Compiled by Cameron McCullough ON Sunday morning last, Mr. H. Stell, of the Peninsula Motor Garage, Bay Street, Frankston, was returning from Mornington in a Hudson Super-Six, after conveying a party to that favourite seaside resort. When approaching the bend leading to the Frankston Pier, a Ford car coming in the opposite direction, also alleged to having been taking up more than a fair share of the roadway, swung in towards the Pier House in front of the car driven by Mr. Stell, who in an endeavour to avoid a collision, negotiated his Super-Six to the right. In so doing,…
Browsing: Mornington Peninsula
MAYOR Cr Anthony Marsh has fully supported community calls to undertake a “like-for-like” rebuild of a popular Mt Martha boardwalk two years after a section was closed following damaging storms.The 3.5km Balcombe Creek Estuary boardwalk was inundated by floods in November 2022 during heavy rainfall causing significant damage to one section which had been unrepaired and fenced off near Nepean Hwy and Uralla Rd in Mt Martha.Delays to fixing the boardwalk have left the community disappointed and frustrated including the Rotary Club of Mount Martha whose members originally built the boardwalk in the 1990s before it was handed over to…
THE Mornington Peninsula rightly holds the spot as the premier cycling and walking destination in the state. Filling in the final missing links on the Peninsula Link Trail will cement our region’s place, attracting more tourists to enjoy our beautiful environment and local businesses.That’s why an elected Coalition government will commit $5m towards the construction of a 5km path along the Mornington Tourist Railway, to connect Mornington to the Peninsula Link Trail at Moorooduc.According to the Mornington Peninsula Shire, the construction of the path would directly create 12 full-time equivalent jobs, and contribute $5.95 million in direct economic output.A Mornington…
THE CFA is warning the community that the fire season still remains active after a burn pile reignited two months after last being lit, causing a fire requiring a water bomber to be called in.Fire crews were called to the incident on a Coolart Rd property just after 3pm on 10 March where they found a “column of smoke” and a fast-spreading fire. Crews brought the fire under control within 30 minutes and were on scene for over three hours. Units from Somerville, Moorooduc, Tyabb, Baxter and Mt Eliza attended.Somerville Fire Brigade captain Joshua Caron said with conditions still dry…
The current measles outbreak in Victoria is growing with five further measles cases identified. Two of these cases are domestically acquired and linked to the recent domestic outbreak reported in February. Three cases acquired their infection overseas in Bali. These cases were infectious at multiple locations in Melbourne. The current outbreak has led to a list of exposure sites, including a number in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. The local exposure sites are: Frankston Hospital Emergency Department, 2 Hastings Road, Frankston between 8.15pm Wednesday 12 March and 2.15pm Thursday 13 March Frankston Hospital Emergency Department waiting room, 2 Hastings Road,…
IN a major policy shift, and a huge potential win for Hastings, councillors have voted to nominate the Hastings Marine Parade site as the preferred location for consolidated shire offices. The change comes after the previous council had “shortlisted” two sites: Queen Street in Mornington and Wannaeue Place in Rosebud (Shortlist of two for new shire HQ, The News 3/9/24). Officers put forward a motion at the 11 March meeting endorsing the Mornington and Rosebud sites, but councillors had other ideas. An amendment was put forward to the presented motion requesting the removal of Wannaeue Place (Rosebud) as an option…
WORK has begun on a new “tropical paradise” industrial business park in Mornington, which will provide a mix of warehouses, retail, and studio spaces.Located near the racecourse at 41 Watt Rd, Mornington, the new $5 million business precinct called “Free Form” officially broke ground last week, creating a new opportunity for those who “want modern workplaces with a Mornington address”. Once complete it will feature 32 warehouses, nine offices, a café, five storage units, car parking, and one caretaker’s residence across the half a hectare site.A sod-turning ceremony on 5 March was celebrated by dignitaries including Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie,…
LABOR People in Somerville and surrounding towns will get the free urgent care they need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department, if the Albanese Labor government is re-elected.Foreign Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate Penny Wong joined Labor candidate for Flinders, Sarah Race, at Tyabb Village Children’s Centre to celebrate the news with local families. If Labor is re-elected, the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Somerville will begin operating in the 2025-26 financial year, providing bulk billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week, for extended hours, and…
MOTORISTS are being urged to take care on roads across the peninsula after a mother kangaroo, her at-foot joey and pouch joey were all tragically killed in the one incident in Merricks North last week. The incident occurred along Balnarring Rd near the Jackalope Hotel, early on the morning of 26 February when the kangaroos were struck by a passing vehicle on the 80kph stretch of road and left for dead.Belinda Eden, vice-president of the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation, raced to the scene after being alerted by a distressed local about 7am where she initially found an eastern grey kangaroo…
Rosebud Police have charged a man after a pedestrian was allegedly hit by a car in Dromana on Sunday night. It is alleged that a woman and her dog were struck by a white 4WD when they were crossing Pier Street about 9.30pm. Investigators allege that the woman ended up on the bonnet of the 4WD before the vehicle increased speed, causing her to fall to the road. The 4WD allegedly failed to stop at the scene. The pedestrian, a 48-year-old Craigieburn woman, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The dog escaped injury. A 36-year-old Dromana man handed himself…
