like replacement of Doncaster Park and Ride whereas we are seeking a Transit Oriented Development with increased capacity.
There has been concern from the community over instances of noise and dust that have not triggered intervention.
We have been advocating for filters to be installed within the ventilation stack since 2019 through the Environmental Effects Statement (EES) Hearings.
The Park Orchards Community House and Learning Centre is a highly successful service, engaging over 1200 individuals each week. The development of a new community house was identified as a high priority in Council’s Community Infrastructure Plan.
Neighbourhood/community houses are a shared responsibility with the State Government. Manningham Council has already demonstrated its commitment to this new building by purchasing the land for a new community house.
Council calls on the Federal and State Government for significant funding.
There is no dedicated community legal service located in Manningham.
Manningham has a high percentage of overseas born residents (44%) and an increasing number of very low-income residents (25%). These factors indicate that our population has a range of vulnerabilities and needs for a legal service that provides free or low-cost assistance in a service that caters for cultural and linguistic diversity.
Manningham’s open space network is facing increasing pressure from increased population density, major projects such as the North East Link, loss of private open space and tree canopy cover, climate change and increased demand for recreation facilities . Population forecasts an increase from 133,00 today to 149,000 by 2036, which will exacerbate the pressure on our open spaces.
We're advocating for a Doncaster Station to be included in the first phase of construction of the Suburban Rail Loop.
The Eastern Affordable Housing Alliance (EAHA) is a formal collaboration of six councils working to address the housing affordability crisis in Melbourne’s eastern metro region.
Improved transport infrastructure through Doncaster Hill will unlock and complement regional opportunities for improved access to jobs, educational and health facilities and to other community and social services.
Jumping Creek Road Wonga Park is in a unique and environmentally sensitive area. The road is being upgraded to improve safety for all users, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, whilst also protecting our wildlife and vegetation.
The works are expected to cost up to $21 million over the project life. This is a significant burden for the Manningham community, and we seek contributions from all levels of government to enable this project to proceed.
