Belinda Young

06/02/2026

I hope this makes you all giggle at this very story...

One afternoon in January I’d driven back from a blissful family camping trip, hair crusty with sea salt from the morning's swim, and my head filled with the memories of those glorious auroras. I was mentally shifting gears from thongs-and-esky mode to “meeting Her Excellency, Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria, at Government House” mode.

Pulling into the driveway, I immediately knew something was… off.

The power lines were sagging low across the drive. Not touching-the-ground low, but definitely this feels like a judgement call low.

After a cautious assessment involving squinting, reversing slightly, and telling myself I have a PhD and should therefore be capable of basic risk analysis, I gingerly drove under them.

Power was on. Excellent. Confidence restored.

I jumped into the shower, already mentally rehearsing polite conversation, and… nothing. No water. Not even a sad dribble. Just silence. The kind of silence that tells you that there's either been a catastrophic tank or pump failure (or both).

I leapt out of the shower and, popped my thongs on to check the tank. Stopped... and decided it best to put clothes back on before walking out to inspect the tank.

One tap of the tank confirmed it. Empty. Bone dry. Not a molecule to spare. How?? That much water can't just disappear... but that was a problem for later.

With an event invite staring at me from the calendar and no time to negotiate with gravity, infrastructure or weather. Enter Mums of the Hills Vice President, Katerina who, without hesitation, offered her shower, taking the role of Vice President to bold, uncharted new levels, adding Emergency hygiene response to her remit.

Ten minutes later I emerged, clean, semi-composed, and pretending my life was held together by more than goodwill and rainwater.

Together with Katerina, I attended the Government House function freshly showered, appropriately dressed, and made polite conversation with absolutely no one suspecting that mere hours earlier I had been negotiating with sagging power lines, an empty tank, and a last-minute Vice-Presidential shower bailout.

Which just goes to show: you can meet Her Excellency with perfect manners and polished shoes… and still be held together by friends, favours, and the quiet chaos of life in the hills.

The hills keep you humble. Even on your fanciest days.

I'll tell you more about that event in the near future, but think it's best we get through the next few days of hot weather first.

04/09/2025

Enough is enough. We’re standing up and shouting Enough is Enough!!

An Important Call Action. Stand With Us

Evening everyone, For the past 2 weeks, MOTHS, Single Mums of the Hills (SMOTHS) and Mountain Men have been collaborating on a joint statement in response to the murder of a woman in Upper Ferntree Gully, allegedly by someone they knew. Enough is enough. While we call on ministers for systemic change, grassroot action and cultural change is also necessary. We hope that other individuals, groups and clubs share our vision.

We're encouraging our community to stand with us and share this joint statement.

***********
Enough is Enough
Partner Violence Is a Crisis

This is a joint statement from Single Mums of the Hills (SMOTHS), Mums of the Hills and Mountain Men.

Partner violence is not just a private issue. It’s a community crisis — and the Yarra Ranges is not immune.

What is Partner Violence?
Partner violence is when one partner physically, emotionally, psychologically, mentally and/or financially abuses the other. It can happen in any type of relationship — married, de facto, dating, separated or divorced.

What can this look like?
A partner checking your phone, controlling your finances, calling you names, threatening to leave you with nothing, or isolating you from friends and family. These are just some of the red flags that can be experienced.
It’s not just bruises or black eyes — it’s control, fear, and the slow erosion of self-worth.
We are calling this out. Now!
Respect between partners means acknowledging each other’s feelings, thoughts, and boundaries. When one partner constantly disrespects, overrides, manipulates boundaries or uses their partner as an emotional punching bag, the damage ripples outwards — to children, to extended family, and to the community.
This is how generational trauma begins.

We are saying enough!

The Reality in Australia

In 2023–24, the truth was devastating:
• One woman was killed every 8 days
• One man was killed every 41 days
…by a current or former intimate partner*.
This is not okay. It’s not rare. It’s happening far too often — in homes, on our streets, in our neighbourhoods. And it has to stop.

