Around the Bay Bike Ride - This Sunday

Sorry for the late notice but we have only just found out about this!

The Around the Bay bike ride is on this Sunday, 26th October. The route includes Todd Road, The Boulevard, onto Beach Street, then onto Beaconsfield Parade. These three roads will be partly closed from 7:45am to 12:30pm. Click/tap here for details of road closures.

Tram Services for Fishermans Bend

Last Thursday, the Fishermans Bend Business Forum and the City of Port Phillip convened a forum to discuss the evolving plans for Fishermans Bend. The forum was timely as it follows the recent announcement by the University of Melbourne to postpose its proposed campus development.

The panellists were: 

• Nina Taylor MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Labor MP for Albert Park
• Tanya Quick – Director, Fishermans Bend Taskforce, Victorian Government
• Cr Alex Makin – City of Port Phillip
• Cr Andrew Rowse – City of Melbourne
• Guy Naselli – President, Fishermans Bend Business Forum / NSL Property Group
• Marcus Henry – Fishermans Bend Business Forum / Melbourne Cement Facilities

Under the guidance of Janet Bolitho, a former Mayor of the City of Port Phillip, the panellists gave a summary of development so far. There was mention of an Integrated Transport Plan which shows new routes for tram services into Fishermans Bend.

Unfortunately, there was no clarity on the timetable for the provision of the tram services that were promised by 2025. The BCNA considers this a disappointing outcome for businesses, residents, and investors. It will continue to slow development. The area is earmarked for 80,000 residents but the absence of a firm timetable for tram services will continue to slow development.

Guided Nature Walk

On Sunday 23 November, Janet Bolitho, former Mayor of the City of Port Phillip, together with Linda Baird (CEO of Eucalyptus Australia and a local) and Jade Bell (City of Port Phillip's Greening Officer) are holding a guided walk around Port Melbourne which will explore and learn identification of the various gumtree species that occur in Port Melbourne and gain an appreciation of their diverse characteristics, wildlife relationships and urban forest planning.

The walk will run from 2-4pm.  To book, click/tap here.

Cruise Ship Season

The first ship for the 2025/26 season arrived on Tuesday 14th October. It is the Silver Nova. Ports Victoria expects 75 ships up until early 12 May 2026.

There will be 16 overnight visits - 2 ships visiting this season for two nights each (The World and Odyssey). For the Spring Racing Carnival, the Carnival Adventure and Carnival Splendor will visit for 2 nights. Carnival Adventure will be returning for the Australian Open in January.  Details of expected ship arrivals can be found on Ports Victoria’s website.

In preparation for the new season, Ports Victoria has carried out maintenance and improvement work to protect the pier’s heritage and maintain it as a safe shipping and cruise facility. Works have included: 

• refurbishment of the Gatehouse roof and exterior, including painting
• the ongoing, annual pile rehabilitation program (including West Finger Pier)
• painting, corrosion protection, electrical and other works on elements of the pier structure and buildings.

Station Pier Open to the Public

Ports Victoria plans to open Station Pier to the public during daylight hours at weekends, commencing 18/19 October. No vehicles will be allowed. The pier will not be open to the public on cruise operation days.

Port Melbourne Historic Walking Tour

Historians Robert Pascoe and Chris McConville will be conducting a Streets Beneath Our Feet walking tour of Port Melbourne on Monday 10 November. There is no cost - just be ready at 11:30am at the terminus of the Number 1 Tram on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Beaconsfield Parade. The tour will then wend its way towards Beacon Cove and finish about 2:30pm. The advice is to wear a hat and good shoes!

Rob is the current president of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and he and Chris hold a number of similar walking tours about various parts of Melbourne throughout the year.

For more information, click/tap here to email Rob.

Princes Street Storm Water Drain

Since our earlier update, the City of Port Phillip (Council) have told us that they are researching a potential improvement to the outfall at Princes Street beach.

The Council is progressing a design aimed at mitigating water ponding along the Port Melbourne foreshore. The current proposal includes a Gross Pollutant Trap and a small-scale wetland system. Upon completion, the conceptual design will support an engineering feasibility assessment - undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water - to evaluate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed solution.

The BCNA welcomes this work as it has the potential to overcome the health and amenity effects of the present discharge onto the beach. We will provide updates as information becomes available.

BCNA AGM – Summary of Meeting

The BCNA held its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 18th September. For those who could not attend, here are links for:

• a summary of the meeting
• the President’s report

Guests at this year’s AGM are shown in the front row in the photo below. From left they are Councillor Heather Cunsolo, Acting Inspector Ely Reynolds, and Ms. Nina Taylor MP.

The Guest Speaker was Senior Sergeant Ely Reynolds. He is currently Acting Inspector of the Port Phillip Police Service Area. Ely spoke about this year’s high road toll, the deployment of staff to other areas, crime in Port Phillip, and the importance of reporting crime.

Ms. Nina Taylor, MP, State Member for Albert Park, spoke about the ongoing maintenance of Station Pier, the release of a cruise shipping strategy later this year, hoon driving and acoustic cameras, and the Barak Beacon housing project.

Port Melbourne Ward Councillor Heather Cunsolo spoke about Council’s 10-year plan, Bay Street, the Barak Beacon project, 103 Beach Street, and 1-7 Waterfront Place.

Meeting with Josh Burns, MP

The BCNA recently met Josh Burns MP, Federal Member for Macnamara, to discuss hoon driving and excessive vehicle and motorcycle noise. We discussed the role of acoustic cameras and the trials in Australia and overseas as explained here.

There is a role for the Commonwealth Government to research and review current noise ‘pollution’ created by newly imported  SuperSport motor vehicles and motorcycles. The BCNA believes the Commonwealth Government should set nationally consistent standards for all vehicles, including trucks and motorcycles, to emit noise levels at least to the current workplace standard of 85dBA. Such a standard would improve community safety, as well as lower environmental noise pollution generally.

Mr Burns agreed with the BCNA proposal to investigate the current vehicle noise emission importation standards in the light of much quieter electric cars being introduced. He aims to report back on this issue at our next regular meeting.

BCNA Welcomes City of Port Phillip Advocacy for the Redevelopment of Station Pier and Waterfront Place

The BCNA welcomes the advocacy by the City of Port Phillip for the future of Station Pier and the nearby area. Click/tap here for more details.

The BCNA has been advocating for Victorian Government leadership to revitalise Station Pier and the Waterfront Place precinct for some years. Unfortunately, the area presents a poor image to visitors. It lacks shops, amenities and attractions for residents and visitors and is very weather exposed. This and other weaknesses are well known.

The development of a Victorian Cruise Shipping Strategy by Ports Victoria, as explained in the Victorian Government’s 2022 Navigating our Port Futures Strategy, is one way the Victorian Government could lead redevelopment of the area. The BCNA participated in discussions to develop a cruise shipping strategy earlier this year.