Like any modern municipality, Boroondara is criss-crossed by streetscapes that are a blend of eras and styles.

It is home to many grand Victorian-era mansions of ‘Hawthorn’s architect’ John Beswicke, more modest inter-war homes, 21st-century townhouses and multi-dwelling apartment buildings.

Behind those varied facades lies a vital resource – the housing stock that gives shelter and comfort to our community.

It is our role to help facilitate the provision of housing to meet our community’s needs – and to advocate to the Victorian and Australian governments for housing requirements that fall outside local government responsibility.

That is why we are in the process of updating our Boroondara Housing Strategy to plan for community needs over the next 15 years. To do this, we use the latest Census data and projections to show how we live and how our housing needs might change – including household size and type, the kind of dwellings we inhabit, and the ages of those who live here.

When the last Census was held in 2021, Boroondara was home to 169,901 residents and had 72,921 dwellings. Projections for the next 15 years see those numbers growing by approximately 28,700 residents, and 9,400 more dwellings.

How will we help to provide for these new residents? The Boroondara Housing Strategy will provide a strategic framework to guide housing to appropriate locations. It also considers how we will maintain and protect the character and treasured heritage of our suburbs, a subject close to my heart.

A draft version of the strategy will be shared for your feedback soon. Be sure to have your say and help us make Boroondara a better place for the communities of today and tomorrow.

Mayor of Boroondara

National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering and will be held on Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May this year.

The theme for this year’s week-long event is 'The Change Makers', recognising the incredible work that volunteers do to drive change and support their communities. We have a wealth of change makers in the City of Boroondara – our municipality boasts the highest percentage of volunteers in the metro Melbourne region.

One of these is Janene Sadhu, who has been active with volunteer groups supporting the vision-impaired for more than 40 years, and has engaged with the Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre (BVRC) for 15 years.

The value of volunteering

While the direct assistance Janene gives others through organisations like Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria is an obvious benefit of her work, she points out other important aspects too.

'Individually, volunteering is a great way to meet people, make friends and develop connections with others, as well as enriching the lives of people who really benefit from the support you’re providing them,' she says.

'Volunteering demonstrates a strong sense of community spirit that adds to people’s lives – which is outstanding in itself, but also adds to the wellbeing of the wider community.'

Taking the next step

According to Janene, the best way to start volunteering is to search online, find what’s available, and to not be afraid to give something a go. Janene regularly uses the BVRC website to find volunteering opportunities and has participated in training and workshops run by the BVRC team.

'You’ll soon find there are lots of opportunities to try out, but sometimes you might think, "this isn’t quite the right fit". There are plenty of people, support, and training to help get you started – and remember that getting out of your comfort zone isn’t a bad thing.'

Get in touch this National Volunteer Week

The Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre provides free services to volunteers, prospective volunteers and community organisations. You can find out more on our Volunteering page, or you can email [email protected], or call (03) 9278 4550.

We are transforming Boroondara to put our community at the centre of what we do. This includes working to improve your experience connecting with Council when and where it suits you.

Digital experience

We are continually improving our website so you can find what you need quickly and easily. Over the past year we’ve:

• added new interactive maps
• improved our homepage top tasks
• created more user-friendly search results, and more.

Time and convenience

We understand your time is precious. This is why we’ve added more than 80 forms on our website so you can complete more tasks more quickly, when and where it suits you. These forms have helped customers access our services – such as booking a waste collection or applying for a permit – more than 100,000 times last year, and the community has given these forms an average feedback rating of 4.59 out of 5.

24/7 support

We realise you may need us outside regular business hours. Our Chat Bot is available any time on our website to answer hundreds of frequently asked questions. Our friendly customer service team is available to help by phone, email, form and in person. If something needs to be addressed immediately to keep our community safe, you can call us 24/7 on (03) 9278 4444.

eRegistrations

You can now register to receive your rates notice and Bulletin straight to your inbox, helping you get the information you need faster. Keen to have the Boroondara Bulletin delivered by email? Simply fill out our digital Bulletin registration form on our Boroondara Bulletin page.

Customer Connect

Our vision to transform the customer experience for our community has supported an even greater focus on service delivery. This includes training and upskilling our Customer Connect team on a wider range of services so we can answer more of your questions at the time you call or email, rather than having to come back to you later.

