Hume City Council rolls out free senior fitness programs across Roxburgh Park

Hume City Council has confirmed it will run free group fitness classes for residents aged 60 and over at venues across Roxburgh Park from July through to December 2026, targeting what local health advocates describe as a persistent gap in affordable exercise options for older adults in the northern growth corridor.

The timing matters. Winter consistently drives down physical activity among older adults, gym memberships lapse, walking groups thin out, and the stretch between June and August is when sedentary habits calcify. The council's Active Ageing program is designed specifically to interrupt that pattern, offering structured, supervised exercise at no cost during the months when it is hardest to stay moving.

Where the classes run and what they offer

Two sites anchor the current roster. The Roxburgh Park Community Centre on Somerton Road hosts chair-based yoga and low-impact strength sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with the Tuesday session starting at 9:30 a.m. The Roxburgh Park Library and Learning Hub on Civic Drive doubles as a warm-up and cool-down venue on alternate Wednesdays, pairing a 45-minute gentle movement class with a brief social catch-up, a structure that program coordinators at Hume have used in prior years to improve class retention rates among participants who live alone.

A third program, the Active Seniors Walk, departs from Botanical Drive Reserve every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. The route circles the reserve's northern trail loop, covering roughly 2.5 kilometres on a sealed, flat path, accessible for participants using walking frames or poles. No registration is required for the Saturday walk, though the indoor Somerton Road classes ask participants to call Hume's Active Ageing line on 9205 2200 to confirm a spot, partly for insurance purposes and partly so instructors can flag any sessions that require modified equipment.

The programs are delivered under Hume's broader Active Ageing strategy, which the council updated in early 2025 to align with the Victorian Government's Healthy Ageing Framework. Nationally, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported that fewer than one in three Australians aged 65 and over meet the physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days, a figure that underscores why access, not just awareness, is the lever councils are focusing on. Removing the cost barrier is the most direct way to move that number.

What participants should know before showing up

All sessions are run by qualified exercise professionals, either accredited exercise physiologists or fitness instructors holding a Certificate IV in Fitness with a senior specialisation. Participants are encouraged to bring water and wear non-slip footwear; the Somerton Road centre has limited parking but is on the 527 bus route, which stops outside the precinct on Somerton Road itself.

Anyone managing a chronic condition, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, should check with their GP or a local allied health professional before starting. The Roxburgh Park Medical Centre on Meadowlink Drive can provide a referral to an exercise physiologist if a more tailored program is appropriate; in some cases, Medicare's Chronic Disease Management plan covers those consultations.

The council is also flagging August 17 as the date for a free community health day at the Roxburgh Park Community Centre, where residents can get blood pressure checks, speak to a physiotherapist, and register for the second half of the Active Ageing timetable. Places in the indoor winter classes have historically filled within two weeks of being advertised, so earlier contact with the Active Ageing line is the practical move for anyone keen to start in July rather than waiting for the August event.

Details including the full timetable and venue maps are available at hume.vic.gov.au or in printed form at the Roxburgh Park Library and Learning Hub on Civic Drive.