Altona got a taste of Hollywood on Tuesday was filmed on the streets of the bayside suburb pier and surrounding streets were closed from 6am to 9pm on March 11 as the shoot took place with hundreds of locals taking the chance to see movie making up close The highlight of the shoot came in mid-afternoon when 72 year old Neeson hopped inside a black Ford Mustang and speed out into Port Philip Bay on Altona’s iconic pier up Pier Street and onto the pier doesn’t happen every day in Altona,” said Altona Village Traders Association president Ilch Mickovski who was among the many locals who came out see Neeson and the rest of The Mongoose cast “It was exciting to see Hollywood come to Altona and having a A-grade celebrity like Liam Neeson in Altona was fantastic for the community,” said Mr Mickovski who believes the suburb could join neighbouring Williamstown in regularly hosting film and TV productions “It’s a sleeping quiet little gem that’s really being noticed at the moment,” he said “I think there’s scope for more filming in Altona.” Most of Tuesday’s shoot was centred around Queen Street and the Esplanade with businesses situated on those streets having to close for the day Mr Mickovski said The Mongoose production team made sure that those businesses were looked after “Traders who were directly impacted by the filming were compensated for their losses on the day,” he said The Altona Pier scene is believed to be the final moment in Mongoose which has also been shot at locations such as Bacchus Marsh Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time A Melbourne teenager who punched a 14-year-old autistic girl more than 40 times as part of a savage group assault that was filmed and posted online has been spared jail and a conviction was sentenced last year to six months youth detention after she pleaded guilty to one count of affray over the “appalling” attack at Altona Pier in February 2024 But the County Court of Victoria upheld Anai’s appeal on Wednesday ordering that she serve 15 months of “community corrections” Anai was 18 at the time of the assault and the eldest of the five teens who set upon the victim landing 43 punches to the girl’s head and body as she cowered on the pier The attack only ended when a bystander stepped in but the assault was recorded and shared on social media it was disgusting,” Judge Pardeep Tiwana said at Wednesday’s appeal hearing “Had she been older or had been in trouble before I would not have hesitated locking her up.” The court was told Anai was subjected to family violence and abuse at home But she was also responsible for caring for her younger siblings Her life was marred by past trauma and severe disadvantage which the judge took into account when handing down his decision The 19-year-old was also completing a makeup artistry course in the hopes of turning her life around taken an anger management course and was doing “excellently” Her rehabilitation was an important consideration Anai was four years older than her 14-year-old victim but had never before been in trouble with police and had abided by her bail conditions after the assault and there’s a group of you attacking and pulling her hair Anai said she should never have taken part in the gang attack and I should never have done that,” she said I’m very empathetic for them and her family.” But it was of little consolation to the victim’s mother who was shocked the 19-year-old avoided having the crime on her permanent record Axiak said her daughter was still dealing with the impact of the attack and had been too terrified to return to school since “The court’s worried about [Anai’s] rehabilitation and her life “We just have to find a way for her to overcome her fear because she’s so scared,” the mum said She explained her daughter had once loved going for walks with the dog but was now often scared to leave the house The now 15-year-old had a social worker and a psychologist to help As part of her community corrections order Anai must perform 80 hours of community work over 15 months 30 hours could be for psychological treatment Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter was sentenced last year to six months youth detention after she pleaded guilty to one count of affray over the \\u201Cappalling\\u201D attack at Altona Pier in February 2024 But the County Court of Victoria upheld Anai\\u2019s appeal on Wednesday ordering that she serve 15 months of \\u201Ccommunity corrections\\u201D landing 43 punches to the girl\\u2019s head and body as she cowered on the pier it was disgusting,\\u201D Judge Pardeep Tiwana said at Wednesday\\u2019s appeal hearing \\u201CHad she been older or had been in trouble before I would not have hesitated locking her up.\\u201D taken an anger management course and was doing \\u201Cexcellently\\u201D \\u201CWhat you did \\u2026 was absolutely appalling and there\\u2019s a group of you attacking and pulling her hair \\u201CI\\u2019ve been apologetic ever since that day and I should never have done that,\\u201D she said I\\u2019m very empathetic for them and her family.\\u201D But it was of little consolation to the victim\\u2019s mother \\u201CThe court\\u2019s worried about [Anai\\u2019s] rehabilitation and her life \\u201CWe just have to find a way for her to overcome her fear because she\\u2019s so scared,\\u201D the mum said Start the day with a summary of the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories A street in Melbourne has been rocked by a brazen shooting with police rushing to the scene after multiple shots were fired at a home with the residents inside Shots have been blasted through a home in Melbourne's west with police desperately trying to track down witnesses and footage as they investigate the incident.  A gunman opened fire on an Altona North property in the early hours of Wednesday while the residents were inside the house The front door of the Mills Street home was peppered with bullets Police rushed to the scene after being alerted to gunshots in the vicinity of the street The individuals who were inside the property at the time escaped without injury "A crime scene has been established and the investigation remains ongoing," police said No details have emerged about the perpetrator with Hobsons Bay Crime Investigation Unit detectives leading the probe.  