The Venny Inc

22/10/2026

City of Melbourne Queensberry Cup

16/10/2026

14/10/2026

The Venny To You crew are looking forward to Playing again at this years Queensberry Cup this Saturday October 17. See You Then 🩷

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Fun for kids of all ages! 🎈

Along with the thrill of watching billycarts careen down Errol St, there’s plenty for the little ones to get involved in:

🏁 NEW: Under 7s Billycart Track. Thrills for the littlest racers in George Johnson Lane, near the library. Run by Biz-E-Kids.
🌈 Rainbow playhouse. Find it in Little Errol Street, behind the library.
🎈 Balloon cars. Make your very own inside the library.
🧵 Lancashire Lane (primary school age). Snap a photo with the Sowing Kindness mascot bear, decorate a cupcake with The Sweet Treat Retreat, get crafty with Homework Club, and join in the face painting and hula hoops.
🛝 Adventure playground. The Venny Inc

Sowing Kindness is also running free crafts: make a kindness-themed handmade card or a goldfish paper lantern with the theme “have a heart of gold: be kind-hearted” 💛

📍 Errol & Queensberry Streets, North Melbourne
📅 Saturday 17 October, 1–7pm
🎟️ Free entry

01/10/2026

Kia ora koutou, Ōtautahi Christchurch!!

The Venny is heading to the International Play Association World Conference in Aotearoa New Zealand — and we’re taking four Venny voices with us.
David Kutcher and Danni will present:
“Claiming Your Own Backyard – Playing against a backdrop of vertical living and public housing: Playing on Contaminated Land and the Forgotten Places”

Drawing on the words and wisdom of Joan Healey, the founder of The Cubbies and one of the pioneers of adventure play in Australia, David Kutcher and Danni von der Borch will explore The Venny’s story of children making space their own — playing, creating and belonging in places that have too often been forgotten or overlooked.

But that’s only part of the Venny story at IPA. Lloyd Greenland will share his own journey — from being a Venny kid, to becoming a Venny playworker and now Assistant Director. A living example of how a place to play can become a place to belong, grow and work !
And Gabe Smith will present his research, bringing another perspective from inside The Venny’s ongoing practice and commitment to understanding what happens when children are given genuine space, time and freedom to play.
Four Venny workers. Four perspectives. One extraordinary place.
From children who once played at The Venny, to the people now creating the conditions for the next generation to play.
For more than 45 years, The Venny has been about freedom and belonging — giving children a place they can call their own.
We’re proud to take a little bit of inner Melbourne,Kensington, North Melbourne , Fitzroy and Flemington to Ōtautahi and to join playworkers, researchers, educators and advocates from around the world in the international conversation about children’s right to play.
Nau mai, haere mai — welcome.
See you at IPA 2026! 🌿🛝 City Of Melbourne Moonee Valley City Council Yarra City Council 👋 Building Healthy Communities through Play

23/09/2026

Our GUINEA PIGS need names !! 👀

Two brand-new, very cute, very furry, very hungry residents have arrived at The Venny… 🐹🐹

BUT… they don’t have names! 😱

And that’s where YOU come in!

What should we call them? 🤔

Maybe you’ve got the perfect names already… or perhaps meeting them will give you an idea!

Kids and families — we want YOUR name suggestions!

💻 Suggest a name online
👣 Or come down to The Venny and register your idea.

The best names will go into the running… and soon our two furry friends will finally have names! 🎉

So get thinking. Get creative. And help us give our newest Venny residents their names! 🐹❤️

17/09/2026

Work experience at The Venny means getting stuck in! 🐹🎨🎶
Meet Asiya, Mijok and Abbey — our work experience crew who have been absolutely smashing it this week!
They’ve been busy planning their very own event — creating the playlist, dreaming up the menu, making shopping lists for food and snacks, designing decorations, making a banner, creating posters and flyers, and then hitting the ground running by chatting with kids and parents and inviting everyone along.
And that’s just the event!
They’ve jumped into sessions, played and connected with kids, helped with set-up and pack-down, cleaned up, and generally got involved wherever they were needed.
They’ve also taken on one of the most important jobs at The Venny — caring for our animals and helping our new guinea pigs settle into their new home. 🐹❤️
Lots of doing, lots of learning, lots of laughing and plenty of getting your hands dirty.
Thanks Asiya, Mijok and Abbey for bringing your energy, ideas and enthusiasm to The Venny. You’ve been a fantastic part of the crew! 🌿 With thanks to City of Melbourne

03/09/2026

Last night was something really special at The Venny. 💜

Our Girls Group has been creating a space for girls to belong, connect, have fun and be themselves for 25 years. Last night, 30 girls filled the room — and the story came full circle.

f.haji.ali was one of the original Girls Group girls back in 2001 Today, she is part of The Venny team, helping create that same sense of belonging for the next generation.

Danni von der Borch our long-standing Girls Group lead and Director of Play and Wellbeing has been a huge part of the program’s story from the beginning while Hala a long-time member of The Venny team and Girls Group lead, continues to help make the space what it is today.

And then came another beautiful moment — Girls Group alumni Abbie, Sarah, Nabat and Aisha returned to give back.

They talked with the girls about their own time at Girls Group, what the space meant to them growing up, the friendships and connections they made, and the impact it has had on their lives.

There is something incredibly powerful about seeing the past, present and future of Girls Group together in one room.

From 2001 to today. Different generations. Same sense of belonging.

That’s the power of Girls Group. ❤️

City Of Melbourne