We’re responding to your feedback

We launched our consultation website, Engage Boroondara, in 2021 to provide our community with transparency and the opportunity to easily have a say on what’s important to you. Thousands of community members now receive regular updates about new consultations and the progress of initiatives that most interest them. To join in, stay up to date and have your say, visit our Engage Boroondara website.

Welcome email

This year we’re welcoming new community members to Boroondara with a helpful email. This is one more way we’ll continue to share information about the wonderful community we live in, and provide important information that makes moving to a new home easier.

To learn more about what we’re doing now and in the future to transform Boroondara, please visit our Transforming Boroondara page.

Parents with kindergarten-ready children, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2024.

Attending kindergarten is an important step in a child’s development as they start to get ready for school. In a safe and supportive environment, they learn important skills through play.

Throughout May, the 27 kindergartens that are part of the Boroondara Kindergarten Central Enrolment Scheme will open their doors and invite families to attend open days at their centres.

By visiting during an open day, you can:

• speak to the teachers
• discuss the programs
• get a sense of each kindergarten’s atmosphere, and the activities and facilities they offer.

After your open day visits, you can apply to enrol your child online via the portal on our website. The Boroondara Kindergarten Central Enrolment Scheme allows families to specify their preference for several kindergartens and groups at the same time, rather than applying to each individual service.

Applications are open, with children who turn 3 or 4 years old by Sunday 30 April 2024 eligible to attend a kindergarten program in 2024. Applications for 2024 close on Friday 23 June 2023.

To find the list of open days, visit our How to choose page or contact the Boroondara Families team on (03) 9278 4444.

Supporting you and your family

We are transforming Boroondara to provide you with the information you need quickly and easily. We have a wealth of information online to help you access services, resources and activities for families with children aged 10 and under. You’ll find a kindergarten dates calculator, immunisation information, childcare options and much more.

To find out more, visit our Children and families page.

By sending food and organic waste to landfill, Australians generate around 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.

That’s about 3% of Australia’s total emissions, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Our FOGO (food organics and garden organics) service contributes to us diverting 72% of waste away from landfill each year for the City of Boroondara. But even when you put food waste in your FOGO bin, emissions have already been generated in producing, harvesting, transporting and packaging food that isn’t eaten.

The first step is to avoid wasting food in the first place. You can do this by:

• planning your meals
• shopping to a list
• using leftovers
• storing food correctly
• reducing portion sizes
• buying local and seasonal produce (it stays fresher and lasts longer)
• checking expiry dates before buying
• freezing food that is close to its expiry date.

The next best step when you can’t avoid food waste is to compost it. With International Composting Awareness Week starting on Sunday 7 May, there’s no better time to get composting at home.

Learn more at our workshop

Join our free compost and worm farming workshop on Saturday 6 May, hosted by Sustainable Gardening Australia. Learn about composting, try activities, see composters on display, and ask our circular economy officers all your FOGO questions.

Get discounts on composters and worm farms

We’ve partnered with Compost Revolution to offer residents, businesses, clubs, schools and kinders in the City of Boroondara up to 50% off and free delivery on a range of composters and worm farms. Claim your offer by visiting the Compost Revolution website.

To find more tips and resources to help you take climate action, and track progress on our Climate Action Plan, visit our Climate Action Plan website.

Introducing our new Climate Action Grants

We’re about to open our 2023 Climate Action Grants, to help our community take action on climate change. The new grants provide financial support of up to $10,000 to eligible not-for-profit groups for climate action projects. This includes the delivery of new projects, services, programs and activities that strengthen our community’s capacity to reduce emissions, and/or adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Grants could support initiatives such as:

• a project that makes it easier for our community to access goods and services to make their homes more sustainable
• an activity that supports the uptake of sustainable transport at a workplace
• an education campaign responding to a sustainability challenge, such as removing gas as an energy source
• a service that helps vulnerable residents make their homes more resilient to climate change impacts.

Applications open on Monday 15 May and close on Sunday 11 June.

Our environmental sustainability team will help groups to submit their application and can support them in planning their project or activity. We’ll also hold information sessions on Wednesday 17 May and Thursday 18 May.

