Community Events Melbourne

Board Game Playtesting – 28 June

**Welcome to Incubator Melbourne!** Curious about how board games are made? This is our regular event to test prototype games. Newcomers are very welcome and no experience is needed. You don’t need to bring a game to join and play. ***Please RSVP here and cancel if you cannot attend.*** *Total attendance is higher than the Meetup RSVP list, and we typically have a good-sized group on the day.* 🗺️ **HOW TO FIND US** The Lion Hotel is on level 3 of Melbourne Central. We’ll be down the back at Jac’s Bar. Look for our tables and grab a seat. 👀 **WHAT TO EXPECT** • Bring a game to test, or just join in others’ games • Two sessions: short games first, longer games after lunch • Quick intros, setup, lunch break, then afternoon games ⏰ **TIMES** • 11:00–11:30am: Intros and setup • 11:30–1:00pm: Short games • 1:00–1:30pm: Lunch • 1:30–4:00pm: Longer games

July Book Club

Welcome to our July gathering of Melbourne Women's Big Ideas Book Club! If you love discovering great books and discussing the ideas they spark, we'd love to have you join us. This is a relaxed monthly lunch where every member brings along a book they've recently enjoyed. There are no set reads and no genre restrictions—just thoughtful books and interesting women. Each member has the opportunity to share what they've been reading, what resonated, what challenged them, or what fell short. From there, the conversation naturally evolves as we explore new perspectives, exchange recommendations, and connect through a shared love of reading. Whether you're a regular attendee or joining us for the first time, you'll find a welcoming group of curious, intelligent women who enjoy meaningful conversation and genuine connection. I can't wait to hear what you've been reading this month.

Sunday Brunch: Money, Meaning & Working Differently

A warm, low-pressure Sunday brunch for good humans to meet, connect and have real conversations. This first gathering will centre around the theme: ## **Money, Meaning & Working Differently** **Register here**: [https://events.humanitix.com/good-humans-good-vibes-sunday-brunch-money-meaning-and-working-differently-june-2026](https://events.humanitix.com/good-humans-good-vibes-sunday-brunch-money-meaning-and-working-differently-june-2026) We’ll be joined by two wonderful co-hosts who are both building intentional careers, and are both avid fans of the book *We Should All Be Millionaires* by Rachel Rodgers. Together, we’ll open up a gentle, honest conversation about money, work, wealth, values and sustainability: * Can good humans want more money? * What does it mean to build wealth while staying connected to your values? * Why do so many thoughtful, values-led people feel uncomfortable talking about money? * How do we build work, careers and businesses that support our lives? * What changes when more kind, thoughtful and justice-minded people have more resources? * How do we price, earn, negotiate, grow or make decisions in ways that feel more aligned? You do not need to have read the book. You do not need to run a business. You do not need to have your money stuff figured out. Just come as you are. ## **What to expect** This will be a casual brunch with a little bit of gentle structure. There will be: * A short welcome * A relaxed conversation with our co-hosts * Space for everyone to meet and chat * Good humans, good conversations and good vibes * A warm, friendly environment where you can connect without needing to perform The aim is simple: to create a space where values-aligned people can meet, share ideas, and leave feeling a little more energised, supported and connected. ## **Registration** This helps us confirm numbers and cover the cost of running events. As part of our social enterprise model, **50% of ticket proceeds go towards causes that matter**. Please note: tickets do **not** include food or drinks. You’ll be able to order and pay for your own food and drinks directly at the venue. #### **Standard - $20** Choose this option if you can comfortably contribute the standard amount. #### **Pay-What-You-Can - Any amount you like** Choose this option if you would like to contribute a different amount. No explanation needed. Choose the amount that feels right for your circumstances. #### **Pay It Forward - Optional** If you have the capacity and would like to contribute a little extra, this helps make future Good Humans, Good Vibes gatherings more accessible and sustainable. ## **A note on the vibe** This is a connection-first gathering. You might meet people you could work with, collaborate with, refer to, learn from or cheer on - and that would be lovely. The heart of the event, though, is good conversation, generosity, curiosity and care. Please come with respect for the room and the people in it. We want this to feel warm, inclusive and easy to be part of. ## **Co-hosts** The conversations at this first brunch will be gently co-hosted by two wonderful good humans. ###  ### **Anya Roslan** Anya is down-to-earth, generous and full of energy - the kind of person who makes a room feel more alive, more honest and more possible. She is currently launching **soft pause**, a wellness brand centred on rest, care and more sustainable ways of living and working. Alongside this, Anya works as a fractional growth lead and strategist, helping ambitious teams grow with more clarity and momentum.  ### **Sakshi S. Jansen** Sakshi is warm, funny and wonderfully direct - the person you want at the table when the conversation gets honest, interesting and a little bit cheeky. She is the founder of **Koala Lab**, an email/newsletter strategy specialist helping founders, experts and creative businesses build stronger relationships with their audiences through better content, email and communication. *** Together, they bring **humour**, **honesty** and a **refreshingly human** point of view to conversations about **money**, **work**, **ambition**, **rest**, and what it means to build **a life that** actually **feels good to live**. ## **Accessibility and inclusion** We want this to feel welcoming and accessible. If there is anything that would help you feel more comfortable attending, please reach out. You are welcome to come alone. You are especially welcome if you are introverted, do not know anyone, or are still figuring out what you are building, doing or becoming. ## **Questions?** Reach out to Lavinia via the Contact host button here or message Lavinia on LinkedIn. ## **Come for the brunch. Stay for the good humans.** We would love to have you there. *** #### **About Good Humans, Good Vibes** Good Humans, Good Vibes is a monthly gathering series hosted as part of the broader Good Humans ecosystem. The idea is to create warm, low-pressure spaces for kind, thoughtful and values-aligned people to meet, connect and have real conversations. Sometimes it might be brunch, sometimes coffee, sometimes cocktails, sometimes something else entirely. But always good humans, always inclusive, and always good vibes. #### **Hosted by Lavinia Kanagandran** Lavinia is the founder of **Good Humans Good Work** and the person behind **Good Humans, Good Vibes**. She works across social impact, digital, venture building, strategy and community-led change - helping good people bring their visions to life. Lavinia is hosting this first brunch to create more warm, low-pressure spaces for kind, thoughtful and values-aligned people to meet, connect and feel a little less alone in the work they are doing. **Register here:** **[https://events.humanitix.com/good-humans-good-vibes-sunday-brunch-money-meaning-and-working-differently-june-2026](https://events.humanitix.com/good-humans-good-vibes-sunday-brunch-money-meaning-and-working-differently-june-2026)**

