French Ambassador to Australia David Martinon has visited The Briars on the Mornington Peninsula to view its Napoleonic collection. He was joined by Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie, mayor Stephen Batty and deputy mayor Paul Pingiaro. The collection dates to the Balcombe family, who befriended Napoleon during his exile on St Helena in 1815. The homestead is due to reopen later this year after restoration works, with a dedicated exhibition of the collection planned.
An artificial intelligence system fitted to an RACV roadside assistance van has detected more than 300 road defects across 1,000 kilometres of Victorian roads. The system, called RoughSense, was developed by RMIT University and tested with RACV. It identifies cracking, rutting and emerging potholes as the van completes its normal duties. The highest concentration of defects was found along the Frankston-Flinders Road corridor. Researchers are still assessing the system's accuracy, and the trial runs until January 2027.
French Ambassador to Australia David Martinon visited The Briars on Friday, October 23, to explore the Mornington Peninsula's link to Napoleon Bonaparte. He viewed selected items from the internationally significant Napoleonic Collection in private. The collection traces back to the Balcombe family, who befriended Napoleon during his exile on St Helena in 1815. It will form part of a dedicated exhibition when the Homestead reopens later this year following restoration works.
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Mornington Peninsula producers collected five gold, 12 silver and 31 bronze medals at the ninth Australian Pinot Noir Challenge. The competition drew 319 entries from 20 regions across Australia. Merli Pinot Noir, made by Jonathan and David Merli, claimed the Mornington Peninsula Regional Trophy. Judging was held in Flinders in late September, led by Tom Carson of Yabby Lake and supported by volunteer stewards from local wineries. The Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association organises the event, which also highlights the region's 1,346 tonnes of Pinot Noir grapes crushed in 2025.
Suburbs are reaching farmland across the Illawarra, bringing new housing close to working farms. The writer says farmers and residents now share the same space, with a Facebook complaint about late-night hay baling illustrating the tension. At Calderwood, more than 500 cattle must cross Calderwood Road, which is being upgraded as traffic grows. The writer argues that housing is needed, but people must decide what to lose and what to design around. Neither side is simply wrong, the writer says, and both must keep functioning.
A bronze statue of explorer Matthew Flinders has been stolen from Mornington Park in Victoria. Police are investigating the theft, which was discovered on Tuesday 6 October. The statue, commissioned in 1987, was created by sculptor Marc Clark. Victorian Police spokesperson Kathryn Muffett confirmed the investigation is ongoing. Mornington Peninsula Shire deputy mayor Cr Paul Pingiaro condemned the vandalism, calling it unacceptable damage to a community asset. Mornington MP Chris Crewther also condemned the theft and proposed new penalties for damage to war memorials and cultural sites if the Liberal Party is elected.