MEALS on Wheels will keep on rolling in the community after the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Rosebud-based kitchen reached the end of its life. The current kitchen needs significant investment, but the council announced last week it would seek to partner with a “quality food service provider” experienced in producing meals that meet the stringent requirements of the aged care and health sector.“Council has been delivering Meals on Wheels for almost 50 years. Outsourcing the preparation of meals will allow council to continue to be a Meals on Wheels provider without spending significant capital funds on upgrading infrastructure,” said mayor Cr…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have taken aim at their role as “revenue collectors” for the state government’s emergency services fund levy, which is expected to rake in $51.1 million from ratepayers next financial year.Councillors will call for a full review including on the financial impact of the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), which begins in July, replacing the current Fire Services Property Levy.All revenue raised from the fund, which is collected through councils across Victoria via rates notices, will go towards 87.5 per cent of Fire Rescue Victoria and 77.5 per cent of Country Fire Authority’s annual budget.But…
SORRENTO Lifesaving Club has official won approval to rebuild its ageing clubhouse. Under the proposal, the existing building would be demolished to make way for a new clubhouse with new amenities including on-site accommodation, as well as a new beach access ramp.Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors voted unanimously in favour of granting a planning permit at their 25 February meeting. As it stands, the club’s 23-year-old building is no longer fit as a training facility or to have lifeguards or equipment onsite.The state government, which owns the land at Ocean Beach Rd, has provided $3.5 million towards the club’s redevelopment while…
ABACUS Learning Centre in Hastings, which provides invaluable therapy and support for children with autism, is in desperate need of a shade sail for their students. That’s why an elected Coalition Government will provide $20,000 for the purchase and installation of a shade sail at Abacus Learning Centre.Our kids deserve safe outdoor play, without exposure to harmful UV rays. Australians suffer skin cancer at greater rates than any other country in the world, and the Mornington Peninsula has the highest rate of melanoma in Melbourne. At least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has thrown its support behind the revised target of 24,000 new homes on the peninsula by 2051 despite it being a reduction of 7000 homes to the number set in last year’s draft target.Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny announced the final council housing capacity targets on 24 February, saying the government had met with every Victorian council to understand their “plans and the barriers they face in unlocking the capacity”. The new target for the Mornington Peninsula was down from the original 31,000 marking a 22.6 per cent decrease. But mayor Cr…
Mornington Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man and a woman following an alleged kidnapping in Mornington. Investigators have been told a ride-share driver was stopped on Mornington-Tyabb Road about 8.30pm on 20 February by a potential fare. A man and a woman got into the car and it is alleged the driver was threatened with a knife and told to drive to an address in Joffre Street, Noble Park where the pair got out of the car. The driver, a 26-year-old man, was not injured during the incident. Detectives have made a number of enquires and on Tuesday…
A MORNINGTON Peninsula kangaroo welfare group is sounding the alarm after a recent bushfire came dangerously close to hundreds of kangaroos trapped on a private property in Cape Schanck.According to Save the Kangaroos on Mornington Peninsula Inc. (SKOMP), more than 600 kangaroos have been trapped on the Rogers Rd property since September 2021 after the land manager erected gates and closed off all exits.SKOMP’s spokesperson Jo Hansen said they had unsuccessfully appealed to authorities including the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA) to secure the release of the kangaroos, noting of particular concern was a bushfire came dangerously…
By Dr Sarah Russell AFTER the heart-breaking revelations of the Aged Care Royal Commission, many of us hoped stories of neglect and poor treatment of older people were behind us. Not so on the Mornington Peninsula, thanks to our council leaving aged care.Mornington Peninsula Shire Council stopped providing aged care services in 2022 because of changes in the way the Federal Government funded aged care. Thousands of vulnerable older people were left without home care – some for several months. Then mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the council wanted “to ensure our residents had a choice and the advantage of…
HELICOPTERS are scanning powerlines across the Mornington Peninsula over the next fortnight, as part of United Energy’s year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.People may see and hear the choppers, which fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines. Using the LiDAR data, United Energy teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping to inform what vegetation needs to be cut.United Energy’s Head of Vegetation Management, Ayce Cordy, said it was important that accurate measurements were taken of all vegetation…
A MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire plan to install roadside barriers along a scenic route in Red Hill has sparked concern from residents who argued it overlooked “far greater” road safety issues.The shire has locked in state government funding to develop concept plans to improve motorcycle safety on Arthurs Seat Rd near Mechanics Rd, with a proposal to install a 30-metre barrier with under-rails on the eastern embankment that sits within the hinterland region. Funding for the plans has been provided under the government’s Motorcycle Safety Levy program as the council investigated “possible solutions to reduce risk” at this site. However, the…
