Skip to content
Father’s Day can be a bit of a cocktail — equal parts sweet, salty, and sometimes bittersweet.
Maybe Dad isn’t around anymore (in person, at least). Perhaps he’s here, but he’s allergic to cameras. Perhaps you’d like to do something with a bit more heart than just socks and a Bunnings voucher.
This year, let’s think bigger. Let’s give gifts that mean something, last longer than a bamboo undies (even if they are really good!), and maybe even make you giggle. Here are four Photobat-approved ideas.
1. Be a Lifesaver (Literally)
Instead of wrapping paper, try a blood donor bandage. Donating blood or plasma is one of the quickest ways to make a massive difference. You don’t need to be Superman — just show up, lie down, possibly score a free biscuit, and you’ve literally saved someone’s dad, kid, or grandparent.
Do it once and you’re a champ. Do it regularly and you’re officially part of the Good Guys Club (no cape required).
Head over to lifeblood.com.au for places you can go, and even when they will be visiting your area.
2. Plant a Tree (Without Turning Your Backyard Into Jurassic Park)
Not everyone’s got space to stick a gum tree in the yard — and nobody wants to explain to the neighbours why their fence is now a koala highway. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to plant a tree for Dad, no matter where you live.
TreeProject (Melbourne & surrounds): Join a planting day, complete with boots, dirt, and smiles. They supply the tools, you bring the laughs.
Green Links projects (Victoria): Community planting sessions across Melbourne, Geelong, and Ballarat. Perfect for a quick “good deed” Saturday.
Conservation Volunteers Australia: Nationwide projects that let you roll up your sleeves — planting, seed collecting, habitat restoration.
Not into mud? You can also donate to groups like Greenfleet, who plant native forests across Australia while you stay blissfully soil-free.
3. Support a Dad-Focused Charity
Here’s the truth: dads need support too. If you’d like your gift to help a dad who’s still here, check out these Aussie organisations:
Australian Dads Network Inc – A grassroots group offering online communities, workshops, and mental health support for fathers.
Dads4Kids (The Fatherhood Foundation) – Inspiring stories, mentoring, and leadership programs to help dads step up and stay connected.
Parents Beyond Breakup – Their “Dads in Distress” service provides lifesaving peer support for separated fathers doing it tough.
Your donation here is the kind of present that ripples far wider than your own family.
4. The Photobat Spin: A Gift for the Kids (Future Proofed)
Here’s where I sneak in the Photobat magic. A portrait session isn’t just “get everyone to smile at the same time.” It’s a time capsule.
If Dad’s here — brilliant, let’s capture him in all his dad-joke glory. If he’s not, giving your kids photos is like handing them a love letter they’ll open again and again in years to come.
It’s not about cheesy poses or stiff smiles. It’s about freezing a little bit of the chaos, laughter, and connection that make your family yours.
Gift Vouchers available here if you are keen, they might be on special!
5. Bonus Round: Print the Damn Photos
Here’s the thing — you already have a heap of photos. Not on a “proper camera” (unless you’re slightly unhinged and carry one around daily), but on your phone. Thousands of them.
So here’s a gift idea that’s equal parts old school and genius: print them. Yep, just the standard 6x4s. Officeworks and Kmart can crank them out in an hour, or if you want them looking schmick, try RGB Digital for quality prints.
And don’t stop there — grab an album and stick them in. Like the old days. Because let’s be honest: flipping through pages with a cuppa beats endless scrolling any day.
Even if Dad isn’t around, getting those photos out of the cloud and into a book makes them real, touchable, and shareable. And that’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Final Thought…
This Father’s Day, skip the socks. Go for a gift that actually means something:
Donate blood.
Plant a tree (mud optional).
Support a dad who needs a hand.
Or give your kids the best inheritance possible — memories, framed and forever.
That’s the kind of Father’s Day gift that hugs back.