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.

Update on 1-7 Waterfront Place

The BCNA recently met representatives from the developer to hear about progress. The GFM group is managing overall development. CASA, a subsidiary, is responsible for all work on the site.

VCAT agreed to revised plans last April. Since then, CASA has revised the plans to implement agreed changes. There will now be fewer three-bedroom apartments and more two-bedroom apartments. This change means the number of apartments increases from 84 to 87. Changes are also planned to the two basement-level car parks to allow better use and to increase car parks by 3-4. CASA expected to submit revised plans to the City of Port Phillip last week. Work is expected to commence on the site in December 2025.

The GFM group has leased three levels of 92 Beach Street (the old London Hotel site) for their work at 1-7 Waterfront Place. A sales and admin office will be on the ground floor, and a display unit will be on the second floor.

Finally, the BCNA understands there has been a consolidation of titles for the site so that it is now known as 1 and 5 Waterfront Place. 7 Waterfront Place will be at the Station Pier entrance to the former food store site at 103 Beach Street.

BCNA AGM Reminder

The BCNA’s 2025 AGM is being held this Thursday 18th September. It will be held at the Sandridge Community Centre (formerly called the Trugo Club), Tucker Street, Port Melbourne. Members should arrive at 7 pm for a 7.15 pm start.

The Guest Speaker will be Senior Sergeant Ely Reynolds, South Melbourne Police. Ms. Nina Taylor MP, Member for Albert Park, and Councillor Heather Cunsolo, Port Melbourne Ward have accepted invitations to attend and provide reports. All members are welcome.

Melbourne University Pauses Investment in Fishermans Bend

Recently, Melbourne University decided to pause work on the Fishermans Bend Campus. This decision has also been reported in The Age (paywall).

The University’s development was predicated on the Victorian Government meeting its promised timetable to build, develop and open tram infrastructure into the area by 2025 as stated in the 2018 Fishermans Bend Framework Plan and discussed by the BCNA.

This failure by the Victorian Government is a big disappointment for businesses, residents and the wider community. The BCNA believes Melbourne University has acted responsibly given the circumstances.

Australian Submarine at Station Pier

Ports Victoria has told us that an Australian submarine will be at Station Pier from Friday 29th August to Friday 5th September.

Station Pier will not be open to the public to allow a closer look during this visit.

While at Station Pier, the submarine will be “snorting” at certain times. Snorting is a procedure where some exhaust gases are released and appears as black smoke. Snorting is expected to occur from 1600 to 2359 hrs on Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Fire Rescue Victoria and Victoria Police are aware of these events.

Savings on Non-recyclable Waste Charges

Very soon, property owners will receive their rate notices for 2025/26. The City of Port Phillip (Council) has set a three per cent average general rates increase, which is in line with the Victorian Government’s rates cap.

This year Council has increased the Default Waste Charge and the Kerbside Food Organics and Garden (FOGO) collection charge by about 13 per cent. However, by ordering a smaller Waste Bin for non-recyclable waste, residents may be able to reduce their costs. You see, the City of Port Phillip provides 3 bin sizes for kerbside rubbish collection.

Every household is allocated a default bin of 120 litre with the cost of that included in your rates. However, if you request (or still have) the largest 240 size, an additional $290 charge per annum is added to your rates.

If, on the other hand, you downsize from the default 120 litre to 80 litres, you will be given an $82 rebate on your annual rates.

It’s simple to change your bins, just go to Council's Request bin repairs, a new or extra bin web page and they will deliver the desired bin size on an agreed day and collect the old one.

Click/tap here for full details of Council’s new 10-year plan and the Budget for 2025/26.