Get the appBenton's Square Shopping Centre has reopened, with Woolworths and Dan Murphy's trading again. A fire gutted Harcourts Family Butchers, formerly Lindens Meat. Neighbouring businesses Top Pho and The Pantry House also suffered significant damage.
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.
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.
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Get the appIt is a company profile of Mornington Peninsula News Group, a locally owned and independent media business established in 2006. According to that text, the group publishes five weekly community newspapers, including the Western Port News, Mornington News and Frankston Times, along with two glossy magazines, Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids. Because the material provides no details about the shopping centre, the fire, its closure or any response by authorities, no summary of those events can be reliably written from it.
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.
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.
The Local Paper network publishes localised editions across Melbourne, Victoria and selected country areas, with around 40 local editions in total. The publication is produced by Local Media Pty Ltd and is not associated with any other newspaper group. The Melbourne Observer, established in 1969, appears inside each issue and includes several special-interest supplements. The page also sets out the company's office details, the network's editions and heritage titles, and its registered business names. Local Media Pty Ltd claims intellectual property rights over its trading entities and warns that unauthorised use may attract substantial penalties.
The Local Paper network publishes localised editions across Melbourne, Victoria and selected country areas, with its North-West edition covering suburbs such as Brimbank, Hume, Melton and Wyndham. The page is largely publisher information, including office addresses, subscription and classified contacts, editorial standards and a list of the company's websites, registered business names and local newspaper titles. It states that the publisher is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council and that complaints may be made in writing.
Five Melbourne homes for sale feature water features such as pools, spas and ponds. Properties span Toorak, Hampton, Fingal, Black Rock and Malvern East. The Toorak home was originally the residence of architect Wayne Gillespie, who also designed it. The Fingal property sits on about 6.47 hectares on the Mornington Peninsula and includes a 16-metre pool and an irrigated vineyard. The Black Rock home features a Koi pond and a 30-year-old Japanese maple at its entrance.
Victoria Police will deploy officers across beaches, waterways, shopping centres, nightlife areas and transport hubs this summer. Several operations will run at once, including Operation Summersafe from 1 November, which targets beaches from St Kilda to the Mornington Peninsula. Water Police will check jet skis and may seize vessels. Officers will also patrol Chapel Street on Friday and Saturday nights. Proactive patrols will begin in Mordialloc after recent disorderly behaviour, with acting Deputy Commissioner Chris Gilbert saying such conduct will not be tolerated.
Mornington Peninsula Shire is seeking community feedback on its Dogs in Public Places policy. The request follows an update to dog control signage at nineteen locations across the peninsula. The policy sets a consistent approach to deciding where dogs may be leash-free, on leash, or prohibited.
Reserve prices for the five Mt Eliza homes featured in The Block have been made public more than two weeks before the October 31 auction. The $3.45 million reserve is double the suburb's median sales price, according to PropTrack data. New Victorian laws require agents to publish reserve prices at least seven days before an auction. Sales agents said the early disclosure gave buyers more time to assess their finances. Buyers agent Cate Bakos said buyer numbers at that price point remain uncertain in the current market.
Staff at Mornington Peninsula Shire libraries have raised concerns about a proposed restructure due to take effect in early January 2027. Shire director of communities Cheryl Casey said no final decisions have been made and consultation with employees is underway. Current library positions are set to be made redundant, with permanent staff redeployed. Staff say the changes will leave too few people on the floor and disperse teams across locations. Somerville Library could transition to a community hub model with a mobile library, according to documents seen by The News.
Bunjilwarra, a residential rehabilitation centre on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, is run by Aboriginal people for people recovering from addiction. Residents say cultural connection has helped them recover. Staff at the centre report a huge increase in young people who have used methamphetamine. Researchers say Indigenous-led programs can improve health and reduce returns to jail. Demand for places at The Glen, an Aboriginal-run centre on the New South Wales Central Coast, far outstrips its capacity.
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Get the appMornington Peninsula Shire has accepted appointment as Committee of Management for 25 hectares of bushland in Hastings. Councillors voted unanimously at the 29 September council meeting to take on the land at 197A Henderson Rd, which the state government proposed to reserve. Council officers ranked it among the shire's top ten most significant natural sites. Councillors also asked the Department of Planning to consider adding an adjoining southwest parcel and to investigate a northeast site of about three hectares for social housing, subject to a flora and fauna assessment.
The Block homes in Mount Eliza are priced between $3.6 million and $3.9 million, but similar luxury properties nearby are available for less. A five-bedroom home a minute's drive away is listed for $3.2 million to $3.5 million, featuring a tennis court and swimming pool. The housing market downturn and interest rate rises are making it tougher to sell high-end properties in the area.