The Kingston Foreshore is usually abuzz with people, but looking out her window from the apartments above, it just reminded Eternity Hausen of how isolated she felt.
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She had moved to Canberra from Brisbane five years earlier to study at university.
"I was looking out my window, there's all these new cafes and people down here sharing coffee and I was like, 'I don't know anyone, how am I gonna make friends?'" she said.
"I thought, "I don't have any friends in Canberra, how did this happen?" I always had a big social group in Brisbane."
Wanting to do something, Hausen set up a Facebook page and launched Say Hello Kingston - a community initiative to encourage locals to meet new people and reach out.
In April, Hausen printed up flyers and dropped them in mailboxes along Eastlake Parade.
"I thought I'd probably get one or two people like my page, probably no friends. And then within two weeks I had over 150 likes," she said.
She cautiously set up the first social event at Walt and Burley, not knowing if anyone would turn up. After a slow start, 12 people turned up.
Since, Hausen has held brunches, coffee catch-ups, mums and bubs events, wine tastings and games nights. Attendees have ranged in age from 20 to 68, and are not just from Kingston.
"The types of people have been men and women, single or married, partnered or babies, and there's been doctors, nurses, real estate agents - all sorts of people," she said.
Hausen said it was reassuring to find so many others in the same situation.
"I was honest and said to everyone, 'I don't know anybody here, I want to make friends and make connections', and people came up to me and said 'thank you so much, I've really needed this. I've been in my apartment so depressed, I don't know anyone, I don't know how to reach out around here'," she said.
"I had three people hug me with tears in their eyes. It's been really moving to me. I didn't realise it was such a big issue.
"The population here is so transient too, and when people are done they leave so it's hard to make those meaningful connections, it's hard to find really good friends."
Hausen, who works as an IT business analyst and also studies, is now running two events a month.
And Kingston is just the start. Facebook pages have been set up for Say Hello Campbell, Say Hello Canberra and Say Hello Braddon, with plans for more.
"Kingston is just the beginning of something hopefully much bigger, I'm hoping to really spread the love throughout Canberra," she said.
To help fund the expansion, a Go Fund Me fundraising campaign has been created, and there are now memberships for sale which include discounts to local businesses in Kingston.
"At the beginning I really didn't think anyone would like the page. Now I've even made at least five decent friends who I catch up with outside of the group," she said.
You can find Say Hello Kingston at facebook.com/sayhellokingston.
