We encourage all attendees and interested spectators to check out this gallery of superstars, share and celebrate them everywhere and anywhere - just remember to give us a follow and a tag on instagram https://www.instagram.com/keepaustraliabeautifulvic/ and facebook https://www.facebook.com/keepaustraliabeautifulvic and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/kabvic so we can share the love!
Congratulations to our 2025 Tidy Towns and Cities Sustainability Awards Finalists. We have once again got a brilliant collection of worthy people and projects, making wonderful contributions to the sustainability of our beautiful state.
We encourage everyone to grab a ticket to the awards ceremony and join us on the 28th October at Rydges Melbourne to find out who our winners will be, and to meet the outstanding people who do so much for Victoria.
Tickets are available now - https://events.humanitix.com/tidy-towns-and-cities-sustainability-awards-2025
EcoSoulLife - Litter - Kingston City Council
Garry Jarris - 500,000 Recycle Bottles and Cans - Litter - Indigo Shire Council
Frankston City's Environmental and Friends Group Volunteer Bushland - Environment - Frankston City Council
Kooyongkoong Alliance: Connecting habitats and communities - Environment - Kooyongkoong Alliance
Lid Rescue Project - Litter - Circular Peninsula
Beechworth Toy Library - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - Indigo Shire Council
Bin it or Take it home with you! Community Engagement and Awareness Campaign - Litter - City of Greater Dandenong
Beechworth Toy Library - Town - Indigo Shire Council
Riddells Creek War Memorial Gates - Heritage and Culture - Macedon Ranges Shire
Dimboola Dollars - Bushfire Recovery Program - Community - The Lions Club of Dimboola
The Birth of a Pottery Community - Community - Mansfield & District Potters (MAD Potters)
170 Years of Ovens and Murray Advertiser - Heritage and Culture - Indigo Shire Council
Shall we Dance - Community - Dreams Can Come True Formal Wear Hire Chiltern Branch
Securing our Story: Beechworth's National Heritage Journey - Heritage and Culture - Indigo Shire Council
ENJOY Parks for LIFE - Social Well-Being - National Ageing Research Institute
Trail Hiking Australia - Social Well-Being - Trail Hiking Australia
Climate Ready Gardens - Environment - Strathbogie Shire Council
YES Awards - Social Well-Being - Frankston City Council
Queen Victoria Market Circular Economy Precinct - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - STREAT & City of Melbourne
Winterwords - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Indigo Shire Council
Growing our Urban Forest 60,000 trees - Environment - Frankston City Council
Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation - Environment - Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation
St Joseph's Primary School Nature Play Group - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - St Joseph's Crip Point
Living with Purpose - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Repurpose it
Clay Banks for Generation - Environment - Indigo Shire Council
Wash Against Waste Event Trailer - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Empowering community through compassionate and immediate crisis relief - Social Well-Being - Wayside Community Emergency Relief
3PLaS - Southern Peninsula Laundry and Shower program - Social Well-Being - Southern Peninsula Community Support
Greater Geelong Smart LED Street Light Program - Energy - City of Greater Geelong
Tonwinin Wominjeka Youth Hub - Social Well-Being - Mornington Peninsula Shire
Biyal-a-Armstrong Creek Library - Community - City of Greater Geelong
Seat for Reflection - Indigenous Culture - Indigo Shire Council
Share & Swap Shop - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - City of Port Phillip
Windharp Horizons - Environment - Buloke and Northern Grampians Landscape Network
Nature Strip Blitz - Social Well-Being - Geelong City Council
Frankston City Council Coastal Strategy - Cultural Values Assessment - Indigenous Culture - Frankston City Council
Habitat Heroes - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Wyndham City Council
Land Protection Grant Scheme - Environment - Wyndham City Council
RMIT Construction Waste Lab - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - City of Melbourne
Coastal process education and dune erosion mitigation - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Mornington Peninsula Shire
Mornington Peninsula Shire's 'Virtual Energy Network' pilot - Energy - Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Geelong Nature Festival 2025 - Explore and Restore - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - City of Greater Geelong
Beachkeepers of the Bay - Environment - Port Phillip EcoCentre
Crowd Sauce: Connecting community through circular food innovation - Community - STREAT
Port Phillip EcoCentre Redevelopment - Energy - City of Port Phillip
Geelong's Homegrown Compost Supporting Waste Reduction and Sustainable Food Production - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - City of Greater Geelong
Made with Love Free Chemotherapy Turbans - Social Well-Being - Turban Angels
Our Survival Day - Indigenous Culture - Our Songlines
Sustainable Swim Schools - Energy - Paul Sadler Swimland
Frankston City's Environmental and Friends Group Volunteer Guidelines - Community - Frankston City Council
The Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking (The Guild) was founded by Alastair Boell in 2007. After graduating from the world renowned North Bennet Street School, Boston, USA, Alastair felt that there was a great need in Australia for an educational facility that focuses on traditional skills. We travelled out to Blackburn to check out their workshop and training spaces... and to meet the workshop doggo! Alastair and Jacqueline were generous hosts, and took us on a tour of the facilities, the projects and the reclaimed timber storage!
Winner of the Tidy Cities Heritage and Culture category in 2024, the space is incredible. The facilities include a fully equipped machine room, 4 classrooms with workbenches, numerous hand tools, hardware, finishing products and a variety of exotic salvaged timbers.
They also offer onsite milling with their own mill and an in-house workshop milling service.
For those interested in ‘Commission’ work, they have a gifted community of furniture designers/makers on call.
The Guild is committed to preserving and advancing craft traditions in furniture making. They are also committed to promoting a greater awareness and appreciation of craftsmanship. In their classes they emphasise the skilful use of hand tools and power equipment and an informed use of appropriate materials and proportions.
They are clearly so passionate and knowledgable about what they do and want to share information, ideas and skills with their extended woodworking community.
It's a truly inspiring space, filled with kind, creative and helpful people, and enough interesting project ideas to keep you busy for as long as you've got to spare!
There will be a free hand tool and open day event weekend in November that we encourage everyone to go and check out!
More information on the open day and the guild can be found here - https://www.mgfw.com.au/open-day-weekend
