Community Engagement

Merri Merri Wayi is being shaped by the community. The community shared what they love about the creek, their vision for how it could be, and their priorities for the environmental, social and cultural values that contribute to a thriving and healthy ecosystem.

The consultation with the community defined the following priorities. Each priority has activities and actions to contribute to the overarching goal of a thriving and healthy ecosystem. This detail can be found in the Merri Merri Wayi Community Priorities Report.

Group of people sitting on grass in a park having a picnic
Natural landscape with a rocky river and trees
Man performing a smoking ceremony with torch and smoke
People sitting on logs in a grassy park with trees in the background.
Tranquil river scene with lush greenery and trees
Person cycling on a paved path through a green park, wearing a helmet and plaid shirt.

Community Education and Involvement

A place to learn and get involved in culture, community and the environment

Peaceful and Safe Space

Indigenous Ecological and Cultural Knowledge

A space to recognise, celebrate, a learn from Indigenous knowledge. 

Recreational Use

Connecting to and Caring for Nature

A home for plants and animals to live

Shared Pedestrian and Cycle Use

A peaceful and safe place to connect with and care for nature

A place for active and passive recreation for all

A route for pedestrians and cyclists to wander and commute

Background

The Merri Creek Coburg Safety Survey Report by Monash University’s XYX Lab was an important response to the issue of community safety with recommendations that action be taken in the following three realms to improve the safety of the creek:

  • Building communities

  • Communication & engagement

  • Infrastructure and maintenance

Importantly, community organisations and community members recognised the opportunity to build on existing work and action, as well as coming together to find new ones:


Two people crouching on grass examining a large map with red markers, surrounded by a group of people, bicycles visible in the background.
Green quotation mark symbol on a white background.
Teal colored double quotation mark symbol on white background.

The opportunity to build on this to more comprehensively address issues such as safe spaces for women, indigenous connection, celebrating the creek through art and sculpture, rewilding, and embracing the urban food cultivation of the region as a leading example for other Australian and global communities.

Green quotation mark symbol on a white background.

The unique values of the Merri catchment, the strong community interest and involvement that has developed around it, and the great things that Council and community organisations and individuals are already doing.

An outdoor market scene with a woman in a green sweater looking at a booth with plants and informational material. A woman with long hair is seated behind the booth. The setting includes tents and greenery in the background.

The value of developing a shared vision to provide a framework within which relevant community collaborations can flourish.