What Can You Do?
There are ways to take action. But today, it starts with this:
* Call it what it is — abuse.
* Listen and believe the person who may reveal the abuse. Sometimes they do not even know or understand the abuse. Let them know you are there for support.
* Model respect in your own relationships — especially in front of children.

As an individual please share this statement on your personal social media pages to show your support.

We also call on Natalie Hutchins MP, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence in Victoria, to increase funding for community-led education and training, support legal reforms to strengthen responses to coercive control and other non-physical forms of abuse, and work with grassroots organisations to drive intergenerational change.

If you are experiencing partner violence, please call: 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732

What Clubs, Groups, Businesses and Organisations Can Do?
This issue cannot be left to individuals alone. Governments, agencies, police, courts, businesses and communities must work together.
If you’re a club, group, business or organisation, please share this statement on your public social media pages to show your support.

You can take part in 3Rs Training (Recognise, Respond, Refer), funded by Mums of the Hills, to learn how to identify signs of partner violence, respond safely, and connect people with the right support. Link in the comments.

Together, we say: No more silence. No more excuses. No more partner violence.

Daniela De Martino MP Aaron Violi MP Jacinta Allan FVREE Centre Against Violence

30/07/2025

We’re taking it to 11.. 🤣🤣🎸🤘

28/06/2025

I’ve always longed to be a band. Not just because they seemed sooo cool but because you can see the team work needed to make great music. Each person relying on the other, literally being tuned in to each other, and when it works, it’s magic.
Join us on July 31st at the Sooki Lounge. It’ll be a great night for a great cause.

18/06/2025

Loved the chance to share the Mums of the Hills story the other night at the Monbulk & District Community Bank's Community Awards night. I left feeling so inspired by the incredible community groups in the room. The juggle is real, but so is the impact.

08/05/2025

Very proud of this milestone.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 - 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝

This Sunday marks ten years since I started Mums of the Hills — and fittingly, it falls on Mother’s Day. Also, can I take this moment to thank my younger self at my foresight to click create on the same day that Moth-er’s Day would fall in a decade’s time.

At first I just wanted to know where mums hung out, or where to find a good plumber or a babysitter. But underneath that was a deeper yearning: I wanted to walk down the main street and bump into people I knew, to feel part of something. I grew up in a small town where that sense of connection came naturally. After years of living overseas, I missed that feeling of belonging.

As many of you know, the real turning point came one ordinary day while painting a wall in our home. I was balancing on a ladder—kids aged two and four playing nearby—when I slipped and fell. Thankfully, I wasn’t seriously hurt, but as I sat there, stunned and sore, it hit me: there was no one I could call. No nearby friend to drop everything and come. That moment of vulnerability stayed with me. It was the spark that lit the fire. I didn’t want other mums to feel that alone. So I started building the community I wished I had—a place where mums could connect, support each other, and as I’ve already said, feel like they belonged.

Ten years on and here we are. Over the years, we’ve shared everything — the hilarious, the heartbreaking, and the unexpectedly beautiful. And as I sit here remembering these stories and wondering just how many babies this group has helped feed, name, soothe, and celebrate — the timing couldn't be more perfect.
This morning at 10am, our very own social media superstar Alannah welcomed her beautiful baby girl into the world. We are over the moon at this news and already lining up for baby cuddles. (Bagsies first.)

MotHs has always been about community, connection, and showing up for each other — and today, we get to celebrate with Alannah. Welcome to the world gorgeous Quinn and here’s to so many more years of welcome mums and babies into our MotHs!

𝐺𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦, 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒? I’d love it if you could pop it in the comments or tag us in your own post using .

30/04/2025

I owe so much to Winona. This is the story of why I learned to crochet.

How I Accidentally Crocheted My Way Out of a 90s Heartbreak

By Belinda Young

At 18, I thought I had it all figured out.
I was just beginning my business management degree after a life altering shift from dramatic arts. I was living off Mi Goreng noodles, and absolutely, irrevocably in love.
Then — like a badly scripted soap opera twist — my boyfriend dumped me.

Not just dumped me — dumped me for Tiffany.

