A useful week around Maroondah

Local sport starts with finding your way in

You might have a child keen to try basketball, be thinking about returning to cricket, or simply want to find a club nearby. The first question is much the same: where do you start?

The new Maroondah Sports Guide gives you a place to begin. Browse by sport, look through the clubs and follow their official information. Australian Rules Football and soccer have their own sections, alongside basketball, netball, cricket, tennis and golf. The guide covers Maroondah and the whole suburbs of Bayswater and Kilsyth.

Start with what you want to do: try a sport, join a team, or ask about helping out. Then ask the club which age group or level suits you, what the weekly commitment involves, and whether an introductory session is available. A basic listing gives you a contact route; it does not confirm a place, a fee or a training time.

Have a look through the guide and choose one club to ask. You do not have to have the whole season worked out to take that first step.

Find a club in the Maroondah Sports Guide

The one-hour dog outing

Need to get the dog out without losing the whole morning? Set a one-hour boundary: allow roughly ten minutes to reach a nearby suitable park, 35 to 40 minutes for the walk or park session, and the remaining time for water and the trip home. Choose a fenced park only if that environment suits your dog; otherwise use an on-lead walk. Bring a lead, water and waste bags, and follow the current signs. The result is a complete local outing with a $0 activity budget and most of the morning still free. A cafe can be added, but the plan does not depend on one.

Planning to bring your dog? Please check current dog access and any conditions with the venue or organiser before you go.

Open the current MX Dog Guide

View Maroondah Council's off-leash dog park rules and locations

View the official Eastfield Dog Park page

Maroondah now has an adopted tobacco and e-cigarette policy

Council adopted the policy on 20 July, with objectives covering smoking and vaping, second-hand exposure, youth uptake and related litter. A 10-metre smoke- and vape-free zone around Council facilities and sporting grounds during events was proposed during consultation, but should not be treated as operating unless Council confirms implementation.

Read the adopted Council policy

What counts as essential infrastructure?

The 2026/27 capital works highlights allocate $5.89 million to roads and $3.17 million to drainage. Both affect daily life, but often become visible only when a surface fails or heavy rain exposes a problem. Without assuming money can simply move between budget categories, which everyday infrastructure issue causes you the most frustration?

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A free after-school hour with origami and dessert making

Tuesday's after-school plan can be one booked hour instead of another afternoon assembled on the run. Creative Kids Corner is at Bayswater Library on Tuesday 13 October from 4pm to 5pm. This week's activity combines origami with creating a nutritious dessert. It is free, suitable for ages 5–12, requires an accompanying adult and essential booking; siblings are welcome and a lighter activity is offered. Book before the day, allow one hour at the library and set the activity budget at $0.

Check the official listing for current availability and any food information before booking.

View the official Creative Kids Corner at Bayswater library - origami & create a nutritious dessert listing

How the local pub became a suburban meeting place

Maroondah’s pub story reaches from coaching routes to suburban hotels, then into industrial breweries and a shopping-centre rooftop. MX’s guide connects that history with eight selected operating venues in Bayswater, Croydon and Ringwood. The Coach provides a link to the area’s early hotel story; Hard Road Brewing and 8 Track Brewery show another form of local gathering place. Use the refreshed directory to choose a setting, then check current dining, access and booking arrangements with the venue. The history gives you context; the current venue information helps you plan the visit.

Explore the local pub story and directory

Bayswater gives a Vietnamese-food search several starting points

Five of the 11 businesses in MX’s Vietnamese and pho guide are in Bayswater. Croydon and Ringwood each add two, with one each in Bayswater North and Kilsyth. The refreshed directory also records the BÁNH MÌ XPRESS - DRIVE THRU trading name. Those locations are a useful starting point when you are deciding where to stop, but the menu and service still matter. Follow the business links to check whether today’s plan is a quick takeaway, a drive-through order or a meal out, and confirm current details directly.

Explore the Vietnamese and pho guide

Six kebab specialists across five suburbs

A small category can still have a useful local reach. The September kebab guide lists six specialists across Bayswater, Croydon, Heathmont, Ringwood and Vermont, with two in Croydon and one in each of the other four suburbs. It is a quick way to locate a specialist near your plans. The next step is the menu: a category label does not confirm every kebab variation or whether a particular HSP is available. Use the refreshed business links and check the current offering before placing your order.

