Community Groups

Sopranos sing ’Thank you for the Music’. In a 2015 study, singing in a choir was demonstrated to be one of the quickest ways to bond a group of strangers, and community singing was identified as an ideal way to improve broader social networks, especially in an era when so many feel isolated or alienated. The fact that Blackheath has …

The June Blackheath Local News. You can download this month’s local news here.

The May Blackheath Local News. You can download this month’s local news here.

Once upon a time (or so the story goes …) Australians collected water in water tanks; grew their own food; sat on their front verandahs waving at passers-by; connected regularly in their neighbourhoods to share skills, resources and produce; got what they couldn’t grow at their corner store; and told themselves that they and their mates were strong and resilient. Then, …

  Do you ever ask yourself how Blackheath became such an extraordinarily friendly place? What accounts for all those smiling faces on the street, the small courtesies from strangers, the frequency with which a driver gives way to others or the way the village welcomes visitors? The climate and the beauty of the place are surely contributing factors but they …

After three decades pushing boundaries as a behavioural scientist, focused on what motivates people to change, Wentworth Falls resident Susanne Rix has now developed the first Blue Mountains Edible Garden Festival and Trail – from Little Hartley to Glenbrook. As one of the first in Australia to explore the positive impact of meditation in the workplace, she’s now focused on what it …

“He who knows only his own side of a case, knows little of that” – John Stuart Mill The first time I meet Peter Baldwin we are at the Blackheath Philosophy Forum. It’s Saturday afternoon, on the lingering tail of a golden Blackheath autumn, and the community hall is packed. It’s thrilling, in a way, that hundreds of people are willing to give their weekend …

Imagine an initiative that helps to reduce the devastating environmental impact of plastic while also building community, teaching new skills and upcycling materials. Boomerang Bags is doing all that and more, and it’s arrived in the Mountains. Boomerang Bags first began on the Gold Coast in 2013. It addresses the problem of plastics at a grassroots level by engaging communities of volunteers to make cloth shopping bags out of upcycled materials. The bags are placed in stores …