How will future extreme weather events affect our area? What can we do as a community to prepare for future disruptions, and recover better?
In September 2025 NCAT held two Community Resilience Workshops – one in Eltham and one in Hurstbridge – where local community members explored potential local climate impacts, who and what is most at risk, community strengths, and what’s needed to adapt, together.
These workshops were able to be held thanks to some community grant support from Nillumbik Shire Council and were expertly facilitated by an experienced team from Friends of the Earth’s Act on Climate.
Following these workshops, the Act on Climate team compiled and disseminated detailed findings which noted the strong sense of community that was identified at both workshops, as well as the need for improved communication. One way of supporting local leadership is to identify ‘resilience champions’ that can take the work of information dissemination forward through local communication networks.
Based on the ideas and suggested solutions generated in these initial workshops, a follow-up meeting was held in early October to identify which ideas/solutions could be taken further and developed into actions. Some of the actions coming out of this follow-up meeting are listed here:
Improve communication and information dissemination:
- Utilise existing community groups such as rural Community Fire Guard groups, local street-level What’s App groups, sport/community/service groups
- Call for volunteers to become Resilience Champions in their neighbourhood (to share information and check in on at-risk residents – see here for a model of community resilience in the Northern Rivers area)
- Mapping of existing communications (schools, community groups, service clubs, sporting clubs, council publications, community newsletters), and upgrading of existing comms such as Nillumbik News.
Increase infrastructure:
- Lobby for existing community shelters (e.g. Hurstbridge Hub, Wadambuk Centre, Eltham Community and Reception Centre) to open 24/7 for limited periods in response to need in times of fire/extreme heat/floods etc.
- Provision of water fountains, community battery for emergencies, community fridges/freezers, increased shade in public spaces (tree canopy, covered bus stops/car parks)
Further follow-up actions
- Provide information to householders on how to construct 72hr emergency kits (containing water, non-perishable food, torch/radio with batteries.
- Public forum in early 2026 to present findings of Nillumbik Climate Resilience Mapping Workshops to a wider audience.
- Apply for funding to make videos on how Nillumbik residents can prepare for fire/heat/storms/floods.
To stay updated about community resilience initiatives, or for more information on how to become involved in community resilience, please get in touch and we will keep you updated through our monthly newsletter about what is happening in the adaptation space.
We would be particularly interested in hearing from people who would be keen to become ‘resilience champions’ in the community. If this is you, please indicate in your email that you would like to become a resilience champion, and you will be contacted specifically about that once this initiative is further underway.
Resources:
Nillumbik Community Resilience Workshop findings
FOE Community Resilience Mapping
Community Resilience Project
Community resilience in the Northern Rivers
Building Victoria’s Climate Resilience
Climate Adaptation in Australia
Nillumbik Climate Action Team 