Gardenia Road will soon be shining a little brighter, thanks to a community-led project set to light up the neighbourhood during this year’s Walking Thomastown festival.
The initiative, known as the Golden Letter Box Project, grew from community feedback highlighting the lack of lighting along Gardenia Road after families often commented the street was too dark when heading home from the annual event.
In response, Whittlesea council has provided strings of fairy lights for households along Gardenia Road. But it was the team at Thomastown Neighbourhood House (TNH) who turned the idea into something truly imaginative.
“We collected shoeboxes in the lead-up and our All Seasons and Little Diggers groups decorated them in gold paint and paper,” explained All Seasons facilitator, Caz Dunell.
“Each box has been filled with handmade stars and a special card, asking residents to display their lights on the evening of Walking Thomastown. We’ll deliver one box to each household on the Edgars Creek side of Gardenia Road,.”
The All Seasons program is a free weekly creative activity for young adults with disabilities, while Little Diggers is an after-school family club which focuses on art, recycling, and creative play. Both are run by TNH, which offers a variety of programs aimed at building connection and supporting vulnerable members of the community.
The Golden Letter Box Project will be unveiled on Saturday, August 30, as part of Walking Thomastown. TNH will also lead the Community Dance Project at the Thomas Street Community Stage from 6pm, featuring performances by students from Thomastown and Thomastown West primary schools.
Walking Thomastown is one of the city’s most anticipated annual events. The evening begins at the Main Street Recreation Reserve Playground, behind Thomastown Library, and features lighting displays, music, interactive glow-in-the-dark art, dancers, food trucks and a spectacular night-time walk ending at Ziebel’s Farmhouse.
“Walking Thomastown really gives our community something to look forward to,” said TNH manager Liz Skitch.
“It’s attracting people from across Melbourne and putting Thomastown and Edgars Creek on the map.”
Walking Thomastown is produced by the City of Whittlesea in partnership with TNH, Friends of Westgarth Town, TRAC and Yarra Plenty Regional Library.
