What We Discovered
On Sunday 17 May 2026 more than 70 locals told us what matters most in Steels Creek. Here is what came out of it — and how you can still add your voice.
The Steels Creek Community Resilience Project (SCCRP) is an initiative run for the whole Steels Creek community, by the community. It started with a small team which is growing — and will need to keep growing if we are to build greater resilience for all of us. Small actions are as vital as the larger ones.
The project is supported by The Resilience Canopy, a philanthropic organisation whose six-step process we are following. That path is set out below.
The Resilience Canopy six-step model
Every Canopy community walks the same path. Steels Creek is currently working through Steps 2 and 3.
Foundations
Identify the networks and leaders within the community, and prepare and support local people to lead.
Deep dive
Identify challenges, understand community strengths and assets, and connect the community to its own knowledge and wisdom.
Field of opportunities
Develop the long list of ideas, potential solutions and projects — and identify potential partners for the next step.
Partner
Secure support through grant programs, corporate partners, other community groups, government and philanthropy.
Implement
Deliver the selected projects and keep galvanising support — locally and beyond — to deepen impact and sustain community buy-in.
Review
Celebrate what's been achieved, review how it went, and decide whether to close, continue or evolve the initiative.
Original graphic version
The six steps above are built natively so they read properly on a phone. Here's the original graphic, for reference.
Six resilience boards and a community map
The workshop used the Canopy six-domain resilience framework. Everyone who came contributed ideas, concerns, projects and resources across six posted boards, plus a mapping exercise using the Yarra Ranges Council property map.
Natural Environment
Our land, water and local ecosystems.
Built Environment
Our infrastructure, roads and facilities.
Cultural Environment
Our history, identity and Indigenous connection.
Social Environment
Our connections, communication and community support.
Health & Safety
Our physical and mental wellbeing, and emergency preparedness.
Economic & Internal
Managing our resources, finances and community governance.
The Five Resilience Elements
Natural, Built, Health & Safety, Social and Economic — connected by Culture at the centre. Each of the six segments maps directly onto one of the six boards above; this is the framework the consultation day itself was structured around.
The mapping exercise
Everyone was asked to mark their property type on a map of Steels Creek, giving an indicative picture of permanent residents, absentee owners, short-stay rentals and vacant land across the valley.
Permanent residents
Distributed fairly evenly across the valley, with clustering along the main road corridors.
Absentee owners
A significant proportion of lots, particularly towards the periphery of the valley.
Short-stay and rentals
Present and visible across the valley — consistent with community concern about growth in short-stay accommodation.
Vacant land
Noted in several areas, with potential implications for fire risk, weed management and community connectivity.
The eleven themes
These aren't single-issue concerns — they are patterns that cut across every one of the six boards and point to the community's deepest worries and strongest energies.
Fire Safety & Emergency Preparedness
The community has direct lived experience of catastrophic fire and remains deeply concerned about escape routes, alarm systems, fire guard groups, roadside fuel loads, fire-retardant planting, and ensuring new residents and tourists are adequately prepared.
Transport, Access & Road Safety
The single access road, poor mobile reception, road conditions and the absence of public transport were raised across multiple environments.
Pest Animals, Weeds & Ecological Pressure
Pest animals and invasive weeds emerged as a strongly discussed topic. The community has existing programs — Landcare, Busy Bees, deer culling — but recognises these are not sufficient at their current scale.
Land, Water & Climate Adaptation
Climate change, changing rainfall, extreme weather, erosion, water management and the high cost of ecological restoration all surface. Residents are grappling with the practical and financial consequences of a shifting climate on their properties, water supplies, roads and land values.
Ecological Restoration & Green Economy
A cluster of interconnected ideas around turning ecological by-products into economic and community assets, pointing toward a green economy approach that could address environmental and economic resilience at the same time.
Indigenous Knowledge & Cultural Heritage
Contributions signalled an appetite to engage more deeply with Traditional Owner knowledge, particularly around fire management, land stewardship and bush medicine. Preserving and sharing the broader history of the valley is a consistent related theme.
Economic Resilience, Insurance & Regulatory Burden
Cost pressures — rates, rising insurance premiums linked to bushfire exposure, BAL and vegetation overlay compliance costs, road access to employment, the cost of biodiversity projects — sit alongside genuine entrepreneurial energy around local food, markets and cooperative energy.
Health, Wellbeing & Access to Services
Distance from health services, mental health isolation, road safety for wildlife and humans, and the needs of an ageing population all surface strongly. Residents are aware of their vulnerability and seek both infrastructure improvements and social support networks.
Community Infrastructure & Facilities
The Community Centre, walking and bike tracks, road maintenance, mobile reception and public toilets are consistently mentioned as priorities. There is broad support for developing the Community Centre as a multi-function hub and for extending the trail network.
Community Organisation & Volunteer Capacity
The risk of community programs resting on too few people is acknowledged. Comments suggest the community sees a broad coalition available — schools, youth groups, corporate volunteers, Elders — but not yet activated.
Community Connection & Social Cohesion
A strong desire to build bonds across old and new residents, support vulnerable and elderly community members, and create regular gathering opportunities runs throughout. The tension between a growing transient population and a stable, connected community is seen as one of the defining challenges for Steels Creek.
Which themes matter most to you?
We can't do everything at once. Once you've read the summary above — and the full report if you'd like the detail — rate each theme so the community can decide together what to tackle first.
The Steels Creek Harvest Report
Everything above is a summary. The full report sets out all eleven themes, the ten project ideas, the eight areas for further investigation, and a complete appendix reproducing every board in full.
Open or download the Harvest Report
Prepared by the Steels Creek Community Resilience Project with the assistance of The Resilience Canopy, July 2026.
How do you see yourself contributing?
The SCCRP is for the whole community, by the community. It started with a small team which is growing, and needs to keep growing if we're to build real resilience. Share how you'd like to take part — the small actions are as vital as the larger ones.
