Merri-bek City Council

14/06/2026

Discover Coburg’s hidden histories. 🔎

Join us for a very special winter walk where Coburg's past will come to life with dynamic projections and storytelling.

From ancient songlines to sprawling market gardens, dance halls to mortuary trains, Coburg’s places and people make it the unique suburb we love.

📅 Friday 26 June and Saturday 27 June
🕧 6pm
📍 Meet at Coburg Library

This is a free event but registration is required.

Find out more and register: https://brnw.ch/21x3kxO

Image credit: Sydney Road 1964 (courtesy of Coburg Historical Society)
Image description: Black and white photo of Sydney Road in Coburg.

13/06/2026

Whether you’re running a community project, organising activities that bring people together, or simply keeping a local group going - our Community Grants are here to help our community thrive. 🌟

Andrew Stark manages The Bike Shed at CERES in Brunswick, where volunteers repair and redistribute donated bikes, and secondhand bikes find new homes through weekend sales.

A Community Strengthening Grant in 2025 gave the shed a real boost.

“Last year we got 100 bikes out for charity,” Andrew says. “The
grant meant we could make sure every single one had a helmet, light set and lock to go with it. We also used some of the grant money to buy repair tools. It’s been really helpful.”

Our Community Grants Program is here to support the people and groups who make our neighbourhoods such vibrant places to live.

Visit our website to learn more about our grants program: https://brnw.ch/21x3jsB

Image description: community members working at a bike shed including closeup photos of bike repairs and maintenance.

12/06/2026

Invest, innovate and thrive in Merri-bek. 📈

Merri-bek is an ideal place to start and grow a business. It’s the dynamic, creative heartland of Melbourne’s inner north, with:

🚆 Excellent connectivity - strong public transport, cycling and road networks, and easy access to Melbourne Airport.
🛍️ Bustling shopping precincts that combine retail, specialty stores and community hubs.
☕ A vibrant food, beverage and nightlife scene, including cafés, restaurants, bars and live music venues.
🍃 A high quality of life, supported by access to open space, recreation, wellness and leisure opportunities.

Here at Merri-bek – we’re ready to welcome your business and help it start, grow and succeed.

Visit our website to learn more: https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/building-and-business/business/investing-in-merri-bek2/why-merri-bek-for-business/

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Video description: scenes from around Merri-bek including an aerial photo, map of Merri-bek and local businesses. Text reads: The Smart Choice for Business. Merri-bek. The Creative inner north. Arts, music, dining and vibrant precints. Designed for Ideas. Ready for Business. open for Opportunity. Merri-bek City Council. [email protected]. 8311 4131. Wurundjeri Country.

12/06/2026

Melbourne Water is naturalising another section of your much-loved Moonee Ponds Creek! 🌳

The concept design for Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek Stage 2 is now available.

The design is informed by your feedback and learnings from the design and delivery of Stage 1, including integrating local and Traditional Owner knowledge and values.

Come along to a community pop-up session to learn more about the project.

📅 Saturday 20 June
🕧 10am to 1pm
📍 Pascoe Vale Central Cricket Club Pavilion, Oak Park Reserve (behind Oak Park Sports & Aquatic Centre)

Visit the Melbourne Water website for more information: https://brnw.ch/21x3hwg

This project is jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Urban Rivers and Catchments Program and Melbourne Water.

Project partners: Melbourne Water, Chain of Ponds Collaboration, Moonee Valley City Council, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation., Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Image description: a creek with trees, greenery and stones.

11/06/2026

We’re building a new hockey pitch at McDonald Reserve in Coburg! 🏑

Following a feasibility study in 2022, we’re building a new pitch to meet growing community interest, demand, and participation in hockey and to support the Brunswick Hockey Club

In addition to the pitch, the project also includes new sports lighting, player and spectator shelters.

We’re investing $3.5 million into this new community sports facility, with further funding support of $468,000 from the Victorian Government provided through the Local Sports infrastructure fund.

🚧 Construction on stage 1 upgrades will start in October 2026.

