THE Bays Cancer Care Centre is celebrating its first birthday – one year on from opening the peninsula’s first integrated cancer hub, bringing diagnosis, treatment and wellness support together in one locally accessible facility.
Stage one of the centre opened in February 2025 as a $15m investment in local health infrastructure, enabled by a one-off $10m Commonwealth Government contribution, strong community and philanthropic support, and Community Bank Mt Martha’s $600,000 commitment to establish the Community Bank Mt Martha Wellness Centre.
Since opening, the centre has helped more locals receive cancer care closer to home. Delivered in partnership with Icon Cancer Centre, it introduced the Mornington Peninsula’s first radiation oncology service – now supporting local patients who would otherwise travel to Frankston or Melbourne. The prostate cancer and McGrath Breast Care specialist nurses are both located in The Bays Cancer Care Centre, providing vital one-on-one guidance across both public and private pathways.
The Wellness Centre has supported patients and families before, during and after treatment, through programs such as sound healing, tap therapy, meditation, creative and education sessions, and peer support groups. Groups like the Mornington Peninsula Prostate Support Group and Look Good Feel Better have made this their new home. It also hosts a newly created Wig Library, and from 2026 the Civic Reserve Recreation team will also deliver weekly movement classes.
To mark the milestone, the community is invited to a relaxed open day on Sunday 1 February 2026, 11am-1pm. Visitors can tour Icon Cancer Centre and see the incredible $4m radiation therapy machine, take part in a free wellness activity, and access information and support services in the foyer. There’ll also be a sausage sizzle, a coffee van on-site, plus free face painting and slushies.
First published in the Mornington News – 20 January 2026