Community Toolbox Canberra

Community Toolbox Canberra Community Toolbox Canberra is a community-led, volunteer-run tool and equipment library. Our activities are supported by SEE Change. Supported by SEE-Change

"Tool Bus" mobile services are available, and once a month we run a Repair Cafe for the community.

Why buy when you can borrow???Borrowing helps you -💰️ Save money: You avoid the upfront cost of purchasing something tha...
03/06/2026

Why buy when you can borrow???

Borrowing helps you -
💰️ Save money: You avoid the upfront cost of purchasing something that you may only use once or twice. Those costs can add up quickly!

🧰 Reduce clutter: Borrowing keeps your home free from infrequently used items, giving you a more organized and peaceful living space.

⏰️ Save time: You won't spend time managing, cleaning, or maintaining items you rarely use.

♻️ Help the environment: By borrowing, you reduce the demand for new products, which decreases manufacturing waste and consumption.

🧐 Test before you buy: Borrowing allows you to try out a new hobby, a tool, or a piece of equipment to see if you enjoy it before investing in your own.

🔧 🧵 🔨 🍴 🧹 🎨 🛶 ✂️ Access a wider variety: You can access a vast collection of tools, books, kitchen equipment, and other items that would be impossible to own yourself.

What are you waiting for?! 😀 💚

https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/join

The last couple of times the Tool Bus has returned from Belco, it's had all kinds of items in it! That's right, you can ...
03/06/2026

The last couple of times the Tool Bus has returned from Belco, it's had all kinds of items in it! That's right, you can return to the Tool Bus regardless of where you borrowed the item - so meet us in Belco on Wednesday evenings if that's more convenient than going over to Watson. Only exceptions are the kayaks - they don't fit in the bus, so you'll have to bring them back to the Toolbox location.

The Tool Bus is at Belconnen every Wednesday evening - which means TONIGHT (June 3).

Location: Westfield Car Park (enter via Emu Bank/Luxton St)
We'll be in the ground floor part, facing Emu Bank, so use the Emu Bank/Luxton Street entrance, then turn RIGHT and you'll find us in the first covered section. We're right near the Coles Click & Collect, so go to that area and look for the brightly coloured SEE Change van (which moonlights as the Tool Bus)!

Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
If you want to pick up, get your reservation in before 5:30pm (earlier if possible, please and thank you) to make sure your item gets packed on the bus before it leaves: https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/inventory

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ABOUT THE TOOL BUS
The Tool Bus is part of the Community Toolbox and exists to increase efficiency and accessibility to Toolbox items. Any member can reserve their item(s) online, and then instead of driving to our main location in Watson for pick-up, they can meet the Tool Bus at one of our handy stops.

Get more info about the Tool Bus on our website: https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/toolbus

A few more pics from last Saturday's Repair Cafe! 🥳 A couple of highlights: The big double-bass (musical instrument) cas...
02/06/2026

A few more pics from last Saturday's Repair Cafe! 🥳

A couple of highlights:

The big double-bass (musical instrument) case that couldn't be mended in April re-appeared - and since we'd brought the overlocker, it was able to be repaired this time around. Volunteer Beth spent 1.5 hours on it - a marathon effort when most repair jobs are a lot shorter than that!

Knives! Secateurs! Scissors! So much sharpening at this Repair Cafe. You may not have known that we offer sharpening - we'll do up to three items on one repair docket, and we have three or four volunteers who offer this service.

💚 💚

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HOW IT WORKS
Repair Cafés: Where volunteers fix your stuff - for free. You bring your broken or other not-working-properly item along; we match you with a volunteer repairer who can hopefully diagnose the problem, and complete the fix for you.

A full list of repairers is made available close to each date, and usually includes fabric mending (eg hemming, patching), small electrical (eg lamps, irons, kitchen appliances), knife sharpening, and general repairs (eg gluing back small pieces). Sometimes we have more specialized help like phone and computer repair, 3D printing of small parts, and jewelry repair.

