Nillumbik University of the Third Age (U3A) welcomes retirees and semi-retirees to join our friendly community. We offer opportunities for members to engage in great learning, sporting, artistic and social activities without a need for formal educational qualifications – all that’s required is a love of learning and a friendly outlook.

 

Our newsletter

We send out regular newsletters (Gibber Gabbers) to around 1,800 people in total. You can read all these newsletters, dating back to 2012, on our newsletter page.

Our latest Gibber Gabber was sent out on 14th October.

If you would like to submit an article for a future Gibber Gabber, or discuss the possibility of so doing, send an email to the editor.

If you are not a member but would like to receive these free newsletters yourself, just sign up.

Our 2025 classes

We currently run around 90 different courses each term. These cover a wide range of subjects including languages, physical activities, cards & puzzles, music, art, literature, history and science.

Enrol in classes (enrolments for 2025 classes will open on Wednesday, 11th December at 9.30am).

Read our class timetable (the 2025 timetable will be available from 1st December).

Read our course descriptions (the 2025 descriptions will be available from 1st December).

Note that the Office will be closed between midday, Wednesday, 11th December to 1pm, Tuesday, 28th January. Emails will be dealt with during this time.

Our Office & 2025 term dates

Our Office is at Eltham Central Pavilion, 18 Panther Place. Map. It is open (during term times only) on Mondays, 1-3pm and Thursdays, 10am-midday. Email: office@nillumbiku3a.org.au. Tel: 0468 300 764.

TermStartEnd
T1Mon, 3 FebruaryFri, 4 April
T2Mon, 28 AprilFri, 4 July
T3Mon, 28 JulyFri, 19 September
T4Mon, 13 OctoberFri, 5 December

Membership

Membership is open to all retired and semi-retired people and we have no age limits. We have around 920 members.

Our annual fee is just $55 a year and participation in classes is then free.

If not already a member, join us.

If a member, renew your membership for 2025 (2025 membership fees are now payable).

Our upcoming events

Nov
15
Fri
A cabaret evening of big band music @ Eltham Community and Reception Centre
Nov 15 @ 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Enjoy a relaxed musical evening with your friends at a table with BYO supper, drinks and glassware (they will provide coffee and tea). Listen to the Nillumbik U3A Diamond Valley Big Band, including vocalists Angeline Thompson, Belinda Coco, Richard Desmond and Stuart Cardell. There will be plenty of dance floor for those who like to dance.

Take some small denomination cash to participate in the raffle, the prize for which will be dinner for two at Mercers Restaurant.

Tickets can be booked individually or in groups. Book by sending an email to the Office (office@nillumbiku3a.org.au), including your name, phone number and number of tickets.

Nov
17
Sun
The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (play) @ Eltham Little Theatre
Nov 17 @ 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm

During 2024, Eltham Little Theatre are generously offering U3A members half price tickets for their Thursday evening and Sunday matinee shows. The dates for which this is applicable for The lion, the witch and the wardrobe are Thursday, 28th November and Sundays, 17th and 24th November.

Set in the 1940’s during WWII, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are evacuated to a professors’ home in the countryside. Stumbling across a wardrobe in a spare room, the four siblings find their way through the wardrobe to the land of Narnia. They encounter many talking animals and mythical creatures, including Mr. Tumnus, the beavers, the lion Aslan and the White Witch.

Adapted from the book by C.S. Lewis, the play explores the themes of family, temptation, betrayal, forgiveness, courage and good versus evil.

This is a dinner table seating event. Take your own food and beverages.

Here are the mechanics: you book your tickets online. Choose the date, then the table, then the number of ‘U3A member’ tickets, then enter the ‘502024’ discount code in the ‘gift certificate / promotion code’ box, then pay.

View calendar

Our class blogs

Many of our classes blog on this website, including our art classes, choir, golf, jazz appreciation, our walking groups and our writing groups.

Look at some of the art produced by our members.

Or read some of their poems.

Or stories from our Collaborative Writing Group, our Writing Workshop and others.

Nillumbik U3A is indebted to the following organisations for their financial contributions over the years.