To find out more, visit our Climate Action Grants page.

Our beautiful trees take a turn for the brighter every autumn.

We asked our trees team to name some of their favourite parks and avenues for spotting technicolour autumn leaves.

Surrey Gardens in Canterbury is a great spot for deciduous autumn colour. It’s dominated by English oaks and elms, and one in particular is spectacular. It’s likely more than 100 years old and is about 17 metres tall with the trunk nearly 4 metres in diameter. The leaves turn a vibrant yellow.

There’s a stand of young October Glory red maple trees on Yerrin Street near Whitehorse Road in Balwyn. They’re right next to a mural depicting wattle and yellow banksias, and really add to this colourful corner in autumn. 

Kew Traffic School is home to a beautiful claret ash with leaves that turn red then a deep reddish-purple. They’re perfect for kids to take home to use for artwork.

There’s nothing like an avenue of autumn colour, and Monomeath Avenue in Canterbury always puts on 
a show. It’s lined with pin oaks that meet in the middle. They’re about 13 metres tall and their leaves turn bright orange.

Camberwell’s Carramar Avenue has a beautiful mix of oaks that turn a rich golden brown. Kids love picking up the acorns with their little caps.

There’s a lovely liquidambar in Canterbury Gardens with finely toothed leaves that colour to shades of red, orange and purple.

Selwood Street in Hawthorn East has a lovely stretch of pin oaks with stunning autumn colour.

A lovely avenue of Dutch elms in St James Park, Hawthorn, turns a golden yellow in autumn.

There’s a huge English oak on the Stanhope Grove side of Read Gardens with leaves that turn yellow-orange and can get super crunchy.

Get to know our significant trees

The City of Boroondara has more than 1,000 trees that have earned special protection as significant trees on both public and private land. They’re recognised for their impressive size, age, rarity, ecological value, or cultural and historical significance. Get acquainted with them on the searchable interactive map on our Protected and significant trees page.

Coming soon: our Urban Greening Strategy

We’re preparing to draft an Urban Greening Strategy. Keep an eye out for more information later this year.

Remove a tree, plant a tree

Trees have always been an essential part of our area's heritage and character. To help maintain this and improve liveability, when you remove a tree on your land you may require a permit, and may need to replace it with a new tree.

There are 3 reasons why you may need to plant a tree:

• You’re removing a significant or canopy tree
• You’re removing a tree that’s in a Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO) or Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO).
• You’ve been instructed to plant a tree in response to illegal works.

To find out more, visit our Tree works permits page.

As part of the Maling Road Place Plan, we’re ready to make this strip a more pedestrian-friendly, safer and greener place for you to enjoy.

To help us make this happen, we’d like to hear from you on 2 options.

Maling Road in Canterbury is a well-loved heritage precinct with specialty shops that visitors love. However, the footpaths are narrow and the public spaces need to be refreshed.

To make it safer, traffic will be slowed and pedestrians given greater priority. More street planting will be added, and the paving will be upgraded.

In the August 2020 survey that helped draft the plan, 60% of the community ranked ‘creating space for outdoor dining and public seating’ a top priority. The options we propose deliver this outcome.

Share your preference for one of the following options:

• Keep the 2-way street, and use 11 on-road car spaces to gain 215 square metres of new public space for the community
• Create a one-way section of the street to slow traffic and increase safety, and use 7 on-road car spaces to gain 300 square metres of new public space for the community.

Learn more and have your say by 5 pm on Monday 22 May on our Engage Boroondara website.

‘Keep your town in business by keeping your business in town’ sums up the important role of shopping locally in the City of Boroondara.

We’re lucky to have 53 vibrant shopping centres and strips – each with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes – right on our doorstep.

Main Streets of Australia Week (Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May) is a national campaign encouraging shoppers to get behind local businesses. Your support for local businesses helps the community by:

• providing jobs for those who rely on local or flexible work
• creating local spending
• supporting local causes, charities, sports groups and schools
• providing a place for all including vulnerable people to connect with their community
• supporting households financially through their small businesses.

How to support local businesses

• Tell your friends and family about great local businesses you’ve found.
• Leave positive reviews after a good experience.
• Buy local whenever you can.
• Engage with local businesses on social media.

