Some of our services are closed or have different hours over the Christmas and New Year period.

Winter’s here! Boroondara has so much to offer in the coming cooler months, from an art-inspired yoga session at Town Hall Gallery to warming winter walks and fresh seasonal produce.

Take in the art

Special events lift the Town Hall Gallery experience this winter. Kick off the cool season with Friday-night Art After Hours on 7 June. Grab a drink at the Arts Bar, take in live tunes from Jazz Associates and wander the galleries of gorgeous art by 3 Boroondara artists. Lose yourself in Kevin Chin’s exquisite large-scale dreamscapes, Marina Floreancig’s bold and textural canvases and Penelope Lau’s dynamic and detailed still lifes. Exhibition curators will be there to answer questions too. And in a first for Town Hall Gallery you can strike a yoga pose alongside Kevin Chin’s artwork as we celebrate International Day of Yoga on 21 June with a special guided yoga event. 

Join a reading challenge

Cooler weather invites us to cosy up with a good book. Find your next great read among the 40 titles recommended by this year’s Warm Winter Read author ambassadors. You can log your reading along the way and be in the running for bookish prizes too. Pick up a book at your nearest Boroondara library, or borrow an eBook or audiobook without leaving the couch. 

Find out about the Warm Winter Read and its recommended books at our Warm Winter Read page.

Hear – and see – the music

Local, regional and interstate musicians are warming up right now in the heats of the 2024 Boroondara Eisteddfod. They’ll culminate in an exciting finals series featuring the very best of the best. Come along to our Festival of Finals and Gala Finals events this August and the exciting Piano Concerto Final in September. In the meantime Kew Court House and Hawthorn Arts Centre keep the music coming with performances ranging from Colombian singer-songwriter Iaki Vallejo’s blend of Latin, jazz and folk on 15 June, to Camberwell Chorale’s rendition of Verdi’s Requiem on 21 July.

Find out more on our Eisteddfod and performance pages.

Play it cool in the school holidays

You won’t need to go far to find great activities for the kids these July school holidays. We’re putting the finishing touches to a packed schedule of fun events and hands-on activities. From 17 June look for details and booking options on our school holiday activities page. You’ll find low-cost and free options for children of all ages and young people aged up to 18. 

Find out more on our school holiday activities page. 

Enjoy fresh seasonal fruit and veg

Treat yourself to nourishing produce. Fruit and vegetables that are in season are the tastiest and freshest you can buy – and their abundance makes them cheaper too. Shop at Camberwell Fresh Food Market and the Boroondara Farmers Market for winter favourites like oranges, limes, broccoli, leeks, spinach and snow peas. Stock up on root vegies like sweet potato and parsnip for a tray bake, or blitz them into a tasty soup. 

Find out more on our markets and shopping page. 

Take a winter wander

There’s nothing like a brisk walk or ride to warm you up. Boroondara is lucky to have 37 km of formal shared paths for cycling and walking. These off-road paths offer a new view of our neighbourhoods that you won’t see from roads or footpaths. Wind your way from Hawthorn to Ashburton on the pretty Gardiners Creek Trail. Enjoy river views on the Main Yarra Trail. You can bisect Boroondara from Kew to Ashburton by following the Outer Circle and Anniversary trails. And Balwyn North’s Koonung Creek Trail – realigned to make room for North East Link works – still connects local neighbourhoods via the Koonung Creek Reserve.

Find out more on our find a bike or walking path page.