Get the appSouth Melbourne, VIC 3205 · 5 stories this week
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
South Melbourne opened its Australian Championship campaign with a 1-0 away win over Sutherland in New South Wales. Yuki Ushida scored the only goal of the match. The Australian Cup holders controlled possession and tempo for long periods, while their defence limited Sutherland's chances. Next, South Melbourne host Sydney United at Lakeside Stadium at Albert Park on Friday, 23 October, at 7.30pm.
A converted South Melbourne warehouse, a hand-built house in Mount Martha and a Malvern residence with a landscaped pool are among five Melbourne homes highlighted for their distinctive design. The South Melbourne property keeps its warehouse features, including reclaimed-timber ceilings, and contains two independent residences. The Mount Martha home was largely hand-built by Ross Bakker for his family and uses rare West African timber. A single-level Mount Eliza home has four-metre ceilings and a stone-clad fireplace, while a Luciano Bologna-designed Malvern house spans three levels with a bold facade.
South Melbourne FC co-president Bill Papastergiadis has called the barriers keeping the club out of the A-League un-Australian. Speaking after the club beat Melbourne Victory on penalties in the Australia Cup final at AAMI Park, he said the reasons for its exclusion were fiction. He said South wanted a chance to invest, develop its staff and give players and supporters a pathway to the top level. He said the club had not yet held talks with the Australian Professional Leagues, which operates the A-League, and was waiting to be contacted.
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Get the appSouth Melbourne, Sydney Olympic and Oakleigh Cannons all feature in the second Australian Championship, each with a different goal. South Melbourne, last year's winners, face the pressure of being the main target after their Australia Cup triumph. Sydney Olympic is seeking redemption after narrowly missing the knockout stage last season, and has signed several marquee players, including Dimitri Petratos. Oakleigh Cannons are new to the tournament after winning the NPL Victoria Premiership, and their coach says the competition offers a valuable platform for younger players.
Football Australia and Victorian officials have condemned spectators who disrupted the Welcome to Country ceremony at the Australia Cup final. The incident occurred during South Melbourne's victory over Melbourne Victory, overshadowing the historic win for the National Premier Leagues side. The governing body and state minister emphasised the importance of respect and inclusivity in Australian football. Melbourne's lord mayor also expressed disappointment at the crowd's behaviour, highlighting the need for respect towards Indigenous traditions. This follows previous incidents of disrespect during Welcome to Country ceremonies at sporting events.
Bush Flowers has opened a shopfront on Queensberry Street in North Melbourne, filled with Australian native flowers. Owner Michael, who grew up around the flower industry, started the business after noticing few native flowers reached florists. The business began in Carlton North just before COVID and built a following online and at farmers' markets. Michael says he wanted customers to see the flowers in person. He grows some flowers on his own farm in the Northern Territory and sources others from growers, including Grampians grower Brett McDonald.
South Melbourne FC has announced the departure of head coach Sinisa Cohadzic, two days after the club won the Australia Cup. Hellas beat Melbourne Victory on penalties in the final at AAMI Park. Under Cohadzic, the club also won the Australian Championship and Dockerty Cup. Senior Football Director Peter Kokotis called him a legend of the club. Sam Poutakidis will take charge for the Australian Championship opener, an away match against Sutherland Sharks.
Former South Melbourne figures known as The Hellas Crew met at the Orlo restaurant in Melbourne, sharing memories of the club and their years of service to the Greek community. The group met one day before the grand final against Melbourne Victory. The next day, Hellas won the Australia Cup against Melbourne Victory on penalties. The club is described as part of the collective memory and identity of Melbourne's Greek community.
South Melbourne co-president Bill Papastergiadis says the club wants to lead efforts for fairness in Australian football after winning the Australia Cup. Asked how soon the club could join the A-League, he said it was ready immediately. Captain Marco Jankovic called the win the best moment of his career and pointed to the emotion of long-time supporters. Coach Sinisa Cohadzic said the club and its fans are hungry for bigger games and bigger leagues.
South Melbourne co-president Bill Papastergiadis says the club's Australia Cup triumph belongs to the entire Hellenic community. South became the first club from outside the A-League to lift the trophy. Papastergiadis said the win was against the odds, after the club was left out of the A-League in 2004. As Cup winners, South has earned a place in next year's AFC Champions League Two.
Melbourne man Ben Turner, who survived a tram collision on Kings Way in South Melbourne in 2005, will run the full Melbourne Marathon on October 11. He is raising money for Ambulance Victoria and The Alfred Foundation, with a target of $10,000 for each. When paramedics reached him, his heart had stopped and he was not breathing, yet they saved him. He later spent four weeks in hospital, including 23 days in intensive care. Turner says he wants to recognise the emergency workers who helped him, and he stays in touch with the paramedics involved.
Ten-year-old Brandon Winkworth raised $500 for Bread Hub Victoria after his school charity choice was not selected. The charity matched the amount, doubling it to $1000. The money will fund vouchers for disadvantaged people in Hobsons Bay and Wyndham to use swimming and gym facilities at Laverton Community Hub and Bayfit. Laverton Community Integrated Services chief executive Michael Pernar praised the boy's efforts. Hobsons Bay mayor Diana Grima said the youngster's hard work was an inspiration. Brandon said he is proud of what he achieved.
