Southbankers, it’s time get out your diaries and start saving these dates!

When Southbank3006 was formed in February 2022 our aim was to bring together the diverse community of Southbank, improve the liveability, culture, and the connected feeling in our vertical village. 

It was quickly identified that there were several key issues in Southbank that residents cared about. These included: 

• Connecting with neighbours
• Safety and traffic management issues
• Quality of public spaces
• The impact of short-stay apartments on liveability 
• Fast forward 19 months and we are delighted to share our report card.

Not only has Southbank3006 challenged the City of Melbourne to think differently about green space and where it could creatively be found in Southbank, we have successfully negotiated with the City of Melbourne and state government to look at the ACCA forecourt, gaining a commitment to convert this space into green space for the community to enjoy.

Southbank3006 advocated for a fully comprehensive traffic management strategy for the whole of Southbank, with a focus on creating low-traffic neighbourhoods and reclaiming selected parking for community gardening. This resulted in the recent community consultation regarding traffic – which saw more than 1100 pinpoints.

A continued pain point for Southbank3006 members has been the impact short-stay accommodation has on the liveability and peaceful enjoyment on the place we call home. 

Southbank3006 has publicly supported the recent proposal for reform in this area. Everyone deserves a safe and peaceful place to live, and these proposed reforms will address not only the “Short-Stay Wild, Wild West” but will go a long way to release housing stock onto the long-term rental market, delivering back housing stock in Southbank for the purpose for which it was designed.  

This will help ensure housing becomes available in our rich diverse community to the people who want to live, not as a tourist destination.

We need an urban strategy for Southbank

Southbank needs an urban strategy which focuses on its micro-neighbourhoods, the so-called three-minute villages awakening the sense of place and community. Achieving this will transform the lives of people and the urban fabric of Southbank.  

This becomes the platform by which people can create resilience to, and potentially mitigate, the growing number of crises that urban populations face, including loneliness, extreme heat, and inequality.

In other words, the future of Southbank is to be found in creating public spaces and neighbourhoods.

So, what’s next for Southbank3006 and our members? Well, the time has come to get those diaries out as the next three months will see some great events coming to Southbank.

Information session on the City of Melbourne’s pedestrian and road safety community survey for Southbank – Tuesday, October 24, 6pm to 7.30pm @ Boyd Community Hub

Southbank3006, in partnership with the City of Melbourne, will be hosting an information night releasing the findings from the recent Pedestrian and Road Safety Community Consultation Survey. 

This event will see engineers from the City of Melbourne share the outcomes from this consultation. This will be a solutions-based information session highlighting the areas for improvement as shared by the transport engineers. 

Koorie Heritage Trust walking tour of Birrarung Marr and Southbank, Sunday, November 26, 11am to 12pm

Learn about the culture and heritage of our neighbourhood. This is a FREE event, part of Southbank3006’s cultural awareness series, funded by the City of Melbourne. It’s an opportunity to learn and discover the richness of First Nations People’s culture firsthand. 

In this momentous year there could not be a more important event for people who live in Southbank to participate in. Whether you were born in Australia or have moved here from overseas this is an event you should come and participate in.

A Very Merry Friend-Mas, Saturday, December 9

Southbank3006 is delighted to announce that the highly anticipated, Southbank event, A Very Merry Friend-Mas will be back in 2023! In 2022 this event was the first of its kind in Southbank and our committee is hard at work making this year’s Friend-Mas even better in 2023! 

Come on down to Boyd Park from 11am to 3pm and share the joy of Christmas. This event celebrates family, friends, and our fury little mates, with the annual Southbank Dog Parade. Not forgetting, music, food, kids’ games, face painting, fairy floss and rumour has it Santa will make an appearance again this year!  • 

southbank3006.com