Fish Creek Football Netball Club is among 261 clubs to receive funding from the TAC Club Rewards Program, which recognises efforts to encourage safer driving. Korumburra Bena is one of seven clubs to receive the maximum grant of $10,000. Poowong and Kilcunda Bass are also receiving funding. The grants will pay for equipment, facilities and community programs. The clubs will promote the 2027 message Be the Difference. Make the Right Choice. Slow Down on the Road. Minister for Roads and Road Safety Paul Hamer announced the grants.
Property firm Hotspotting says working-class areas are set to outperform wealthier suburbs over the next seven to 15 years. Glenorchy in Tasmania and Canterbury-Bankstown in New South Wales are among its top picks. Its founder, Terry Ryder, says a poor reputation does not stop areas from growing in value. Hotspotting also expects smaller unit complexes built around the 1950s and 1960s to perform well. Real Estate Institute of Australia president Jacob Caine says homebuyers are looking at areas they previously overlooked.
Police have issued a fresh appeal after releasing CCTV footage of a man they allege deliberately lit a fire at a home in Cobden, in western Victoria. The blaze broke out on Mitchell Street at about 6.15am on February 5, while a father and his two children were inside. The father said he tried to fight the flames and called emergency services. All three escaped without injury. Detectives believe the attack was targeted, but the motive is unclear. No arrests have been made.
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Police have released CCTV footage of a man they believe set a deliberate fire at a home in Cobden, in south-west Victoria. The fire broke out at a Mitchell Street property in February. A father and his two children were inside and escaped without injury. Police say they believe the attack was targeted, though the reason is unclear. Detectives are appealing for information about the man and a silver Mazda 3 seen nearby.
The City of Greater Geelong and Wyndham City councils have asked Transport Minister Vicki Ward for an immediate trial of a V/Line train service through Werribee. The Warrnambool to Southern Cross service would connect two fast-growing areas. Trains were moved off the Werribee route in 2015. Existing tracks, trains and crews would be used. Both mayors say a direct link would improve access to jobs, education, healthcare and Avalon Airport.
A Supreme Court jury will soon begin deliberating in the trial of Steven Fredereick Johnson, 74, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Christopher Jarvis. Mr Jarvis, a 38-year-old father, disappeared from his Wangoom home on June 13, 2006, and his body has never been found. Prosecutors allege Mr Johnson, a former police officer, attacked his tenant over $2,210 in unpaid rent, then buried him and had his car burnt. Mr Johnson's lawyers deny involvement, saying he sought a lawful resolution. The defence argues the case rests on speculation. Justice Andrew Tinney will charge the jury on Monday.
Bass Coast Shire Council has defended its decision to raise annual registration fees for short-stay rental providers. The fee has risen from $324 to $600, or $900 for homes with more than five bedrooms. Holiday home owners and a tourism group have started a petition calling for the increase to be dropped. Council says the fees cover extra costs from the holiday accommodation industry, including waste and anti-social behaviour. Tourism advocates warn the fees could leave more holiday homes empty.
Victoria's southwest is set for significant development with two major projects approved. The Greater Avalon Employment Precinct will create up to 8,000 jobs in industries like manufacturing and logistics, while also safeguarding over 600 acres of conservation land near Ramsar wetlands. Meanwhile, the East of Aberline Precinct Structure Plan in Warrnambool will deliver 4,500 new homes, 800 jobs, and improved community facilities, including schools and parks. Both projects aim to boost local economies and protect environmental areas.
The City of Greater Geelong and Wyndham City councils have asked the Victorian Government to trial a direct rail link between Geelong and Werribee. The proposal would reroute existing Warrnambool to Melbourne services through Werribee rather than Wyndham Vale. The councils say the tracks remain active for freight and are maintained. They argue the trial would test demand without waiting for major new construction. Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj and Wyndham Mayor Mia Shaw backed the plan, which is a request for a trial that the councils are seeking the state government to support.
Victoria’s property market features unusual homes with historic backgrounds. These include a former bank in Violet Town with an intact vault, a converted school in Woodford with original desks, and a tiny bootmaker’s shop in Ascot Vale. Other listings include a former police station in Eildon with a lockup, an old pub in Guildford, and a transformed post office in St Arnaud. Prices range from $390,000 to $1.09 million.
Three-time Wynne Prize finalist Kathryn Ryan is showing her exhibition What the Light Holds at the Zenith Gallery in RACV Inverloch Resort. The free display of painting and drawing is open to the public and resort guests until December 2. Ryan, a Warrnambool artist, says the windswept coastlines and green hills of south-west Victoria shape her work and her outlook. RACV head of visual arts Mardi Nowak says the paintings show a deep connection to the region. Ryan will attend the exhibition on October 17 and October 18.
Geelong and Wyndham councils are urging the state government to trial direct passenger trains between Geelong and Werribee. The proposal would reroute existing Warrnambool services through Werribee instead of Wyndham Vale, using current tracks, trains, and crews. The councils say the trial would require only timetable changes and passenger information, with no new track needed. They argue the service would improve access to jobs, education, and healthcare, while providing evidence for future investment.
Meghan and Kate have not spoken in four years, and a near-miss in London has fuelled reports of tension. Meghan had lunch with activist Malala Yousafzai at Claridge's hotel while Kate was travelling on the London Underground nearby, according to Woman's Day. A royal insider says the lunch irked Kate, who has dined at Claridge's with Prince William. Another source claims Meghan sees Kate's Tube ride with Princess Charlotte as a calculated move linked to security concerns for Meghan's children. Other reports say Kate is furious over Harry and Meghan's walkabout in Nottingham.
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 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.
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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.
Wyndham local David Hatfield says he was 12 when his mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and she died within nine months of a later liver cancer diagnosis. In 2025, Mr Hatfield, 48, was diagnosed with kidney cancer after an emergency visit to Stawell Hospital during a holiday in the Grampians. He says being diagnosed himself gave him a deeper understanding of his mother's experience. Ahead of Canteen's Bandanna Day on 29 October, he is asking people to listen to the stories of those affected and support the organisation's work.
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.
A new $770,000 dog park at VR Michael Reserve in Lalor is now open for dogs and their owners. The park has separate active and quiet zones designed for dogs of different sizes, ages and temperaments. Facilities include accessible pathways, shelters, seating, drinking fountains, solar lighting, shade trees and landscaping. The project followed community feedback and key improvements identified in the VR Michael Reserve Master Plan. Whittlesea council contributed $470,000, with the Victorian government providing $300,000.
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.
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Stephen Batty and local psychologist Danielle Jacobs have started a petition calling for urgent safety upgrades at three busy Mt Eliza intersections. The intersections are Volitans Avenue, Mount Eliza Way and Baden Powell Drive. The petition, addressed to the Victorian Parliament, seeks independent safety audits, a review of speed limits, signage, line marking, lighting, vegetation and sightlines, and a clear timetable for any recommendations. Batty said the intersections needed fixing and could not wait. Jacobs said the petition was about neighbours and asked residents to sign and share it.
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.
Labor has described Fatima Payman's comments linking a staffing allocation to a Haines-style attack as outrageous. Payman has asked whether the Prime Minister is waiting for something to happen to Helen Haines again. Senator Jacqui Lambie says Pauline Hanson has not personally apologised over a cartoon. Separately, the Farrer independent spent $1.7 million on the byelection campaign, according to electoral returns.
