The Healesville Library celebrated a major milestone on Wednesday 10 December 2025, marking its 50th anniversary with a full day of free community activities that brought together families, long-time locals, former staff and supporters from across the region.
The day began at 10:30am, with events including Family Storytime, a sausage sizzle, a lively performance by The Wannabees, and a special presentation by the Healesville Historical Society exploring the library’s rich history.
Your Library Board Chair and Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Linda Hancock, reflected on the library’s role as a longstanding cornerstone in the township.
“Everything happens at this library, this community is quite isolated as a township, but this is the one connection,” Cr Hancock said.
“The residents come here more than they would come to a council office because everyone at the library knows what’s going on, how to help people, so to have it still going for 50 years is just great for our community, especially out here,” she said.
“Sometimes change and moving with the times to help our community is good, but what I like about libraries is they stay the same. You know when I went to Storytime with my children and my grandchildren nothing has changed and that’s great.”
When asked what sets the Healesville branch apart, Cr Hancock emphasised that its strength is shared across the region.
“Every township in around Yarra Ranges has their community going to their library and we’reno different here in Healesville,” Cr Hancock said.
“People come here, they feel safe, welcomed, and the library is a quiet space, a meeting space,” she said.
“That really carries through all our libraries.”
CEO of Your Library Dr Karina Lamb, told Star Mail about plans for the next 50 years.
“We are very proud of the connection that our libraries team have with the community and we will certainly continue to do more of that,” Ms Lamb said.
“We would like to do a bit more outreach throughout the Yarra Ranges and we are looking at expanding our access to digital literacy and some other programmes that we run out this way,” she said.
“We are very proud of the way that the community connect with our staff and we are very proud of our staff here too, they do an exceptional job at Healesville.”
Ms Lamb also noted the importance of serving people across all life stages.
“We work with the life cycle of the community, everyone from babies right to our ageing populations,” Ms Lamb said.
Ms Lamb shared updates about new library developments and technological progress.
Now a space with a wide variety of both digital and physical assets that serve the community, the Healesville library has come a long way since its 1975 inception.
Rallied for by the community for almost fifty years before it came to fruition, the proposal for a community library in Healesville was struck down many times.
After multiple petitions and the assembly of the Healesville Library Promotion Association, the first books hit the shelves and membership cost 30 cents and 20 cents for students.
Along with the many stories, and events that have graced the rooms of the Healesville Library, a local favourite entails an unexpected visit from a four-legged creature.
Summoned by the grass-like shaggy green carpet of the old library, an escaped goat wandered in and was described to be somewhat disappointed by the wiry texture of its afternoon snack.
Withstanding moving buildings and the arrival of the digital era, Healesville Library continues to remain an important part of the township’s history and local community.
