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.
Williamstown CYMS and Footscray United both lost close matches in the Isaac Howarth Shield. The CYs were defeated by Sunshine after a rain delay, while Maribyrnong Park St Marys edged out the Bulldogs. Seddon dominated, bowling out the Tigers for 58 and winning by eight wickets. The Druids secured their first win of the season against Aberfeldie. In the senior division, Yarraville Club beat St Albans, and Altona North's match with Airport West St Christopher’s was abandoned.
Footscray captain Dylan Brasher scored 162 as the Bulldogs reached Dandenong's target of 362 with six wickets down, winning their first match of the Victorian Premier Cricket season. Brasher shared a strong partnership with Henry Pearson, who made 55, while Aiman Nadeem scored 59 not out. Travis Dean also made a half century. Brasher's innings was his 15th premier first XI century. Coach Dale McDonald said the Bulldogs face Carlton in a two-day match over the next two Saturdays.
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A new Australian play, Fall, will have its world premiere in Melbourne's west in December. Written by Michele Lee and directed by Beng Oh, it opens at The Bowery Theatre in St Albans on 5 December. The production then moves to Bluestone Church Arts Space in Footscray for four shows from 9 to 12 December. Set in northern Laos in 1975, the three-character play follows an Australian teacher and a former Hmong student facing the end of the Secret War. The 75-minute show is recommended for audiences aged 15 and over, and Wit Incorporated Theatre Company presents it.
North Footscray has lost two key forwards to other clubs in Western Football League division 1. Albanvale has signed Mathew Serafin from next year's season, with Shaun Ujcich and Harley Cameron also joining the Cobras. Whitehorse Pioneers have appointed Lynden Dunn as director of coaching and playing assistant coach. Dunn kicked 73 goals for the Devils this season. Nicholas Papakalodoukas is also leaving the club to sign with the Suns.
The Meeniyan Marty Gras drew crowds to South Gippsland for its drag and rainbow-themed events under the theme Rainbow Country. The main night at the Meeniyan Town Hall was briefly disrupted by a hailstorm and a power cut, but a live band kept the party going. The festival raises funds for Opportunities of Development thru Art in Cambodia and the Gippsland Pride Initiative. Organisers say the event has grown since it began in 2018 and that close to 180 guests attended this year's main event.
Victoria's Labor government has promised 45 extra beds and 145 nurses for Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of a $1.5 billion election commitment. The plan would expand emergency departments at 12 Victorian hospitals by an average of 25 per cent and reduce waiting times at those hospitals by up to 20 per cent. Labor says the expansion depends on winning re-election. The government has not yet released construction timetables or explained how the waiting time reduction was calculated.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has launched Labor's campaign for a fourth straight term, pledging to cut emergency department wait times. He announced $1.5 billion to expand emergency departments at 12 hospitals, with 250 extra beds and 1500 more health workers. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, speaking at a vandalised Upwey South tennis club, focused on crime and pledged 3000 new police officers. Mr Carroll accused the coalition of seeking to Americanise the health system, a claim Ms Wilson rejected. The state election is on November 28.
A contract has been awarded to remove the Anderson Street and Hudsons Road level crossings in Melbourne's west. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and finish in 2029. The project aims to improve safety and reduce delays in Yarraville and Spotswood. Two new accessible underpasses will maintain connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Plans also include new public space and additional car parking near Yarraville Village.
Shares in NextDC, one of Australia's largest data centre builders, collapsed by 40% after the company said delays at its flagship Melbourne site would mean revenue falls short of forecasts. The delays followed community concerns about its M3 expansion in Footscray, which led electricity distributor Jemena to pause construction of large power poles. Investors are also worried about rising costs, higher borrowing expenses, fast-ageing AI chips and community resistance to data centres. Other data centre firms have also faced setbacks, including Firmus cancelling its listing for lack of demand.
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.
Mathew Serafin, one of the leading goalkickers in Western Football League division 2, has joined Albanvale from North Footscray. The Cobras say he kicked 88 goals in 2025 and a further 80 in 2026, helping North Footscray reach consecutive grand finals and a senior premiership this season. Serafin has more than 800 career goals and has earned multiple team of the year selections. The club has also signed Antonio Vitalone from Burnside Heights, while Aidan O'Neil has returned and Stephen Mihelakos-James has joined from Hadfield.
Sunshine has recorded back-to-back wins to open the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Isaacs Howarth Shield season. The Crows beat the Druids on Saturday after an opening win over Footscray United. Captain-coach Troy Stone said the side never felt fully in control. Dilum Weerarathna took 5-26 for the Crows, and Avishka Chenuka top scored with 43. Sunshine will next face Williamstown CYMS this Saturday.
Melbourne's Environmental Film Festival runs from Sunday 25 October to Sunday 8 November, screening more than 20 films from around the world. Presented by Environmental Films Australia, the program includes documentaries, shorts, talks and events across Melbourne, including in Footscray. Its 2026 theme, Who Cares?, includes a community litterpick on Melbourne Cup day, 3 November. The festival closes with a get-together on Saturday 7 November, and a special Enviro Film Club session follows on 8 November. Full listings and bookings are available online.
Chris Macheras has released a third book, Old Vintage Melbourne: A Culinary Chronicle, which records the city's classic eateries. It grew from an Instagram account of vintage Melbourne photos that Macheras started during COVID-19 lockdown. He produced the book while recovering from Hodgkin lymphoma. It features about 120 food venues, including Stalactites on Lonsdale Street, which opened in 1978 and is known for its hand-made ceiling. Many older restaurants have closed, some after COVID-19 and others after fires. Macheras says the book helps preserve the city's identity.
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Maribyrnong mayor Mohamed Semra has again called for a joined-up approach to crime in inner-city Footscray. Police were called to an assault at a Barkly Street business on 15 October, where a female staff member was allegedly attacked by a woman after a man verbally abused her. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the alleged offenders are believed to be at large. A day earlier, a 37-year-old man was arrested on Byron Street after allegedly threatening passers-by with a knife.
A 24-7 naloxone dispensing machine has been installed at cohealth in Footscray, one of three new machines across Victoria. The machines give out free nasal spray naloxone, which temporarily reverses opioid overdoses and can be used by anyone following the packaging instructions. The new machines are part of a $95.1 million statewide plan, with 17 dispensers now operating across the state. Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said free naloxone available around the clock lets anyone act during an overdose until emergency help arrives. Hospital emergency departments and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations can now also distribute free naloxone.
Police arrested a 37-year-old man after reports that he was threatening passers-by with a knife on Byron Street in central Footscray. Officers were called to the street at about 4.30pm on 14 October. The man, who has no fixed address, was charged with possessing a controlled weapon and possessing methyl-amphetamine. He was bailed with conditions to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 6 April 2027. No injuries to members of the public were reported.
The owner of a Footscray laundromat says she will go out of business if Maribyrnong council removes parking spaces on Barkly Street. Hong Tran, who has run Footscray Superwash for more than 20 years, says most of her customers arrive by car. Draft plans endorsed by council in July would remove 34 on-street parking spaces to make way for bus stops and separated bike lanes. Ms Tran has submitted a petition with 183 signatures asking council to reconsider. Mayor Mohamed Semra says council has met with her and her concerns are being considered before final plans are decided.