Find a kebab specialist by suburb

Two different starting points for Mexican food

Croydon’s Mexican-food listings spread through its streets; Ringwood’s three are at Eastland. That gives you a simple first decision: the location that best fits the rest of your outing. The September MX guide includes 10 venues in total, with five in Croydon and one each in Bayswater and Bayswater North alongside the Ringwood group. Use the directory to see the names and addresses, then check the current menu and booking arrangements. For a discount or special, follow the live Local Value guide and its conditions rather than assuming a past offer still applies.

Explore the local Mexican-food map

Choose a cuisine, then choose a suburb

The wider Asian-food map contains more choice than a single dinner decision needs. MX’s September overview brings together 87 selected businesses, with Ringwood, Croydon and Bayswater the largest groups. Sushi Hub Eastland, Sushi Izu Vermont and Double Dragon Dumplings Ringwood North are among the additions. The useful next step is to narrow the search: Thai, Japanese and sushi, Indian and South Asian, Chinese, or Vietnamese. Each linked guide shows the actual businesses and locations. Check the current venue format too—a sushi counter, takeaway and sit-down restaurant can answer different needs.

Start with the Asian-food overview

Thai-food choices reach beyond the big centres

Croydon and Bayswater lead MX’s Thai directory with four and three listings respectively, but the guide reaches 10 suburbs. Wonga Park and Croydon North each have an option to explore, alongside neighbourhood choices in Heathmont and Ringwood East. The September refresh retains 17 restaurants and updates the dated public-rating shortlist. Start with the location that suits your evening, then check the current menu, booking and takeaway arrangements. The category tells you where to begin; spice levels, signature dishes and dietary suitability need a direct conversation with the venue.

Explore Thai restaurants by suburb

Three centres carry most of the Indian-food choice

Bayswater and Croydon each contribute four listings to MX’s Indian and South Asian guide; Ringwood adds three. Heathmont and Ringwood East each have one, bringing the September directory to 13 businesses. One lesson from the checking is that broad labels can hide useful places: Utsav in Heathmont remains included through its documented cuisine check despite its generic restaurant category. The guide gives you those names and locations in one place. Use the current venue menu to narrow the choice, and confirm dietary requirements directly.

Explore Indian and South Asian food locally

A free Monday music session across generations

A short Monday outing can give young children and older residents a shared reason to sing and move together. Hey dee ho Intergenerational Music runs at Arcare Aged Care Croydon on Monday 19 October from 10.45am to 11.30am. Children and carers join elderly residents for singing, dancing and music. The session is free, but every adult and child must be booked because places are limited, and the organiser lists health and safety conditions. Book each attendee, allow 45 minutes for the session and set the activity budget at $0. Read and follow the organiser's current conditions before attending.

Every adult and child must be booked; read and follow the organiser's current health and safety conditions.

View the official Hey dee ho Intergenerational Music - Croydon (Arcare) listing

Why one surplus becomes two

Maroondah forecasts a $21.62 million surplus for 2026/27, but an underlying operating surplus of $6.92 million after adjusting for capital grants and other non-recurring revenue. Both figures are useful, but they answer different questions. Which figure should Council lead with when explaining the budget to residents?

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What’s living in your garden? A free October outing in Croydon

You don’t have to travel far to find something worth learning about. On Wednesday 14 October, Croydon Library is hosting An introduction to garden invertebrates, a free adult session from 10–11am at 5 Civic Square. Naturalist Maxwell Campbell will explain some of the small creatures found in our gardens, their natural history and the roles they play. It’s a useful choice if you’d like to understand more about the life just outside your door.

That’s one of the outings in the October Free Events Guide, which brings together 291 free sessions across Maroondah, organised by category and date. If Wednesday morning doesn’t suit, open the guide at a day you’re free and find another local option.

For the Croydon talk, check Your Library’s current listing and reserve through the library, or call 03 9800 6448. Check booking requirements and current details before heading out; free entry doesn’t guarantee a place.

Find a free October outing

Check and book the Croydon garden talk