Tiffany, with her silver nose ring, belly-button piercing, body glitter shimmering like a My Little Pony, and a sixth sense for when to burn incense.

She read tarot at house parties. She believed in “auras.” She could do the worm across the dance floor without spilling her chai latte (not really but you get the point).

Meanwhile, I was just hoping to survive Business Statistics without crying. Heartbroken and humiliated, I did what any self-respecting ex-Dramatic Arts student would do:

I wallowed.

And wallowing naturally led to watching the Winona Ryder movie How to Make an American Quilt on repeat, convinced that somewhere in those stitched-together heartbreak stories, I would find the secret to survival.

The idea of quilting spoke to me — women gathering their griefs, stitching beauty out of brokenness.

It was inspiring. It was moving.
But it was also completely impractical — not because I couldn’t sew (I could), but because a sewing machine wasn’t exactly portable, hard to hide in a satchel, and quilting looked like it would take forever.

I needed something faster, simpler — something I could start immediately, without an extension cord or a lifetime supply of patience.

That’s when I found crochet.

One hook. One ball of yarn. One girl trying to piece herself back together.

I bought the cheapest yarn they had — a colour I can only describe as “Existential Crisis Mauve” — and a hook big enough to qualify as a defensive weapon.

My first attempts looked like I was crafting wearable tumbleweeds. My second attempt? Something between a tragic potholder and a cry for help.

But somehow, stitch by tangled stitch, I kept going.

Crochet didn’t judge me for being heartbroken. It didn’t care that Tiffany could summon cosmic energies with her third eye. Crochet just sat there quietly, asking for one more loop, one more row, one more small act of trying again.
And slowly, without even realising it, I crocheted myself out of the heartbreak.

Not into a perfect quilt — but into something warm, a little wobbly, and entirely mine.

🎬 Cue the cinematic voiceover:
In a world where heartbreak loomed...
One girl armed only with a crochet hook and a stubborn heart...
Stitched her way back to life, one gloriously imperfect row at a time.

That's my story of why I learned to crochet and also why I started our craft nights. It’s not just about the craft — it’s about women gathering, sharing their stories about life, laughter, heartbreak, and hope, creating something beautiful together with every stitch.

✨🧶 If you’re feeling crafty — or just need a night of good company and yarn chaos — come join us at Craft Night!

Normally, we meet on the last Friday of every month at the MotHs Hub, but this month it’s a special date: FRIDAY, May 2nd.
No experience needed. No judgment given.
Just good people, yarn, tea, and a table full of connection (plus the occasional tangled ball of yarn and a lot of laughter).

Bring your projects, your mistakes, your glitter, your tangled dreams — or just bring yourself.

We’ll have a seat (and probably a biscuit) waiting for you.

(Body glitter and worm-dancing still optional, but highly encouraged.)
Register here:

https://www.mumsofthehills.com.au/events/moths-craft-night-april-alternative-date-may-2

ps. Do you have a story about why you started your hobby? I'd love to hear about it.

Image: My son snuggly and warm under the blanket I crocheted for him, a butterfly resting in his lap. Sadly I no longer have the first blanket I ever crocheted — but years later, I made this one. Call it a new beginning, built from old lessons.

Winona Ryder

26/04/2025

Growing up, whether it was a country dance at the Ewan Races Meet (100km north of Charters Towers), Deb Balls in Guru NQ (population 387), events like the James Cook University Balls in Townsville, or the Western Districts Rugby Union Ball in Brisbane — these events were always packed with laughter, dancing, and great memories with friends.

That’s why I’m so excited for the Monbulk Masquerade Gala, organised by the wonderful Monbulk Community Group. I was absolutely blown away to learn that Mums of the Hills (MotHs) will directly benefit from this event too.

For our sustainability — and for the dreams we’re building for this community — your support means more than words can say.

So pull out those fancy gowns and tuxedos and have some fun. I’d love to see you there to make a whole new set of unforgettable memories together. ✨

🎟️ Tickets here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bat5LLAmV/

Send a message to learn more

07/04/2025

Crazy to think this all started for me with a sewing machine, a couple of dinosaur tails, and some very awkward chats by the pool. 💬🦖 Grateful for how far it’s come—and for the small businesses and local families who’ve backed it all the way.