Repairs are free (occasionally you may have to bring or buy your own replacement part), and labour is donated out of kindness 💚 More info, including House Rules: https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/repair-cafe

Toolbox Repair Cafés take place on the last Saturday of the month at 8 Hawdon Pl, Dickson 2602 - right next door to Cafe Stepping Stone (location change as of March 2026!). Ours is just one of the repair cafés that take place in Canberra - find a full list here: https://seechange.org.au/repair-cafes

This is Volunteer Repairer Lile. She has some really niche skills - particularly in repairing costume jewelry, and in da...
01/06/2026

This is Volunteer Repairer Lile. She has some really niche skills - particularly in repairing costume jewelry, and in darning knitted items. None of our other current volunteer repairers can darn, and the queue for Lile's repair skills was up to 10 people at some stages at last Saturday's Repair Cafe! 😮

We'd love to give her some lift. Can you darn? Would you consider volunteering at a Repair Cafe every month - or every second month? (we're not demanding! volunteer when it fits your schedule 💚 )

More information about volunteering for the Toolbox is here: https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/volunteer

Reconciliation Day is for Canberrans to come together, learn, and take steps toward a fair and inclusive future 🖤 ❤️ 💛 💙...
31/05/2026

Reconciliation Day is for Canberrans to come together, learn, and take steps toward a fair and inclusive future 🖤 ❤️ 💛 💙 🤍

We hope you're joining in some of the celebrations today, Toolbox friends! https://www.act.gov.au/community/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/reconciliation-day

About this image -
Canberra's new design represents our shared journey toward reconciliation.

The design brings together elements from the royal bluebell, the ACT’s floral emblem, and symbols from the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag.
Together, these elements show unity, respect and connection.

The design reminds us that reconciliation belongs to us all. It is something we must continue to work on together.

Just look at these shiny happy people 😍 The May Toolbox Repair Cafe took place yesterday (Saturday, May 30 - we're alway...
31/05/2026

Just look at these shiny happy people 😍

The May Toolbox Repair Cafe took place yesterday (Saturday, May 30 - we're always on the last Saturday of the month, all year except December). We saw close to 70 items and every single one we could fix was a win for their owners, for our community, and for our planet 💚

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you volunteer repairers and support crew for giving your amazing skills and expertise along with more than three hours of your Saturday - on a long weekend, at that. We are SO GRATEFUL that you choose to give to your Canberra community in this way 🥰

Thank you guests, for your unfailing cheerfulness, patience, and understanding - even when some of the waits got a little longer than we'd like! 🤩

And thank you to our hosts at the Common Ground space, for the use of the hall every month - we have four times the space we used to have at the Toolbox location, and we're still revelling in how beautiful it is. 🙏

See you Saturday, June 27, for our June Repair Cafe! 🛠️ 🧵 🖥️

🚨 The Toolbox is CLOSED today! (Saturday, May 30) 🚨 The Toolbox closes on public holiday weekends, and there's no Tool B...
29/05/2026

🚨 The Toolbox is CLOSED today! (Saturday, May 30) 🚨

The Toolbox closes on public holiday weekends, and there's no Tool Bus, either. Next open time is Thursday, June 4.

IMPORTANT: The Repair Cafe is still happening! We haven't traditionally had Repair Cafes on long weekends, but recent trials have been positive, so we're keeping them on the calendar. Find us this afternoon at 8 Hawdon Place, Dickson (right next to Cafe Stepping Stone) - the full event listing is under "Events" here on Facebook.

Have a lovely long weekend!

A 3D printer success story from a recent Repair Cafe 🥳 Pic 1 - Broken headphones 😔 Pic 2 - Volunteer Alex fires up his 3...
29/05/2026

A 3D printer success story from a recent Repair Cafe 🥳

Pic 1 - Broken headphones 😔

Pic 2 - Volunteer Alex fires up his 3D printer

Pic 3 - Volunteer repairers work together to come up with the perfect fix

Pic 4 - Headphones ready for Baby Shark! 🎼 (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo)

THANK YOU for coming to our repair cafe events! The next one is tomorrow (Saturday, May 30) - link below for all the deets - and then there's Fix Fest in August! Stay tuned for more... (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo)

https://www.communitytoolboxcbr.org/repair-cafe

Address

76 Federal Highway (enter From Aspinall Street During Construction)
Watson, ACT
2602

Opening Hours

Thursday 5pm - 7:30pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm

Telephone

+61493286862

Website

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