Happening near you this month

• Mother’s Day: this year it’s on Sunday 14 May
• Maling Road Autoclassico: Sunday 21 May
• Main Streets of Australia Week: Monday 15 to Sunday 21 May. 

Find out more about the activities supporting this event by visiting the Boroondara Life Facebook page or the Boroondara Life Instagram account.

We’re updating our Boroondara Housing Strategy to help plan for our community’s housing needs over the next 15 years.

Households have changed since we adopted our current strategy in 2015. Children have left home, we’re working from home more, have bought or rented new homes, and many have downsized to something more manageable.

The draft Housing Strategy uses the latest Census data and projections to tell us who we are and how we live now. Importantly, it gives insight into current and emerging housing challenges, such as Boroondara’s ageing population. It also highlights key needs and covers topics we value, like protecting the character of our neighbourhoods.

The Housing Strategy will help us plan for the future to best meet the needs of our community. It provides a strategic framework to guide housing to appropriate locations, including housing options for current and future residents. In our draft strategy, we continue to direct housing growth to activity centres, near shops and public transport.

We’ll soon seek your input on the draft Boroondara Housing Strategy, pending our Councillors’ consideration at a mid-year Urban Planning and Delegates Committee meeting scheduled for Monday 15 May.

To be notified when the draft Housing Strategy is available to view so you can have your say, follow the project page on our Engage Boroondara website.

For more information, you can also contact our strategic planning team by emailing [email protected].

How we live: the numbers

• Boroondara was home to 169,901 residents in 2021 – this is likely to increase by around 28,700 more residents and 9,400 dwellings built over the next 15 years.
• The most common household type is couples with children (34%). Couples without children (24%) and lone-person households (25%) now make up almost half our households.
• Our population continues its ageing trend, with an increase of people over 65 (15% in 2011 and 18% in 2021).
• The dominant dwelling type is stand-alone house (53%) followed by medium density (29%) and high density (18%).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), ‘Census’.

Each year, the Boroondara Youth Awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional young people in our community. 

From leaders to volunteers, we take a moment to acknowledge the role that young people play in creating a safer and more resilient community.

This year, young people (aged 10 to 25 years) and youth organisations can be nominated across 6 different categories: 

• Leadership
• Environment and sustainability
• Creative arts
• Inclusive program
• Partnership 
• Community work (professional or volunteer).

Last year, 13-year-old Evie Flynn was awarded in recognition of her passion for the environment and sustainability. She believes change starts on a local community level.

'No matter how small, community involvement and taking environmental action is very worthwhile. Not only will you get to know your neighbours and people who live in your area, you also get to work towards a great cause.'

'Local action is where it all starts – if enough people get involved in a petition to plant more trees, or a recycling program, it will start a chain reaction, and soon everyone will be doing it,' says Evie.

If you know a young person or organisation that deserves to be recognised for their role in contributing to a safer and more resilient community, you can nominate them now.

Nominations close Friday 30 June. You can visit our Boroondara youth awards page for more information or to complete a nomination form.

Wednesday 17 May is the 18th anniversary of the first International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). In that time, the name of the day has evolved and is now known as the Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination.

It’s a day when we celebrate people and families in the LGBTQIA+ community through a variety of activities being hosted by Boroondara Library Services, including;

• bespoke LGBTQIA+ fiction, non-fiction and young adult reading lists to find your next great read
• a talk with psychologist, author and educator Chris Cheers to hear about his book, The New Rulebook, and a discussion on LGBTQIA+ wellbeing.

Visit our IDAHOBIT 2023 news page to find out more. 

Show your art this Pride Month

Calling young artists! To recognise Pride Month (June 2023) Boroondara Youth Hub will host an exhibition at the Gallery of Young Art (GoYA). The theme is Celebrating Community, and creatives aged 12 to 25 are invited to apply to exhibit their work. Successful applicants will be invited to the opening of the exhibition and have their art showcased throughout June.

Find out more and apply on our Gallery of Young Art (GoYA) page or call (03) 9278 4608.

We’re hosting a series of workshops for older members of the community to learn the basics of filmmaking, and encourage participation in this year’s Boroondara Seniors Film Festival.