The ripple effect that small businesses create - by Belinda Young

It all started with a soggy towel, wet hair, and a very nervous version of me standing by the Monbulk swimming pool. I’d worked up the courage to start asking other mums—total strangers at the time—if they’d be interested in joining a little online group I’d started. I felt awkward and totally self-conscious, but something told me I wasn’t the only one craving connection.

That was the beginning of Mums of the Hills. What most people don’t know is that behind those early days, behind the Facebook group and the flyers, there was a small business (mine) quietly adding to our family's finances.

At the time, I was trying to get both of my kids into long day care (nearly impossible), while also chipping away at my master’s thesis. I couldn’t work regular hours outside the home, so I found creative ways to earn. I sewed and sold kids' costumes—superhero capes, dinosaur tails, fairy crowns. I taught crochet and sold my handmade items at markets and online. It wasn’t glamorous, but it made a difference.

And not just financially. That little side hustle gave me purpose, confidence, and the opportunity to connect with others. That side hustle paid for the kids' extra activities (those swimming lessons), it gave me the flexibility I needed and the motivation to show up—not just for my family, but eventually for the wider community.

Small businesses often get talked about in economic terms (jobs, revenue, etc.), but for so many of us, they’re about survival, connection, and possibility. They’re a lifeline. A launchpad. A way to contribute and care for our families.

In my case, my tiny costume-and-crochet business helped lay the foundation for Mums of the Hills. It taught me how to reach people, how to listen, how to build something from scratch. And more than anything, it introduced me to a network of other mums, many of whom were doing the same thing—juggling work, care, creativity, and community.

Small business isn’t just business. It’s community care. It’s problem-solving. It’s someone finding a way to earn while raising kids or caring for parents. It’s showing up at local events, donating time and products, or quietly supporting causes that matter.

That’s why Mums of the Hills is so proud of the amazing number of local businesses featured in our Business Directory. It’s packed with people who not only offer great goods and services, but who also put community first. We encourage everyone to keep this directory handy—whether you’re after a tradie, a cake maker, a kids’ party entertainer, or anything in between.

When you choose a business listed in our directory, you’re not just supporting local—you’re supporting a business that supports us. Each business directory subscription directly contributes to the funding of our community programs, helping us keep doing what we do best: connecting and supporting families across the hills.

So the next time you need something, check the directory first. It’s full of people doing their best, dreaming a little, and building something good—for all of us. And when you support one of those businesses, you’re helping keep this whole community ecosystem alive and thriving.

Because behind each listing is someone with a story not so different from mine.

I still think back to those early days—standing at the edge of the Monbulk swimming pool in my wet togs, nervously asking other mums if they’d like to join my group, while mentally ticking off the costume orders I needed to finish that night so I could keep paying for those very swimming lessons. It felt small, even a bit ridiculous at times. But those small, heartfelt actions—starting a conversation, sewing a cape, building something out of nothing—were the first stitches in something much bigger.

That moment became a movement. And like so many good things, it began with a mum, a dream, and a bit of faith in community.

Check out our Business Directory here:
https://www.mumsofthehills.com.au/directory

Images are from my former small business, Love Ollie and Sam.

14/03/2025

I couldn't agree more! Community groups, (including our neighbours and friends) are often the first feet on the ground to check in and offer a hand during tough times. Yes emergency services are essential, but community groups are always overlooked for their work before disasters, immediately after and long into the future follow events. These groups need funding to keep their networks strong. It's not funding for more projects to be run by volunteers, but funding to ensure their existing projects and services can run smoothly.

When disaster strikes, it’s not just emergency services or government agencies stepping in—it’s everyday people, neighbours helping neighbours, and community groups rallying together. Turns out, the mum or bloke next door with a chainsaw and a knack for fixing things is just as important as th...

09/03/2025

Belated IWD to everyone. Wherever you are, keep pushing for gender equality, keep calling out inequality and keep lifting each other up.