Melbourne TED Talk Community Event

Join the Melbourne TED Talk Community for an engaging session and meet people who like being an ideator, who want to bring their voice to a larger community. In contrast to a typical public speaking training event, where you receive feedback on your amms and aas and the way you present, this goes beyond that. **The objective of this community is to get inspired by some of the best ideas serving humanity, find your own calling and voice, be an ideator, and share your ideas clearly and persuasively.** The talk we will play is one of the amazing talks from the TED Library. In this session, we will delve deeper into the topic and gain perspective, and learn from each other. Be prepared to network, engage in meaningful conversations, and embark on a journey of professional development and leadership growth. **Mark your calendars and don't miss this opportunity to refine your public speaking abilities with the Melbourne TED Talk Community!** **TED Talk link to watch together:** **TBA** **Agenda (as a guide)** 6.00 PM Registration 6.10 PM Introduction by Attendees 6.15 PM 10-12 min TED talk on screen (optional) 6.30 PM Breakout session (Group / Individual) based on topic 6.40 PM Individual / Group shares their takeaways 7.00 PM Practice the Art of Public Speaking - 2-3 talks of 2-5 minutes 7.10 PM Feedback to the Presenters and overall session 7.20 PM Event Concludes & floor opens for Networking **Location Guide:** We are in the Sue Healy Room which is on 2nd floor. For any issues in locating the room, please call or message on the number displayed in the Foyer near the lift. **Fees:** The event has **a $5 contribution** towards hiring the hall and Audiovisual. This can be paid through PayPal at the time of registration. **RSVP and Non-attendance is taken very seriously by us including a block to attend the future events. So for any reasons you can't attend please change your RSVP to NO atleast a day in advance. This will help the Organisers manage the venue and seating.** Looking forward to seeing you there. The Organizers Raj

