Williamstown in South Australia has been named the most budget-friendly day trip in a national affordability index. A day out for two people costs about $66.04, excluding accommodation. The study by car insurance provider ROLLiN' assessed 73 regional destinations on fuel, food, entry fees and attraction costs. McLaren Vale ranked first for overall value, while Geelong, Wollongong, Katoomba and Kalamunda rounded out the top five. Williamstown is about 20 minutes' drive from Hentley Farm in Seppeltsfield, a restaurant in the state's Michelin Guide.
Williamstown has signed two new players for next year's Victorian Football League season. Nelson Beikoff-Smart, a 20-year-old half-back from Queensland, joins from Tasmania after developing through the Gold Coast Suns Academy. He made his VFL debut for Gold Coast in 2024 and played nine matches for the Devils this year. Oskar Ainsworth, a forward from the Western Jets, also joins the club. He kicked 35 goals in 28 Talent League games and played two VFL matches for St Kilda this year.
The Williamstown Croquet Club marked its 100th anniversary on Sunday, honouring its establishment in 1926. Founding members gathered at the town hall, with J.J. Liston presiding and his wife Eva as the first president. Celebrations took place at the club's historic site, where members donned vintage attire and enjoyed games and refreshments. The club's distinctive pavilion, a local landmark, once served as a dance hall and appeared in a 1977 TV episode. The club encourages new players to join and experience the sport.
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House prices in Hobsons Bay dropped sharply over the September quarter, according to Real Estate Institute of Victoria data. Williamstown led the fall, with average prices down 24.8 per cent to $1.3 million, their lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic. Newport fell 13.4 per cent to $1.1 million, and Altona dropped 10 per cent to the same average. Seaholme and Altona North were the only suburbs to record noticeable rises, of 9.8 and 8.1 per cent. Seaholme now matches Williamstown as the highest-priced suburb in the inner west.
Williamstown Congs have beaten Donnybrook for the first time in the club's history, in a Victorian Turf Cricket Association match on Saturday. The Congs posted 9-176 from their overs, with Vishal Attan scoring 52 at the top of the order. Donnybrook was bowled out for 165 in the 39th over. New captain-coach Manish Chaudhary said early wickets, including three from Amritpal Singh, were key to the win. The club, which finished fifth last season, has added five new players and now fields three senior teams and a junior side.
Sporting facilities across Hobsons Bay are receiving millions of dollars in funding ahead of next month's state election. On Tuesday 13 October, Point Cook MP Mat Hilakari announced $5 million to redevelop the pavilion at Bruce Comben Reserve in Altona Meadows. Combined with $2 million from Hobsons Bay council, the new pavilion will serve tenant clubs including Altona Roosters Rugby League Club, Seabrook Cricket Club and Westside Touch.
Williamstown MP Melissa Horne has announced that a re-elected state government would expand the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary to include The Crystals, a popular swimming and snorkelling site at Williamstown Beach. The change would require amending the National Parks Act. Local campaigners and a community petition have welcomed the move, though the petitioners say the fight is not over. Victoria's peak recreational fishing body, VRFish, criticised the decision, saying it was made without consultation and breaks an earlier promise not to introduce new or extended marine parks.
Williamstown Imperials have made a strong start to the Victorian Turf Cricket Association McNamara Shield season. On Saturday, they bowled Grand United out for 75 in 22.2 overs. Kendrick Hatton took 5-5 from 5.2 overs. The Imperials then reached 0-79 in 11.1 overs, winning both games so far by 10 wickets. Playing coach Tom Burton said the side wants to stay at the top after missing out on the grand final last year. The Imperials face PEGS this Saturday.
A family from Williamstown bought a renovated double-fronted Victorian home in Newport for $1.79 million after auction on Saturday. The property at 32 Speight Street had a $1.8 million reserve. It passed in on the family's $1,735,000 bid before the sale was negotiated. Domain recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 53 per cent for the week. Agents said turnkey homes are selling well, while homes needing work are more difficult to sell.
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.
Newport has signed Altona midfielder Tate Ferguson for next year's Western Football League division 1 season. Ferguson played 13 senior games for Altona this season and three games for the Western Jets in the Talent League. The Panthers describe him as a fit, dynamic midfielder who uses the ball well. His father, Joe, was a senior coach of Newport in 1997 and 1998 and won the club's best and fairest award. The club has also re-signed Jackson Fullerton, Malek El-Hassan, Fawzi Eldanawi, Khaled Jawad, Jawad Jawad, Mustafa Mesto and Bill Chehade.
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 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.
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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.
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.
A fresh look is planned for the playground at Brookville Gardens in Toorak, with a draft design now open for public comment. The design includes a tunnel slide, a double slide, a rock scaling wall, a tree climber, a spider web climber, netted cube monkey bars and a shop counter for imaginative play. The council also proposes updating the existing play towers, which the community has said it values. Feedback can be shared online until 11.59 pm on Monday 16 November.
The husband of Liberal Party candidate Amanda Dow has allegedly been assaulted during a confrontation over election signs in Mernda. The party said he suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital, where he was discharged. Police said a 59-year-old Mernda man has been charged with recklessly causing injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault. The accused has been released on bail and is due to appear before Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Yan Yean is currently held by Labor with a margin of 4.3 per cent.
Federal Parliament paused on Monday to pay tribute to Indi MP Helen Haines, who is recovering in a Melbourne hospital. Police allege Brendan Nugent, 43, drove a four-wheel-drive into her as she collected items from her car outside her Wangaratta electorate office. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for lower temperatures in political debate, warning of rising rage and aggression. Opposition leader Angus Taylor described the attack as a national tragedy. Politicians across parties spoke about threats against MPs and their staff, and a donation page in her name had raised more than $1.2 million.
Medicinal cannabis approvals for people aged 25 and under have risen sharply in Australia, according to Therapeutic Goods Administration data. More than 50,000 approvals were issued between 2016 and 2024, with most going to people aged 20 to 25. Anxiety and chronic pain were the leading reasons given. University of Melbourne researcher Christine Hallinan warned that THC, the most commonly prescribed compound for these age groups, can affect mental health and motivation. She also raised concerns about online clinics and prescribers linked to suppliers.
Federal parliament suspended normal business on Monday to pay tribute to independent MP Helen Haines after a man allegedly hit her with his car in a targeted attack in Wangaratta. Police say the attack left her with severe injuries, and both of her legs were later amputated. MPs across parties praised her calm, kindness and commitment to civility in politics. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country must find a better way to argue, while others called for a conversation about regional mental health services.
Apartment residents and renters across Victoria will be eligible for rooftop solar rebates under an expanded state government program. Eligible applicants can receive up to $2,800 per apartment, capped at $140,000 per building. The changes raise the maximum building size from 50 to 150 lots and let owners corporations allocate up to 20 per cent of generated solar energy to common property. Applications are open until June 2027. Savings for individual households will depend on installation costs, electricity use and how power is shared among residents.
