Communities in Melbourne’s north east are celebrating a milestone, with the completion of 100 local projects that have been delivered thanks to support from the North East Community Fund.
The $10 million fund is helping community organisations in areas close to North East Link, to support local groups during construction of Victoria’s biggest road project.
Among the completed projects, Concord School in Watsonia has used their North East Community Fund grant to install new cubby houses, animal sculptures and native plants to create a quiet nature play zone for students and the local community to play and connect with the environment.
Other projects that have been delivered and are providing a community benefit include new shade sails at Greenlink plant nursery in Box Hill North, new shelving and equipment for Manningham Toy Library, reversible Indigenous jumpers for the Bulleen Templestowe Amateur Football Club and Banyule Junior Football Club, and support for the Watsonia Family Fun Day run by local businesses.
Funding has also been provided to support tree planting and other environmental and sustainability initiatives.
The fund has supported more than 150 projects for local groups and organisations since 2022, with $5.6 million awarded in total to date.
The 2025 successful recipients are expected to be announced in July, and further rounds of funding will be available during construction.
The milestone comes as work is continuing on North East Link, with tunnel boring machines building the twin tunnels between Watsonia to Bulleen, major upgrades under way on the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, and flyover bridges being built at the intersection of the M80 Ring Road and Greensborough Highway.