Upper Murray Regional
Neighbourhood
House Network
17 Nov 2025
Expanding the Talking Cafe
The Pangerang Community Hub has commenced their Talking Café as part of the Connecting Community in the Upper Hume Project Phase 2 (CCUHP2), building on their previous work with smaller surrounding communities in Wangaratta through the Mobile Hub project. Through their participation in CCUHP2, the Hub saw an opportunity to deepen relationships and discover further needs across these communities.
The Talking Café first opened in Milawa, providing a valuable extra support for the local café and increasing visibility for the Hub. Many attendees, however, were travelling from Wangaratta. Project Worker Hannah Robinson explained, “We have learnt through previous projects that these smaller communities can sometimes be difficult to engage with, as they have their own ‘cliques’ and - being so close to Wangaratta - often have stronger connections there.”
Undeterred, the Hub expanded the initiative to Glenrowan, partnering with a new café and welcoming a new volunteer. The strong rapport and relationships developed through the Milawa café have given participants the confidence to step into volunteer roles themselves, which has been key to launching the second location. “What we are now finding is a real blend. Some of the participants from Milawa are supporting the Glenrowan café, and after only three weeks we’ve already had a local attend. This is a very positive outcome,” Hannah shared.
Through the Talking Cafe, the Hub has once again strengthened its presence in these smaller communities, building on relationships that were previously established and fostering new connections. By creating welcoming spaces for conversation and connection, the Hub continues to support social inclusion and community engagement across the Upper Hume region.