Tuesday Language Exchange at Fathers Office QV

**Welcome to our Tuesday Social + Language Exchange Meetup 🌍** We meet weekly at **Fathers Office QV-249 Little lonsdale st (Melbourne CBD).** We ask that you **purchase a drink at the bar** or **pay $3.5 at entry** to support the venue. *** ### 💬 Find your people (New!) Looking to practice a specific language? Post in the discussion using: * **#LearnSpanish** * **#LearnEnglish** * **#TeachEnglish** * **#LearnJapanese** * etc. 👉 This helps others find you faster and makes it easier to connect. *** ### 📲 Join our WhatsApp Community Stay connected before and after the event, meet people, and find language partners: 👉 **Join here:** [https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bi7FlhHP91e0eP7MfdeWcZ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bi7FlhHP91e0eP7MfdeWcZ) *** ### ⏰ What to expect We consistently have **100–120 attendees** every Thursday (across multiple Meetup groups). People arrive at different times — **best time to come is between 6PM and 9PM.** Come solo or with friends — most people come alone and join conversations naturally. *** ### 🌏 Who attends? A mix of: * Native & non-native English speakers * International students * Backpackers & working holiday travellers * Professionals & expats * Local Australians You’ll meet people from: Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, and more. *** ### 🗣️ Why join? 👉 A relaxed, social way to practice English 👉 Meet people from around the world 👉 No pressure, no structure — just conversations *** ### 🍕 FREE DRINKS & FOOD FOR FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS! We’re looking for **friendly volunteers** to help welcome newcomers and keep the vibe social. 👉 You’ll get: * Free drinks (beer/soft drink) * Food (pizza, wedges, etc.) * A fun team to hang out with No experience needed — many of our volunteers are **first-timers too**. Interested? 👉 [www.Linguas.au/Volunteer](www.Linguas.au/Volunteer) *** 📲 **More info:** [https://instagram.com/Linguas.AU](https://instagram.com/Linguas.AU) or **@Linguas.AU**

Community Conversations: Imagining Stronger Social Cohesion in Boroondara

Community Conversations: Imagining Stronger Social Cohesion in Boroondara During the July session of Community Conversations, we will partner with the 'Bahá'i Creating an Inclusive Narrative' project to contribute to its ongoing learning about advancing social cohesion in Australia. Since its inception in 2019, the project has brought together hundreds of people through roundtable discussions exploring the "bigger story" of Australian identity - one that embraces the diverse voices, cultures and historical experiences of all Australians. We warmly invite you to join our Community Conversations gathering on 17 July 2026 and participate in a Boroondara focused roundtable discussion that will help shape a shared vision for fostering greater social cohesion within our community. The consultation process will be guided by principles of reciprocity, respect and purposeful consultation. With the current challenges facing our community there has never been a more important time to contribute to this conversation. Insights and perspectives shared during the roundtable will help inform the second edition of the Creating an Inclusive Narrative publication, which will be shared with government and civil society organisations. For more information about the Bahá'i Creating an Inclusive Narrative project: **Creating an Inclusive Narrative Project** (https://collections.humanitix.com/creating-an-inclusive-narrative-project#CollectionAbout-title) Register now to reserve your place. Community Conversations is a monthly initiative of the Boroondara Bahá'í community that brings people together to explore contemporary challenges, strengthen understanding, and foster meaningful connection. This is a free event and all are invited to attend. Please RSVP to attend: http://bit.ly/4vcpuwh

Sunday Reset: Walk, Talk & Brunch

Ease into your Sunday with a calm walk, meaningful conversation, and brunch with new people. This event is all about slowing down, getting out of the house, and connecting with others in a relaxed setting. We’ll start with a casual walk at the Fitzroy Markets so conversations can happen naturally, then continue the morning over brunch. It’s perfect if you want to meet new friends without the pressure of a big social event. You can come by yourself, bring an open mind, and let the conversation unfold. We’ll include a few simple BeSocial prompts to help break the ice and make it easier to get to know each other. Whether you’ve had a busy week, recently moved, or just want to build more real-life connection, this is a gentle way to reset and start the week feeling more connected. **Perfect for:** brunch lovers, Sunday walkers, people who prefer small groups, and anyone looking for genuine conversation. **Event photography and videography may take place at this event. Images and footage captured may be used in future BeSocial promotional materials.** **If you do not wish to appear in promotional materials, please notify Nexaro Group Pty Ltd before the event by emailing support@besocialapp.co, or let the event hosts know on the day.**