Multiple police cars remained at the scene into the late morning with police tape blocking off the single-storey home Anyone with information which could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 Spacious Property Development Group is soon to welcome buyers to its newest apartment building, Voyage, in the Hobsons Bay area of Melbourne Voyage, the only new development on the market in the waterside suburb Another big tick for buyers been the location ideally located on Pier Street in the heart of the Altona major activity centre and an abundance of cafes and retail amenity provide an affordable entry point for first home buyers while its three-bedroom apartments are just over $1 million Cheah Saw Architecture aimed to balance contemporary aesthetics with a nod to its bayside location in its design Its asymmetrical facade and refined material palette blend with Altona’s natural surroundings while standing out as a modern architectural addition to the area The open-plan living area features hybrid flooring and full-height glazing that highlight sweeping views of the bay and local landscape The kitchen is equipped with Miele appliances while the bathrooms feature porcelian tiles that frame the modern glass showers Located around 13 kilometres southwest of Melbourne’s CBD and adjacent to Williamstown Voyage offers a combination of connectivity and convenience Residents will have easy access to public transport The suburb’s lively retail and dining scenes complement its tranquil bayside atmosphere making it a well-rounded option for owner-occupiers seeking lifestyle and accessibility Buyers can secure their future homes with a five per cent deposit making the development an appealing option for those looking to transition into apartment living Valeo Construction is well advanced in construction They're expecting to complete the apartments in mid-2025 We're on a mission to radically improve the quality of Urban communities being developed across Australia We aim to showcase every development in Australia to help you find the perfect new home The new Maidstone Street road bridge looking towards Kororoit Creek Road We’re removing the dangerous and congested level crossing at Maidstone Street Altona and building a new road bridge over the railway line and creating better connections for this busy industrial area The new road bridge design means we can get rid of the crossing sooner and helps minimise traffic disruptions during construction The bridge will also improve safety and reduce congestion Early concept designs have been released and we’re asking the community for their feedback to help shape the look and feel of the new road bridge Construction will start in 2025 and the Maidstone Street level crossing will be gone for good in 2027 We're making the Werribee Line level crossing free by 2030 journeys will be faster and local roads safer Community members can provide feedback on the project via the formal planning consultation process and design feedback survey. Consultation is open on Engage Victoria until Sunday 11 August 2024 A road bridge allows us to avoid important utilities and pipelines in the rail corridor and supports future rail development It also helps keep rail freight moving now and into the future the location of the level crossing is home to numerous critical underground services which makes lowering the road or rail not feasible at this site A road bridge also allows us to reduce impacts on the nearby protected Altona Grasslands A view of the new Maidstone Street road bridge from the rail corridor we’re building a new pedestrian path over the bridge traffic will be able to move safely through the area with less delays to more than 14,000 drivers each day at this key freight route Share your ideas to help refine the look and feel of the new road bridge and landscaping preferences Provide your feedback through the design survey which you can complete online by visiting Engage Victoria If you would like a hard copy survey sent to you via mail, please contact us on 1800 105 105 or email us at contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au Planning approval for this project will proceed under Clause 52.03 – Level Crossing Removal Project of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme We are seeking community feedback on a range of planning matters providing you with an opportunity to formally submit your feedback Planning submissions can be made online at Engage Victoria If you would like a hard copy submission form sent to you via mail, please contact us on 1800 105 105 or email contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au Planning submissions can be made until 11.59pm All feedback received will be included in a consultation summary report which will inform the Minister for Planning’s assessment of the project Looking over the new Maidstone Street road bridge Join us at an in-person community information session or webinar to find out more about the project While the project team has worked to minimise the impact of works in the local area on residents and businesses some partial acquisition of commercial land will be required The project team is working directly with affected businesses and landowners to assist them through this process We have also been working with local businesses since 2023 to better understand their operations and how we can help minimise disruptions during construction We encourage businesses who have not already done so to complete our business survey. This information helps us understand local business needs, which informs design development. If you have not completed a survey but would like a copy, please get in touch with us on 1800 105 105 or email us at contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au we’ll share more information via email updates Police are investigating an aggravated burglary and assaults