One shared place. Four braided pillars.
NNEST is being designed as an integrated system. The pillars aren't separate programs competing for space — they're woven together into the ordinary rhythm of a shared place.
Nature-Based Wellbeing
Places and programs that intend to restore the nervous system, build resilience, and reconnect people with the land.
- Sensory and regulation spaces
- Forest therapy sessions
- Gentle movement and wellbeing programs
- Trauma-aware support
- Spaces for carers, NDIS groups and families
Environmental Education & Citizen Science
Hands-on, place-based learning for kids, adults, schools, and visitors — deeply rooted in the forest around us.
- Outdoor classrooms and bush-kinder
- Fungi, wildlife and biodiversity programs
- Water testing, flora surveys and citizen science
- Partnerships with landcare, conservation groups and schools
Creative & Practical Skills
A working makerspace and creative hub where elders' knowledge, young people's energy, and new ideas can meet.
- A makerspace for woodwork, craft, upcycling and repair
- Art workshops and creative residencies
- Intergenerational knowledge-sharing
- Community cooking, preserving and traditional skill programs
Community-Led Design & Facilitation
A Victorian-first capability: NNEST is intended to be not just built by the community, but continuously shaped by it — coordinating Expressions of Interest, designing room usage and scheduling, supporting conflict resolution and membership growth, and practising ongoing adaptive design.
The spaces — Noojee Library, proposed Stage 1
- A welcoming hub
- Sensory and quiet rooms
- A makerspace
- Flexible program rooms
- Outdoor learning areas
- A shared kitchen and gathering space
- Field hub facilities
A day in the life
A homeschool group uses the outdoor classroom in the morning. A sensory-safe session runs in a quiet room in the afternoon. A woodwork workshop runs next door. A carer drops in for a cup of tea and a wellbeing program. A visiting landcare group uses the field hub as a base before heading into the forest. An artist in residence teaches an evening class.
A model for other regional towns
The former Primary School site offers long-term room to grow — and NNEST is designed to be a replicable model for regional Victorian towns facing similar transitions.