MEL MLOps Community #18 | Data, Decision and Agentic AI Productivity Paradox

We are stoked to announce our next **Melbourne MLOps Community Meetup** of the year! We are bringing you an absolute powerhouse lineup featuring two industry heavyweights. We will dive deep into tracking ML/DS performance using high-impact business metrics over raw statistical metrics. We will also tackle the AI coding productivity paradox and the high-stakes build-vs-buy SaaS dilemma. **🎤 Speakers** We’re thrilled to introduce: **\- Nathanael Lampe**, Machine Learning Manager *at* Bunnings Warehouse. Nat is widely recognised as one of the most brilliant, deeply technical data science leaders. He brings an elite background in advanced data science, now driving the core Data Science team at Bunnings. In his talk, *Data & Decisions,* Nat will explain how in ML, we often focus on model accuracy but it’s a lot harder to measure the decisions a model supports. When we can anchor our ML practice in true business metrics, we are better equipped to ensure analytics projects succeed. **\- Javier Candeira**, Fractional CTO *at* Infoplumbing. Javier is a distinguished veteran of the data, software, and tech consultancy scenes. He brings many years of battle-tested technical and business experience to guiding teams through today's volatile AI landscape. His talk titled: *The Buy/Build Dilemma and the Agentic Productivity Paradox* addresses three red-hot issues in the MLOps community: 1\. Local LLM inference and tooling for small scale teams\. What is too much local MLOps for a 1\-5 person shop? Is local inference only a cost saver\, or are there also capabilies unlocked by the finer\-grained control afforded by operating one’s own models? 2\. The Buy/Build dilemma\. This is a question for every company\, from small SaaS to big corporate\. The abundance of LLM coding tools shifts the balance\. How? 3\. The Productivity Paradox: If Agentic Coding and LLM autocomplete are so great\, where are the great new products? Where’s the programmer productivity going? Javier will showcase some of his NixOS-based MLOps-for-one tools, and will attempt to progress the conversation on these three questions with his own reflections based on personal experience. **Networking** The Melbourne MLOps Community is committed to fostering a space where AI/ML engineers and practitioners can connect, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships. Come ready to discuss: * The tools you’re experimenting with * Trends you’re seeing in ML and MLOps * Challenges you’re tackling * Ways to find peer support We’ll have food, drinks, and the perfect space for great conversations — so feel free to bring along anyone interested in ML, MLOps, or AI more broadly. **Agenda** 🍕 **5:30pm** – Networking, drinks & food 🙋 **6:00pm** – Welcome 🎤 **6:10pm** – Presentation by Nathanael ❓ **6:30pm** – Questions for Nathanael 🎤 **6:40pm** – Presentation by Javier ❓ **7:00pm** – Questions for Javier 🍻 **7:10pm onwards** – Networking, drinks & food We’re looking forward to seeing you there! **P.S.** If you can’t make it in person, we’ll be streaming the event via Google Meet. Google Meet link: [https://meet.google.com/fxh-hpsg-ryt](https://meet.google.com/fxh-hpsg-ryt)

Sunday Gaming Meetup & Social by Respawn

Welcome to Respawn’s Gamers Citadel! 🛡️ Come hang out, meet fellow gamers, and enjoy a chill vibe with great food and drinks. 🥤 Entry is $3.5 or buy yourself a drink or food. 🍲 At the “Gamers Citadel”, we provide the consoles for you and have two multiplayer (2-4 player) game stations (A, B, C and D). For our board games area you are allowed to BYO! 😯 ♟️ Currently available are: Switch, PS1, PS2, SNES, N64, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Yu-Gi-Oh! and more! If you’re bringing anything, please DM us so we can accommodate. ❤️ Conditions of entry are to either purchase any food or drink of your choice and we will provide you a reusable badge to show that you’re one of us! ✌️ Whether you’re a casual player or a hardcore fan, this is the place to be. Don’t miss out on the fun! 🤩 Our games list is below! 👇 Game Station A - ??? - Taran: 1st Game: ??? 2nd Game: ??? Game Station B - ??? - Dean: 1st Game: ??? 2nd Game: ??? Game Station C - ??? - Michael 1st Game: ??? 2nd Game: ??? Game Station D - TCG + Board Games: Pokémon TCG YU-Gi-OH! TCG UNO JENGA BYO available! You can bring your own board games, controllers, equipment etc. 👍 Follow us on Instagram: @respawn.social 📱 Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/phscMtBqpW 🎧 Find Respawn on Facebook: https://facebook.com/events/s/respawn-gaming-social-club-lau/940165205164472/ 🔗 Visit our website for all info: https://intermingle.au/respawn/ 👩‍💻

Social in Port Phillip/Bayside - Date and Venue to be advised

Once a month Elni hosts our Port Phillip and Bayside socials. It’s a great opportunity to meet others. Our emphasis is on fun and enjoying each other’s company whilst supporting anyone who might need it. We each pay for our own food and drinks. This time, we’ll meet for dinner at Sons of Mary, a lovely place with a relaxed, elegant vibe. It’s a cosy spot with great service and a warm atmosphere — perfect for a friendly dinner and good conversations. We’d appreciate it if you could update your RSVP the day before so we can provide an exact headcount for the reservation. The table is booked under the name Elni. We hope to see you!

Syrian.

FREE Walk and lunch - Moonee Ponds

Join for a walk around Queens Park Moonee Ponds, meeting at War Memorial. **SEE PINNED MAP** FREE to attend. Then pay own lunch at Cafe. Last time saw a great turn out! Meeting at 10:30am and starting walk at 11am. Please arrive before 11am! Dogs welcomed. Meeting on Mt Alexander Rd and Kellaway Av. Please be on time, not smell of BO, alcohol etc. 12pm meeting at Holmes Hall, Moonee Ponds, right by station. You are welcome to join just for lunch.