Melbourne student Aparjot, 21, has self-published her first novel, When We Were Souls, while studying cybersecurity and working part-time. The 376-page story follows two people who meet, fall in love and face the reality that some connections do not last. It is structured around seven Sufi stages of love, reflecting the Punjabi poetry she has written since childhood. Aparjot funded the book herself, designing the cover and editing the manuscript with help from friends. She is now preparing a second book, Ibadat, due in January 2027, which will draw on her Punjabi poems.
A Melbourne couple has moved into a new home that cost $80,000 less than they planned to spend. Jeyakaran Karnan and Shree Harini Vinothkumar chose a $720,000 house-and-land package in Clyde North after finding auctions stressful. They built at the Orana estate, where they hoped their son Yaalan could grow up among other young families. The couple used the federal 5 per cent deposit scheme, which reduced their deposit to $36,000. Construction took about four months, with the keys arriving roughly 10 months after they signed up.
A contract has been awarded to remove boom gates at two inner-west Melbourne level crossings. The alliance of Acciona, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and VIDA Rail will carry out work at Anderson Street in Yarraville and Hudsons Road in Spotswood. The state government says the Anderson Street crossing has seen one fatality and four serious injuries since 2006. The Yarraville project will close the western part of Anderson Street to traffic, create a pedestrian plaza and add parking. Construction starts next year, with completion due in 2029. The Hudsons Road crossing is expected to be removed by 2028.
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Get the appVandals destroyed 28 newly planted trees at Cyril Curtain Reserve in Williamstown last month, causing more than $10,000 in damage. Hobsons Bay council says the cost, including replacements, will exceed $12,000. The trees were destroyed in two separate incidents in September and were among 51 advanced coastal banksias planted behind the Williamstown Cricket Ground. The incident has been reported to police. Mayor Diana Grima said the loss of years of growth was disappointing, and the council hopes education will prevent future incidents.
Transport Victoria has confirmed the final design for intersection upgrades along Sunshine Avenue in Taylors Lakes. Construction is expected to begin in 2027. Two roundabouts at Melton Highway and Old Calder Highway will be replaced with signalised intersections, with additional lanes and new signalised pedestrian crossings. New walking and cycling paths and street lighting will also be built. A bus stop on the northern side of Melton Highway will move to the eastern side of Sunshine Avenue.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network across the state's east and west. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and the Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras use artificial intelligence to scan for smoke and fire around the clock, and the expanded network is expected to monitor more than 1.4 million hectares. The new cameras are scheduled to be in place by November 2027. Minister for Emergency Services Paul Edbrooke said early information would help emergency services respond more quickly.
Ken Bodinnar, a 73-year-old former State Emergency Service worker from Paynesville, is fighting to have his workers' compensation claim recognised. His doctors believe his small-cell lung cancer resulted from years of service, including the Black Saturday fires. The insurer rejected the claim, and a medical report later found his exposure to firefighting smoke and diesel fumes was a significant contributing factor. The dispute will go to trial in November. Mr Bodinnar is in intensive care in Geelong and hopes the claim will support his family.
A 62-year-old man from Caroline Springs has been charged after an alleged incident in a change room at the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre on Sunday 25 October. Police allege he used a recording device to film several people in a change room cubicle around 11.10am. He faces charges of producing child abuse material and producing intimate images. Brimbank council says it has terminated his membership and banned him from all council leisure centres. He is bailed to appear before Sunshine Magistrates' Court on 23 March 2027.
Authorities have shut 100 shops under newly granted powers aimed at stamping out the trade in illegal tobacco. Since those powers took effect on 9 September, the VIPER Taskforce and Tobacco Licensing Victoria officers have confiscated over four million unlawful cigarettes, roughly 70,000 vaping devices, three tonnes of leaf tobacco and close to $1 million in cash. The drive is directed at criminal networks that profit from the illicit product, including groups run from overseas. Retailers across a string of Melbourne suburbs have been inspected, and the operation is still underway.
South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman has claimed more than $60,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances for a Melbourne second home since early 2024. He appears to have missed 70 per cent of parliamentary sitting days. Cheeseman was pushed out of the Labor Party in April 2024 over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards staff, and has since sat as an independent. He declined to respond to questions from the ABC. The Greens and two former premiers support publicly available attendance records, while the Liberal and Labor parties declined to say whether they would back the idea.
A medical centre in Melbourne's north-west was extensively damaged by fire in a suspected arson attack early today. Police say offenders smashed a front window of the Shuter Street clinic in Moonee Ponds before using an accelerant and setting it alight just after 2am. About an hour earlier, two cars were set alight outside a Brighton home on Manor Street in what police describe as a suspected targeted attack. Police will investigate whether the two incidents are linked. An arson chemist will attend both scenes today, and anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact CrimeStoppers.
A large former Toyota site at 200-214 Blackshaws Rd, Altona North, has been listed for sale, with a possible $40 million price. The 5.3-hectare property was sold by Toyota in 2020. A Victorian government masterplan has earmarked the site for a future town centre with a supermarket, shops and up to 395 homes. No development plans are yet in place. Expressions of interest close at 3pm on November 11.