Visit our website to learn more: https://brnw.ch/21x3fHg

Image description: a grass field in Coburg. Text reads: McDonald Reserve, Coburg. Hockey pitch coming soon!

10/06/2026

The cost of petrol is going back up, with the Federal Government’s 50% fuel excise ending on 30 June. ⛽

If you’ve been thinking about switching up the school run to save on fuel (and have more fun while you’re at it!), now’s the time.

Our e-bike subsidy program ends on Tuesday 30 June and we’ve got a limited number left.

The program is open to residents with children at any Merri-bek childcare, kindergarten, or primary school. You can claim:

💰 $500 off the purchase price of a new or refurbished bike, or
💰 50% off a weekly subscription for 3 months (up to value of $500)

See the bikes on offer and apply for your subsidy today: https://brnw.ch/21x3fsG

Image description: an adult and two children on an e-bike. Text reads: E-bike subsidy program closing soon.

09/06/2026

The Victoria Police Community Sentiment Survey is now open.

Share your feedback to help Victoria Police understand what matters most to you.

They want to hear how you feel about safety in your local area, your ideas for improvement and how you want to engage with police and Protective Service Officers.

Complete the survey by 30 June: https://engage.vic.gov.au/vicpol-2026

The Community Sentiment Survey is NOW OPEN – and we want to hear from you.

Your feedback helps us understand what matters most to you and help us develop ways to tackle them.

If you live, work and socialise in Victoria, tell us:
🚨 how you feel about safety in your local area
✨ your ideas to improve the work we do
💬 how you want to engage with police and PSOs.

Make your voice count. Complete the survey before 30 June → https://bit.ly/3PB79K8

09/06/2026

Winter might not seem like obvious planting weather, but it’s actually the perfect season - cooler, wetter conditions give newly planted trees the best chance to establish before summer heat arrives. 🌱❄️

Each year, we plant around 2,500 trees across your streets and parks. It’s part of a long-term goal to double canopy coverage across Merri-bek by 2050, helping to cool our neighbourhoods as the climate warms.

Trees do more than provide shade. They clean the air, reduce stormwater runoff, support wildlife and cut down the long-term costs of heat and flooding.

For the planting team, it’s also about the long game. The trees going in this winter will provide shade, clean air and cooler streets for generations to come.

📖 Learn more about tree planting program in the latest edition of Community News. Check your mailbox, pick up a copy at our customer service centres or read online: https://brnw.ch/21x3c9r

Image description: A Merri-bek Council staff member planting trees in a park.

07/06/2026

Just around the corner is a place where you will always find a warm welcome. 🏠

There are 7 Neighbourhood House across Merri-bek, each reflecting its local area and offering a mix of social, creative, educational and support programs for people of all ages and backgrounds.

You might pick up a new hobby, improve your English, get help with digital skills, or simply enjoy a cuppa and a conversation.

New to Melbourne, Shanta made friends and learnt new skills at the Brunswick Neighbourhood House cooking class:

“I made friends, learnt recipes from different cultures, and felt a real sense of acceptance and sharing.”

Learn more about Neighbourhood Houses in Merri-bek: https://brnw.ch/21x39bn

Image description: community members taking a cooking class at a Neighbourhood House and an exterior photo of a Neighbourhood House with a herb garden in the foreground.

04/06/2026

This World Environment Day, we’re reflecting on the simple actions we can all take to create a sustainable future. 💚

From volunteering and composting to sharing food with neighbours to reducing food waste - there are many small but impactful everyday actions we can take in our households and our communities.

We welcome everyone to join our Environment Day for Multicultural Communities event next weekend to learn more about sustainable practices, hear panel discussions from young people and local faith leaders and enjoy children’s activities and face painting.

📅 Saturday 13 June
🕛 11am to 1pm
📍 Fawkner Sports Hall - 77 Jukes Road, Fawkner

Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/environment-day-event-for-multicultural-communities-elkvj8zz

Video description: Merri-bek community members in their homes and in various locations around Merri-bek talking about their sustainable practices.