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.
Parks across Wyndham will host free outdoor movie screenings over the next four months as part of Movies in the Park. The first screening, Hotel Transylvania, will be shown at Hoppers Junction on Saturday October 31. Venues in Hoppers Crossing, Williams Landing, Werribee and Mambourin will host films including Sing, Elf, The Notebook and Rio. Free popcorn will be provided, and nearby dinner and takeaway options will be available. A special Christmas screening will feature an appearance from Santa. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and bring picnic rugs, low-back chairs and warm layers.
Seven people have been charged with manslaughter over the death of Lino Atem, 24, who was fatally stabbed in a Wyndham Vale park in January 2025. Police arrested the group early on Wednesday, 21 October. Four adults will appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, and three teenagers will appear in a children's court. The stabbing followed a confrontation between Mr Atem's group and another group of men in a park on Haines Drive. Two of Mr Atem's friends were injured and taken to hospital.
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Primary students from Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Manor Lakes and Werribee have placed first, second and third in Greater Western Water's National Water Week poster competition. Over 2320 students from early learning to year 8 entered, using painting, drawing and digital media to show water saving tips and the need to protect the resource. First prize winners in each age group moved on to state awards, with individual prizes valued at up to $100. Cambridge Primary School in Hoppers Crossing received this year's $500 school prize, sponsored by Southern Rural Water for a sustainable project.
Dylan Wight MP, the member for Tarneit, joined the Bengali community at the West Melbourne Durga Utsav 2026 festival in Hoppers Crossing on 10 and 11 October. The two-day event, organised by Bongosathi, featured religious ceremonies, music, dance and cultural performances. It coincided with Maha Ashtami, a significant day of Durga Puja marked by prayer and community gatherings. Wight thanked Bongosathi for the warm welcome and said the visit recognised the contribution of multicultural communities in Melbourne's western suburbs.
EQ Leaders was named Business of the Year at the 30th Wyndham Business Awards, held at the Encore Events Centre in Hoppers Crossing on Friday night. Emma Costin, the company's founder, accepted the Excellence in Education and Training and Business of the Year awards. Fruit2Work won Excellence in Social Impact. Wyndham Mayor Mia Shaw praised the winners and thanked sponsors, including Williams Landing – Cedar Woods, which has backed the awards for 10 years. A full list of winners appears in this week's Star Weekly.
Wyndham’s Morning Melodies will return in 2027, with monthly performances at the Encore Events centre in Hoppers Crossing. The program will feature various genres and themes, starting with a Cher Tribute on February 9. Tickets are $15 and include morning tea. Wyndham mayor Mia Shaw said the event offers affordable live entertainment and a chance for residents to enjoy performances close to home.
Hoppers Crossing finished day one of its clash with Coburg on 8-318 in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west. Brett Smith made 112, his second straight season with a century in round two. Captain-coach Simon Lambert said the side showed a much better effort than in round one against Brunswick. Justin Goegan finished 42 not out. In Werribee, the Snowdogs were bowled out for 160 against St Bernard's OC, and Jonathan Burton took 4-2.
Point Cook has become the most expensive Wyndham suburb for houses, according to quarterly median data from the Real Estate Institute of Victoria. Its median house price fell 1.2 per cent in the September quarter to $850,000, still more than $100,000 above Williams Landing. Williams Landing's median dropped 20.9 per cent to $740,000. Across metropolitan Melbourne, median prices softened 0.7 per cent, with the median house price at $943,000. Mount Eliza recorded the strongest quarterly house price growth, rising 9.1 per cent to $1.8 million.
Durga Utsav 2026 drew full houses on both days at Encore Events Centre in Hoppers Crossing earlier this month. Bongosathi, the Bengali Cultural Association, organised the Hindu festival with sponsorship from Wyndham City Council. Founder Dr Rabindra Nath Shaw said more than 400 performers took part and thousands attended. The Diwali & Moon Festival will be held on 24 and 25 October at Overton Road, Williams Landing, with music, dance, food and markets.
Tarneit MP Dylan Wight has announced a $162,758 grant for LED lighting on the oval at Warringa Crescent Reserve in Hoppers Crossing. The grant is part of a $271,263 project with Wyndham council. Mr Wight said the grants would improve facilities for everyone to enjoy and praised local clubs for bringing communities together. The funding is one of 57 Labor projects sharing more than $13.9 million from the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
A 29-year-old Hoppers Crossing man has been arrested as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. Police executed a warrant at an address on Norwood Court on Monday 12 October. Officers allegedly seized a large commercial quantity of ketamine, a quantity of alleged steroids and peptides, and more than $50,000 in cash. The man was charged with several offences, including trafficking a drug of dependence and dealing in property suspected to be proceeds of crime. He was remanded overnight to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court.
Labor has pledged $700,000 for Mossfiel Reserve's court upgrades if re-elected, supporting 70 local teams. Tarneit MP Dylan Wight emphasised the project's role in enhancing community sports facilities. Community Sport Minister Ros Spence highlighted Labor's commitment to local clubs. The redevelopment aims to provide improved training and competition spaces. The reserve serves as a key sporting hub in Hoppers Crossing.
Three teenage boys have been arrested after a car fire in Taylors Hill left a 13-year-old boy with critical burns. Police executed search warrants in the Merri-bek and Hume areas, detaining a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old from Hume, and a 16-year-old from Merri-bek. The injured boy is in hospital with burns covering over 90 per cent of his body. Police allege the fire was deliberately lit, and are seeking information from the public.
Three teenage boys have been arrested after a car fire in Taylors Hill left a 13-year-old boy with critical burns. Police executed search warrants in the Merri-bek and Hume areas, detaining a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old from Hume, and a 16-year-old from Merri-bek. The injured boy is in hospital with burns covering over 90 per cent of his body. Police allege the fire was deliberately lit, and are seeking information from the public.
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Melbourne unit rents have hit a record high, rising $25 a week over the past year to $600. House rents also climbed $20 to the same median price. Experts say a lack of available properties is driving competition and keeping rents high. Declan Kelly, a 22-year-old carpenter, has applied for at least 15 rental properties in Melbourne’s west without success and faces living in a campervan if he cannot find a home.
