First-home buyers paid $1,286,000 for a five-bedroom terrace at 201 Swan Street in Richmond after a seven-minute auction contest. The buyers' girlfriend's father helped them meet the final price. Melbourne's preliminary auction clearance rate reached 56 per cent, the highest among the nation's capitals. A Malvern house passed in below its reserve, while a Northcote house sold for $1.5 million. Agents said house prices are down, and some expect another interest rate rise.
A triple-brick home in Northcote, with a separate apartment, passed in at auction on a vendor bid of $1.7 million, below its $1.8 million reserve. The property is now listed for private sale at $1.775 million. Meanwhile, a fully renovated art deco home in Fitzroy sold for $1.531 million, above its $1.35 million reserve, to a first-home buyer. In Essendon, a four-bedroom home sold for $2.285 million, above its $1.95 million reserve, to a young family.
A man has been jailed for four years and 10 months after driving a stolen Toyota LandCruiser through Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne's north. Giriwa May, 28, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to reckless conduct endangering life and other offences. CCTV footage shows shoppers fleeing as the vehicle sped through the centre during a weekday afternoon in June last year. The court heard the car drove through a children's playground before May fled. Damage to the centre is estimated at about $145,000. May will be eligible for parole after serving two years and 10 months.
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Residents in several Victorian and South Australian towns are fighting proposed McDonald's developments. Opponents raise concerns about health, traffic, family businesses and local identity. On Phillip Island, plans for a store near a primary school have drawn strong objections. McDonald's says the proposed Phillip Island outlet will create up to 120 jobs, though critics question this. A public health professor says the wider food environment and marketing shape diets. Victoria is considering a private members' bill that would let councils reject fast-food outlets on public health grounds.
Spotswood has signed former Northcote paceman Michael Edwards, one of the bigger signings of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket off-season. Edwards will open the bowling alongside Dan Schuppan, who took 40 wickets last summer. Captain Jakson Knight described Edwards as a huge inclusion. The club, which won its first VSDCA flag in 2022-23, also recruited left-arm off-spinner Jacob Pawlowicz and regained Taylor Tatterson. Martignago is fit again after a knee injury, and Knight and Martignago starred in a seven-run win over Strathmore on Saturday.
Performers from Breakthrough Inclusive Performance Co will take part in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Australia 2026 National Games on October 19 at Margaret Court Arena. The Thornbury dance school teaches students with intellectual disabilities. The students will present a contemporary dance piece and join a larger dance group. Creative Director Dianne De Battista said the students were excited to be part of the event, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics. The ceremony runs from 3pm to 5pm on Monday, October 19.
A memorial service for singer Giorgos Mazonakis will be held in Melbourne on 18 October. The event at the Cathedral of Our Lady “Axion Esti” in Northcote is organised by expatriate Nina Athans. Mazonakis, who died at 54, will be honoured with a Divine Liturgy and a cultural program featuring local artists. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia supports the service, which aims to unite the community in remembrance.