At last year’s festival, Sean Summers had his own, self-made short film screened at Lido Cinema in front of a packed audience.

Sean drew inspiration from his grandad’s 8 mm home movies and from his work on intergenerational projects. Seeing his creation on the silver screen had a deep impact on him.

'I never expected to sit in a cinema, along with hundreds of other people, watching a film I made about an older person telling their life story. It demonstrated the power of film to give older people a voice and a space to tell their story.'

This is something Sean plans to share in his upcoming workshop, one of a series of workshops being held across the municipality.

'Older people have a wealth of life experience, lived stories and wisdom that only comes with age. Those stories can empower, challenge norms and forge connections with people in ways we might never have imagined possible.'

To find out more about the Seniors Film Festival and the workshops, visit our Seniors Film Festival Workshop series page.

Each year, the Boroondara Sports Awards pay homage to the incredible sports clubs, athletes and volunteers that help enhance our community health and wellbeing.

This year, there are 7 award categories open for nominations:

• Inclusive Club of the Year
• Innovative Club of the Year
• Collaborative Club of the Year
• Club Person of the Year
• Young Club Person of the Year
• Community Athlete of the Year (NEW)
• Lifetime Achievement.

If you would like to nominate a sports club legend, you can find more information on our Boroondara Sports Awards page. You can also email [email protected] or call us on (03) 9278 4797.

Applications will close on Friday 23 June.

From National Simultaneous Storytime to Friday night soul, and free come and Try workshops at our neighbourhood houses, there’s plenty going on in Boroondara.

For a searchable listing of hundreds of events in the City of Boroondara, visit our Events page.

Flu season: book a vaccination today

The flu season is nearly upon us. Getting vaccinated is the best way to keep you and your family safe and healthy this winter. We’re running dedicated flu vaccination sessions in April and May as part of our immunisation program.

You can get your whole family vaccinated at the same time. You can book an appointment today on our Flu immunisation page.

What’s happening at Boroondara Arts

Notes Rebetes bring an intimate performance of heartfelt music to Kew Court House, Tamara Kuldin takes a Tuesday-morning journey through Doris Day’s most iconic hits at Hawthorn Arts Centre, and acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan joins Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks (pictured above) for a soulful Friday-night show, also at Hawthorn Arts Centre.

Take in our new major exhibition Light Sensitive, which showcases the narrative potential of light and its innovative application in art. Out of Reach by Amy Cohen explores form, materiality and texture to emulate natural objects and landscapes. Light Years is a community exhibition from members of the Camberwell Camera Club.

Find out more about these events and many more on our Boroondara Arts page.

Connect and learn at your neighbourhood house

Neighbourhood House Week runs from Monday 8 May to Sunday 14 May and this year’s theme is ‘locals connecting locals’. It’s the perfect time to discover, or rediscover, opportunities to learn new skills and try new activities at your nearest neighbourhood house or community centre.

Below you’ll find a taste of some of the other classes and activities on offer this month.

Our consultations website invites you to take part in decisions made by Council. The following community consultations are open for your feedback.

Updating Boroondara’s Multicultural Action Plan

Share your experiences to help us ensure Boroondara is welcoming for everyone.

Find out more on the Multicultural Action Plan page on our Engage Boroondara website.

Closing: Sunday 7 May

Canterbury Sports Ground pavilion upgrade

View the draft building design.

Find out more on the Canterbury Sports Ground pavilion upgrade page on our Engage Boroondara website.

Closing: Thursday 11 May

Maling Road streetscape improvements

Want a greener, safer, pedestrian-friendly Maling Road? Choose from 2 options.

Find out more on the Improving Maling Road page on our Engage Boroondara website.

Closing: Monday 22 May

Pop-up spaces in Camberwell

Pop-ups to test improving public spaces near the station and primary school.

Find out more on the Camberwell pop-up spaces page on our Engage Boroondara website.

Closing: Wednesday 31 May

Stay up to date

To stay informed about consultations that matter to you, register for updates by clicking the ‘Join’ button on the Engage Boroondara website.

How we consult with you

Our Community Engagement Policy guides how we ask for your views on a range of topics and areas. You can find out more on our Community Engagement Policy page.