SOCCER ROSEBUD v Mornington and Peninsula Strikers v Banyule City are the marquee match-ups in this weekend’s second preliminary round of the 2025 Australia Cup. Rosebud and Strikers go in to these sudden-death ties as underdogs but they won’t make life easy for their more-fancied opponents.Many Rosebud players have ties with Mornington having come through the club’s juniors and played in the reserves and in most instances they have moved on in order to gain senior playing time. What an opportunity this clash presents to showcase their talent to their former club. Remarkably 18 of Rosebud’s senior squad have been…
Ask these questions of election candidates Congratulations and thank you to the Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula on the excellent federal election candidate forum held on 14 February in Mornington.Southern Women’s Action Network (SWAN) was very pleased to attend and hear all candidates acknowledging the critical issue of the housing and homelessness crisis on the Mornington Peninsula.The plight of our homeless, the lack of social housing and the unfairness of housing affordability is a huge problem both for our business sector trying to attract a stable well-trained workforce, and for our community support organisations trying to find homes for…
INDEPENDENT candidate for Flinders, Ben Smith, has called on the Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to give Peninsula residents a say on the $25 million Arthurs Seat Eagle redevelopment. The project is being fast-tracked through the state government’s Development Facilitation Program, bypassing local council oversight. There has been minimal consultation with the community about the impacts of the project.“Decisions that will reshape our region should not be made from Spring Street without listening to the people who live here,” Smith said. “Arthurs Seat is not just another development site – it’s a treasured state park with deep environmental and community significance.…
CFFMP AT this year’s federal election, the results in both Dunkley and Flinders will shape the national outcome in Canberra. The pathway to forming government will see major party leaders visit Dunkley over coming months, while Flinders is shaping up to be a three-cornered contest between the Liberals, Labor and a Community Independent.The Committee was pleased to facilitate a Federal Candidates Forum held on 14 February in Mornington with all major candidates for both electorates. More than 200 people attended the event at Mornington Racecourse for the forum hosted by the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas.As the peak advocacy body for the…
LABORFRIENDS of Peninsula Home Hospice hosted Rosie Batty AO for a sold out fundraising luncheon at the Blairgowrie Yacht Club last Thursday. Peninsula Home Hospice provides free critical support to people on the Mornington Peninsula who are suffering life-limiting illnesses in the comfort and safety of their own homes.Labor candidate for Flinders Sarah Race attended the luncheon to show her commitment to the health care sector and health care workers. Primary health care plays a crucial role in our communities. It gives patients access to the right care at the right time, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced pressure…
THE McCrae Lighthouse will be illuminated in a symbolic display of support for Rare Disease Day on 28 February, drawing attention to the often-overlooked rare condition of myositis.The event, which is part of a global initiative to raise awareness of rare diseases, is set to shine a light on the challenges faced by individuals living with myositis. A group of autoimmune diseases, myositis causes inflammation in the muscles, leading to weakness, pain and fatigue. Research toward a cure is underway but is dependent upon funding and support.The Lions Club of McCrae is throwing its support behind the Myositis Association with…
GUNNAMATTA Surf Life Saving Club’s Jill Douglas has been awarded a Life Saving Victoria national medal recognising her 15 years of dedicated service.The award, which is part of Australia’s national honours system, acknowledges those who “risk their lives to protect or assist the community in enforcement of law or in times of emergency or natural disaster”. Recipients must have served a minimum of 30 patrol hours per year over 15 years to be eligible for the medal.Douglas, who is one of the club trainers and assessors and the junior bronze lifesaver camp coordinator, expressed her commitment to volunteering was not…
EXCITEMENT is building for the 97th Red Hill Show, Saturday 8th March 2025 at Red Hill Recreation Reserve and Showgrounds! This much-loved event brings together families, farmers, artisans, and competitors for a day packed with tradition and excitement.From the moment the gates swing open, the showgrounds will be a hive of activity. Champion livestock competitions will be in full swing—cattle, alpacas, poultry and sheep – are proudly on display, showcasing the dedication of our local exhibitors.And of course, no Red Hill Show would be complete without the thrilling woodchop competition – a crowd favourite where strength, skill, and sawdust fly!…
A recent spate of youth crime across Hastings has pushed fed up residents to the brink, with a planned protest expected to occur outside the Somerville office of Member for Hastings Paul Mercurio on Friday afternoon, 21 February. They are calling for action as local campaigners spread the word on social media that youth crime was “out of control” and encouraged residents to “make a stand” at the peaceful demonstration that organisers said would run between 4pm to 7pm. “Improvements in youth crime, unsatisfactory sentencing laws, improvements in policing and other local issues,” one post read. Over the past few…
A teenager has been flown to hospital after an allegedly stolen car crashed into trees before rolling down an embankment in Tuerong on the morning of 20 February. Victoria Police alleged a grey Mitsubishi Pajero was stolen during an aggravated burglary at a property on Atunga Terrace in Dromana about 1.40am. The Mitsubishi then crashed into trees on Old Moorooduc Road, before rolling down an embankment, a police spokesperson said. Ambulance Victoria said paramedics responded to the incident about 5am, which resulted in the male teen driver being airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition…