From Garden to Community: How a Local Veggie Swap is Growing Connections in Manor Lakes
Image left to right: Community centre volunteers Liz and Nicole.
In the heart of Manor Lakes, a grassroots event is taking shape – one mandarin, lemon, and swap at a time.
Liz, a Manor Lakes local deeply involved in the Community Centre, launched a monthly vegetable swap in 2025.
“So I decided I’m gonna do one here ’cause we’re part of the Manor Lakes Community Centre… We’ve got a veggie garden at the back that we look after for the community,” Liz explains.
The monthly event invites anyone growing fruit, vegetables, or even keeping chickens, bees, or plants, to bring what they don’t need and swap it with other produce available on the day.
It’s a simple way for Manor Lakes neighbours to share excess home-grown produce, reduce food waste, and strengthen community ties.
“There’s no money involved,” Liz says. “They just put it on the table and they just swap it around with what they need or the other person takes.”
While winter has meant fewer vegetable contributions so far, Liz is already seeing enthusiasm build with the changing seasons.
“There’s people that have started to send me messages from Werribee or Hoppers Crossing, but like they said, they haven’t got much growing now… It’ll be more of a summer thing.
“As more and more people get to know about the event, we’re going to start getting some more people in and hopefully build it up.”
Held on a Saturday morning at the Manor Lakes Community Centre, the swap is designed to be accessible and informal.
Growing the Good
Liz brings a lifetime of farming experience to the project. Her family owned a farm in Werribee South for nearly 40 years.
“(In our family) it’s always been about helping, trying to help, because we’ve always been like that. Living on the farm, we all used to help each other out.”
The Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre and Library is also home to a seed library, regular programs for kids, a hub for learning, support services and local knowledge.
Looking ahead, Liz hopes to expand the swap as interest grows. “If it goes really well in the summertime, I’ll be doing it twice a month.”
Don’t forget to bring a bag!
Look out for the Food Swap on Wyndham City Council events page or contact Liz directly – 0448 781 111
Teaching the Next Generation
Nicole and Liz (holding freshly cut parsley) in the Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre garden.
The food swap is just one of many community-focused projects Liz is involved in. Over the Christmas break, she’s planning a children’s gardening program.
“We want to do a program for the kids; get them little pots and teach them how to grow some plants. They can paint their pots, plant it, put their name, and leave it here for a couple of weeks and then come and collect it.”
Get in contact: Manor Lakes Community Centre
Get to know the Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre
Address: 86 Manor Lakes Boulevard
There’s a range of practical facilities for local residents, including meeting rooms, a community kitchen, public Wi‑Fi, accessible amenities, and outdoor areas with BBQs.
The centre also includes spaces for youth programs, private bookings, and community support services.
The Centre has a dedicated space for young people aged 12–25.
Programs include after-school activities, social support, and events tailored to local needs. There are also regular community classes, food swaps, and workshops held at the centre throughout the year.
The centre plays a functional role in day-to-day life at Manor Lakes, complementing the train station, schools, walking trails and shopping precinct. It’s part of the wider urban planning approach that prioritises accessibility to services.
More about the Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre