Fathers and families will take over Mooloolaba’s Pirate Park on September 6 for the Man With A Pram walk, marking a decade since a simple suburban stroll grew into a national movement.
Man With A Pram began in 2016 when new father Tom Docking was pushing a pram through suburban Melbourne and wondered whether a simple walk could help fathers feel less alone.
At the time, Tom and his wife Kate had a two-year-old daughter and another baby on the way.
“It felt like throwing a birthday party and wondering if anyone would come,” Tom says.
“I knew my dad and brothers would be there, but then families we had never met started appearing.
“That was when we understood the walk could be a doorway to something deeper – connection, honest conversation and support for dads and their families.”
Watching unfamiliar families arrive was the moment Kate realised how many others were experiencing the same isolation, anxiety and uncertainty they had encountered in early parenthood.
“Seeing those families turn up showed us that people genuinely wanted more connection and support,” Kate says.
That first walk has grown into a national Father’s Day event series and community campaign.
It brings families together through local walks and encourages a more father-inclusive approach to pregnancy, birth and early parenting.
Event details
Location: Mooloolaba Spit at the eastern end of Parkyn Parade.
Date: September 6.
Time: 9am.
Venue: Pirate Park, Mooloolaba Spit.
Registration: manwithapram.com/2026-man-with-a-pram-walks/
