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.
Planning has started for two new employment precincts in Melbourne's west, at Ravenhall and Warrawee. The Victorian Government says the aim is to create jobs near growing residential areas in Ravenhall and Truganina. Developers Boral, Dexus and Pelligra will fund planning and infrastructure work, and the projects will trial an industry-led approach. Public consultation is planned, and arterial road upgrades are proposed to handle more traffic. No timeline for completion has been given.
Construction is progressing on the new Mt Atkinson East Recreation Reserve on Kirkpatrick Boulevard in Truganina. The 10-hectare site will include natural turf soccer pitches, an AFL-sized oval, synthetic cricket pitches, practice nets and a pavilion. Landscaped gardens, walking paths and a playspace are also planned. Sports fields, underground services and a car park are currently underway, with the pavilion set to begin in 2027. The project is supported by the Victorian Government's Growing Suburbs Fund and is expected to be completed in 2028.
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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.
Melbourne's west is set to host the region's largest electric bus depot, with plans to equip a Truganina facility to support more than 130 zero-emission buses. Bus operator CDC Victoria is partnering with fleet electrification specialist Zenobē on the project. The depot will feature 65 dual-lead direct-current chargers, with provision for 20 more charging points. The project forms part of CDC Victoria's delivery of the Victorian government's Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchises. It also supports the state's plan to move its public bus fleet to zero emissions by 2035.
Wyndham City's Light Box Project is back for a second year, placing new artworks by local artists on community facilities. Naimo Omar, Ammar Yonis and Ayelet Brooks each have a work displayed in illuminated lightboxes. Omar's Isii Nafta is at Arndell Park Community Centre in Truganina, and Yonis' As Long As I'm Near is at Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre. Brooks' Just a Wallflower is at Point Cook Community Learning Centre. The artworks can be viewed by day and lit at night until June 30, 2027.
