The buzz is back in Southbank and South Wharf

You may have noticed that Southbank’s promenade and commercial areas have returned to pre-COVID activity level and, indeed, Friday and Saturday night activity even exceeds that recorded in 2019.

It’s so encouraging to see life return to our businesses, even though they are still constrained by a lack of staff. We ask for your continuing patience with restaurants and cafes as they cope with Christmas demand with staff shortages and inexperienced staff members.

To celebrate the festive season, the business association is inviting you to join fellow Southbankers for a free family evening on South Wharf on the evening of Sunday, December 18.

We have the Australian Girls Choir singing from 5pm, and then the screening of The Grinch on the big screen in the Common Man Lawn area. Everything is free. In fact, we will be distributing South Wharf Christmas money to the value of $20 per family, to be claimed on the night when you spend $50 or more in one of the participating restaurants, cafes or bars. 

DFO South Wharf will be open until 7pm on December 18, so why don’t you combine the free family evening with some Christmas shopping? Many thanks to the state government, through the City of Melbourne, for providing the funding for us to stage this festive family event.

As you settle into a little more relaxation after Christmas, please consider spending just a few minutes to complete the survey at youryarra.melbourne. It is a follow-up survey to the one you might have completed for the City of Melbourne earlier this year. The findings of that survey included the recommendation for a more diverse and appropriate food and beverage offering for Southbank residents. 

To help our businesses better align their product and service to meet your needs, we have developed this survey to not only learn about what you want from the area’s cafes, restaurants and bars, but also how you like to spend your recreation time. It’s endorsed by the City of Melbourne, as we are working closely with the council to improve the amenity of Southbank.

There are good prizes to be won for those who participate in the survey as well. A stylish night’s dining for two on the Spirit of Melbourne is the main prize, plus there’s also 10 x $50 dining vouchers in the prize pool. So, seven minutes of your time at youryarra.melbourne will provide the business association and the council with some very valuable feedback, plus you could win yourself a dining prize.

An enjoyable festive season to you all. •