A date for your diary.

It’s that time of year again… the weather is warming up, the magpies have nearly finished swooping, and our very creative community are working hard to provide another classic Christmas Makers Market. This year it will be on Saturday the 22nd of November from 11am - 2pm.

We’ll have a whole lot of great stalls selling things by talented locals, including the CWA, and our own jams and preserves, a sausage sizzle (obviously) and fun Christmassy kids’ activities.

Get in some early Christmas shopping and enjoy the (hopefully) lovely weather, and catch up with friends in the local community!

Alphington Playgroup is back on Wednesday morning. Come along from 10am-12pm and make some local friends in the garden. Lots of lovely people attend (kids of course, and mums and dads and grandparents and carers) and there is space inside on rainy days. It costs $5 weekly. We’d love to see you.

AND … did you know we have Alphington Toy Library open at the same time? Well, Tuesdays AND Wednesdays … You can borrow up to 4 toys for 2 week bursts. Great for clutter busting at home, good for the environment … join up for $50 a year!

Also … we offer Birthday Party Hire of our space on Sundays. You can choose a morning or afternoon slot. 4 hours from $165. It saves you from cleaning your house and we have lots of great supplies on site to reduce single use plastic. If you are interested just visit our website to check out available times and book in.

Did you know you can rent our space for children’s birthday parties on Sundays?

You can book in for the morning or the afternoon, and it costs $150 +GST for the main room and undercover space out the back - with access to the kitchen (and toilet of course). Perfect for a small party with enough room for eating and party games inside or out depending on the weather …

Or if you need a bit more space you can add on the dining room and front yard for an additional $100 +GST.

We let our hirers use all our plates, glasses, platters, cutlery etc. which means that the parties can be more sustainable … and of course for mums and dads - they don’t have to vacuum their own house (and clean behind the couch) for visitors.

If you are interested in birthday party hire visit our venue hire page to find out the available dates for the rest of the year.

This week join us for our Men’s Group on Tuesday night from 7pm. Call John to find out more 0439 899 352.

Or Playgroup on Wednesday morning at 10am. Also Line Dancing at 10am - at Alphington Scout Hall. Each costs $5. Just come along! There’s also Armchair Theatre on in the afternoon from 1.15pm. This is run by Darebin U3A.

On Wednesday evening we have Sound Healing with Keiko from 7.15-8pm. Just $10 for a super relaxing experience. Find out more or book in Sounddroplet@tutamail.com.

On Thursday we have the first Embracing Life and Death session from 1-3pm. Find out more or book in with Andrea, Andrea_babon@yahoo.com. And the Alphingtones Choir run at night over at St Andrews Uniting Church Fairfield from 7.30pm.

Finally Friday is our Community Morning - craft, gardening, community shed activities from 10am. Community Lunch at 12pm.

We hope to see you soon!

Cheers Leanne

For those in the neighbourhood that love visiting the cinema with kids in tow, in the holidays … check out the Children's International Film Festival.

CHIFF brings a curated selection of international features and family short films, as well as fun events to the youngest film buffs and their families. 

The 2025 CHIFF program features 19 premiere films, handpicked from world-class film festivals all over the world.

 The Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) will be in cinemas over four weekends in June, and throughout the July school holidays. 

Catering for children aged 3 years and up, the festival's program ranges from non-verbal films for the miniature movie lover, through to a more challenging mix of foreign and English-language films from all over the world, perfect for older budding cinephiles. 

Screening in Victoria at Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick, Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and Cameo Cinemas in Belgrave, from 7 June to 20 July.

For more information and to check out the full program, just visit the CHIFF website.