Repairing things together Sharing skills Strengthening community
Worth a read, worth a try.
Repair is having a moment - in law, in research and around a great many kitchen tables. Here’s what we’ve found useful, and what we’re up to.
From us
Short notes on what’s happening. Replace these with real posts as they come.
We’re up and running
Our first Repair Cafés are booked in at the Berrima Schoolyard Markets, on the fourth Sunday of the month. Bring a thing, bring a friend.
Upcycled Christmas wrapping
In November and December we’re turning old maps, offcuts and fabric scraps into wrapping worth keeping. Bring your paper hoard.
Repairers & tea makers
We’re short on sewing machines, sharpening skills and someone who likes talking to strangers.
Volunteer with us →What upcycled wrapping looks like
Fabric squares tied furoshiki-style, and bows folded from last year’s paper. No sticky tape, nothing in the bin afterwards.
The repair movement
Where the idea came from, and who’s pushing it along in Australia.
None of this is ours alone. Repair has become a matter of research, of law and of a great many volunteer Saturdays - here’s the reading we keep coming back to.
Try it yourself
Between cafés, these are where we send people who’d like to have a go alone.
Opening something up is often less mysterious than it looks - and knowing your rights as a buyer is half the battle.
Repair What You Wear
Short, friendly video lessons on mending clothes - darning, patching, buttons, zips and hems. A great place to start with a needle and thread.
repairwhatyouwear.com →iFixit guides
Free step-by-step teardowns for phones, laptops, appliances and game consoles, with the tools and parts listed.
ifixit.com →Repair & Share Australia
An Australian round-up of repair guides, toy libraries, libraries of things and fix-it groups - the best local starting point we’ve found.
repairshareoz.org →NSW EPA: reuse & recycling
What to do with the things we genuinely can’t repair - e-waste, batteries, paint and problem items across NSW.
epa.nsw.gov.au →Your consumer guarantees
Australian law gives you rights to a repair, replacement or refund that outlast most warranties. Know them before you bin it.
accc.gov.au →Repair Café International
The worldwide movement we belong to - stories from thousands of cafés, repair tips and the case for fixing over throwing away.
repaircafe.org →Australian Men’s Shed Association
Local sheds where people share tools, trade skills and work side by side on projects. Find one near you in the Highlands.
mensshed.org →The Restart Project
A community repair network with a shared wiki of fixes and data on what breaks - built by volunteers who teach each other.
therestartproject.org →These links are shared as general interest.