Which clubs and communities in Melbourne are actually welcoming to newcomers?

Every "make friends in Melbourne" list names the same five things and never says which ones actually talk to new people. So let us build the honest version, from experience only: run clubs where someone waits for the slowest runner, choirs and language exchanges that pair you up on day one, volunteer shifts where you work next to the same crew weekly, sports with a genuine beginners grade. Rules for this thread: only recommend a thing you have personally walked into alone. Say what it costs, which suburb, and the first-time experience (did anyone greet you?). That last detail is the whole thread. And the standing offer behind this board: when enough people in one corner can keep the same night, we seat five of you at one table, weekly, so the welcome stops depending on luck.