Councils across Victoria will share $3 million in funding for local road safety projects aimed at protecting pedestrians and cyclists. The Transport Accident Commission grant program is funding projects across 39 councils. Initiatives include raised pedestrian crossings, shared paths, footpaths and radar-enabled signs that display vehicle speeds. Minister Paul Hamer said the grants would help councils make local streets safer. Figures provided with the announcement show 41 pedestrians and six cyclists have died on Victorian roads so far this year.
Thirteen housing projects across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia are preparing to release new land, house-and-land and home options this month. Projects include Heath Rise in Leppington, Cobbitty by Mirvac, Ashbury in Armstrong Creek and Everleigh in Greenbank. Buyers are advised that release dates and lot availability can change, so they should check directly with each developer for registration times and current stock.
Buyers looking for a new detached house have 28 new projects to consider across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Options include shovel-ready homesites, house-and-land packages and newly completed turnkey homes. Sovereign Hills in New South Wales and Riverlea in South Australia are among the new releases this month. Listed on realestate.com.au over the past month, release status and availability may change, so buyers should confirm details with each project team.
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Cyclists across the Geelong region are being asked to rate their local roads and paths during the October Biketober campaign. Participants can log rides and earn prize entries, and this year they can also rate how comfortable their routes feel. The push comes as Surf Coast Shire and the City of Greater Geelong seek state funding for a separated cycling link between Torquay and Geelong, estimated to cost $13 million. The shire is also seeking an extra $2.8 million for the highest risk section between Blackgate Road and Lower Duneed Road.
Stockland has launched Halcyon Greenhaven, a 345-home over-55s community in Armstrong Creek, 10km from Geelong. The development is part of a $741 million investment in three Halcyon communities across Greater Geelong, reflecting the region's growing appeal to older Australians. The community features eight contemporary home designs, a clubhouse with wellness facilities, and easy access to shopping centres and wetlands. Juliane and Garry are among the first buyers, moving from Queensland to Geelong for its milder climate and relaxed lifestyle.
The federal government has allocated $16 million to construct 29 new homes for women and children escaping family violence in Geelong and Armstrong Creek. These dwellings, to be completed within two years, will provide accommodation for individuals at risk of homelessness. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil emphasised the importance of safe housing for vulnerable Australians. The announcement coincided with the opening of a 77-apartment social housing development in Newtown, funded by the Housing Australia Future Fund. This project increased the site’s capacity from 22 to 77 apartments, with some units prioritised for crisis housing.
New nursing labs have opened at The Gordon's Geelong City Campus, giving 416 Diploma of Nursing students hands-on clinical training in simulated hospital wards. The Gordon chief executive Joe Ormeno said the facilities include assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, wheelchair access, adjustable furniture and low-stimulation spaces. Deputy premier Gabrielle Williams said the labs are the first stage of The Gordon's TAFE Centre of Excellence in Disability Inclusion. Work on the remaining stages is underway, with the centre due for completion next year.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network, covering more than 1.4 million hectares before the 2027-28 fire season. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras will scan landscapes around the clock for smoke and fire, flagging possible incidents for investigation. Installations are scheduled across western and eastern Victoria by November 2027. Officials say the network will give firefighters more time to respond. Most of the monitored area is non-plantation land.
A Geelong-region state MP has claimed more than $60,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances for a second Melbourne home since early 2024, despite appearing to miss 70 per cent of parliamentary sitting days. South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman was expelled from the Labor Party in April 2024 after allegations of persistent, inappropriate behaviour towards staff, and has sat as an independent since. The allowance helps regional MPs living more than 80 kilometres from Melbourne. Mr Cheeseman declined to respond to questions from the ABC. Victoria has no public record of MP attendance, and the Greens and former premiers support introducing one.
A recent news item highlights a program that has broadened job aspirations among young people in the Colac district. Three local young people took part and were exposed to the variety of career paths across the agricultural sector. The same listing page also features items on heifer prices recovering, a Probus club celebration, and an upcoming historic flower show. The provided text offers no detail on the program's organisers, its duration, or how many young people overall have taken part, so those specifics remain unstated.
A five-bedroom character home in Drumcondra, near Geelong's foreshore, has sold for $2.3 million after barely three weeks on the market. The buyers, who are moving from the Mornington Peninsula to be closer to family, had previously lived in the suburb. Agent Malinda Leonard of Jellis Craig Geelong said the property drew two potential buyers during the campaign. The home was originally built in 1914 and combines its period features with a modern extension and a solar-heated pool. It last sold for $1.08 million in 2010.
Aireys Inlet Primary School will host its annual Aireys Fair on 31 October, running from 9am to 3pm. The fair, which has run for more than a decade, is organised by a committee of parents with help from grandparents, relatives and the wider community. It will be held alongside the Aireys Inlet Market, with rides and activities on the oval overlooking the ocean. A community-run bookstore will also operate, with all profits going back to the school.
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia has concluded its annual conference in Geelong. Around 400 volunteers, staff and board members from across the sector attended. The conference explored the future of community broadcasting and its role in connecting communities and giving a voice to underrepresented groups. Among the attendees was Lizzie Wait from Nambucca Valley Radio in Tewinga, south of Coffs Harbour, who was attending for the first time.
The Greek Community of Geelong has marked 70 years since it was founded in April 1956 by a small group of Greek immigrants. Those first members met on Swanston Street to elect a board, and the community later built a church and a Greek school. Today it has around 300 to 400 families. President Andrew Alexander says the community is now focused on engaging young people and planning its next 25 years. He credits the sacrifices of the first immigrants for the community's achievements.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to cut emergency department wait times by 20 per cent if Labor is re-elected. Speaking at University Hospital Geelong, he said 12 hospital emergency departments would be expanded by 25 per cent. The plan also includes 1500 new health workers, among them 750 nurses, and 250 more beds. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the changes would allow more than 210,000 patients to be treated each year. The state average emergency department wait is currently 15 minutes, though some patients wait more than two hours.
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Police are appealing for witnesses after the body of a 60-year-old man was found in the waters off Avalon on Saturday. The discovery followed an unoccupied kayak found near Limeburners Bay in Corio at about 1.30pm. Water Police want to speak with the group of kayakers who found the vessel, and anyone else who may have seen anything in the area. The man's death is not being treated as suspicious, and a report will be prepared for the coroner. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers.
A Geelong woman has shared her three decades of gambling on poker machines during Gambling Harm Awareness Week, which runs from 24 to 31 October. Punters lost more than $152 million in the City of Greater Geelong and Borough of Queenscliffe in 2025-26, the highest amount recorded locally. Jan, a recovering gambler, said she hopes her story will show others that recovery is possible. After reaching out to Meli's Gambler's Help, she said she regained control of her life.
Residents of the Borough of Queenscliffe will soon be able to borrow and return library items at any time, day or night. An 18-locker system is being installed at Queenscliff Library, funded with $28,660 from the Victorian Government. Holders of a free Geelong Regional Libraries membership can reserve items for delivery to a locker. Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant announced the funding at the library, alongside local council and library leaders. Council will share further updates as the project progresses.
A renovated home at 21 Lascelles Avenue, Manifold Heights, is on the market for $2 million to $2.2 million. McGrath agent Georgie Shaw says the outdoor space is a key drawcard, including a playground, swimming pool, covered deck with a built-in barbecue and outdoor fireplace. The red clinker brick home has a renovated kitchen, bathrooms and plantation shutters. A former games room has been enclosed to create a multipurpose pool house or extra living space. Shaw says the vendors, who are moving to acreage, have added extras that make it a ready-to-move-in home.
Free Children's Week events will be held in Torquay and Winchelsea next week, giving families activities, crafts and entertainment. The Surf Coast Shire and local early years services are hosting the events. In Torquay, activities run at Elephant Walk on Tuesday 27 October from 10am to noon, including a Science Kidz show. In Winchelsea, families can join nature play and science experiments at Riverbank Playground on Thursday 29 October from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Children's Week runs nationally from 24 October to 1 November.
A Surf Coast father is hosting a free community event in Torquay to help families grieving pregnancy and child loss. Adam Bumpus lost his baby daughter Florence during labour in April 2025, after learning during pregnancy she had Trisomy 18, a condition that made survival unlikely. Flo Fest will be held on Saturday 7 November at the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club. The program includes a sunrise paddle-out, breakfast, facilitated discussions led by trained grief professionals, and a remembrance gathering by the water. Registration is required by 31 October.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner after a man's body was found in waters off Avalon Road in Avalon on Monday evening. The search followed the discovery of an unoccupied kayak near Limeburners Bay in Corio earlier that day. Emergency crews, including Water Police, the Air Wing, Marine Search and Rescue and SES volunteers, joined officers in the search. The body belonged to a 60-year-old man from East Geelong.