that occurred in Altona Meadows on Monday offenders accessed a property on Victoria Street through a door at approximately 8:30 pm A man and a woman inside the home at the time were assaulted during the incident The man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital for treatment Despite an extensive search of the surrounding area It is currently unclear whether any items were stolen from the property Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au The Altona Sports Cricket Club has found itself on a sticky wicket plays in the Western Suburbs Churches and Community Cricket Association which uses synthetic pitches to play in a higher standard competition and the club wants to move to a competition and a ground with turf wickets “We started a junior program three years ago and we’ve found we’ve lost a lot of talented juniors to turf clubs and we’re pretty passionate about our junior program,” said Altona Sports Cricket Club vice-president Tom Harrison Most club competitions and all elite junior and senior cricket is played on turf and Harrison said this was why Altona Sports juniors who wanted to develop their skills and play at a higher level But while the club wants to move to a ground with turf wickets “There’s just no turf grounds around that we could use or that’s what we’ve been told,” said Harrison of discussions the club has had on the matter with Hobsons Bay council Converting the pitch at PA Burns Reserve from synthetic to turf has also been ruled out as the competition Altona Sports want to move to Harrison said the club would continue to work with council on finding a new home saying there were a number of grounds nearby that didn’t appear to be fully occupied A council spokesperson said grounds were allocated in order to maximise use and participation across a variety of sports and that officers had met with Altona Sports Cricket Club to discuss the issue and would continue to do so We’re getting rid of the level crossing at Maidstone Street to improve safety and create better connections in the suburb The Werribee Line will be boom gate free by 2030 the level crossing will be removed by building a road bridge to avoid impacting important utilities and provide the best connections for this industrial area Removing the level crossing at Maidstone Street will reduce congestion for the 14,400 vehicles that use the crossing each day with the boom gates currently down for more than 20% of the morning peak When the Metro Tunnels opens in 2025 – a year ahead of schedule – more trains will be running on the Werribee Line If the boom gates remained at this location and safety improved for locals and industrial businesses The level crossing will be gone for good in 2027 For regular information about the progress of this project, sign up for email updates You need to enable javascript to view latest disruptions the Level Crossing Removal Project is removing 110 dangerous and congested level crossings across Melbourne by 2030 Stay updated about Victoria’s Big Build with the key announcements and milestones The state government has played down the prospect of a new train station at Altona North just days after Infrastructure Victoria (IV) recommended one An Altona North station was one of a number of proposals to improve public transport in Melbourne’s west made in IV’s draft 30-year infrastructure strategy released on Tuesday Altona North has not had a train station since the closure of Paisley Station in the 1980’s and as the draft strategy notes IV argues that with Altona North now a key activity centre a new station would improve access to services and employment encourage new homes and benefit passengers from Footscray through to Werribee a state government spokesperson refused to back the idea or even directly refer to it choosing to list the government’s existing transport infrastructure projects in the western suburbs instead “We’re delivering for busy families across Melbourne’s west and building for our future,” the spokesperson said “We’re getting on with making the Werribee line level crossing free to allow for capacity uplifts in the future The opening of the Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel in 2025 will make a big difference for our growing west.” The state government’s response is at odds with that of Hobsons Bay council which has long advocated for a new station and welcomed IV’s recommendation “Gridlock of traffic heading to the West Gate Freeway on Millers Road and Melbourne Road is an everyday occurrence,” said Hobsons Bay mayor Daria Kellander of why an Altona North station was needed She urged the state government to act on IV’s advice “It’s important the state government prioritises actual delivery of this recommendation to provide more rail services and train stations that meet the growing needs of our community.” Altona North resident Rowena Joske agreed saying a new station built at an estimated cost of between $150 million and $250 million was actually cheap “It’s a pretty low cost for a lot of value,” said Ms Joske who is also secretary of local community group Better West She said with the government wanting more to build more homes and IV also recommending zoning changes to allow for more housing in the area Altona City is primed to step it up in the Victorian Premier League 2 competition the longer the season goes on It’s been a mixed start to the season for Altona which has five wins and five losses in its first 10 games Coach Nick Georgopoulos said before the weekend’s match that considering the disruptions they’ve had they’re happy with the position they find themselves in “It’s a really competitive league and we’ve been playing well,” he said “We beat Nunawading a couple of weeks ago and then they knocked off the team on top of the ladder Georgopoulos said a couple of games they lost they should have come away with the points as some red cards cost them He said other games had been close and it was a matter of one or two moments that were deciding the games the Eagles lost to Springvale White Eagles The Eagles led 2-1 at half time before Altona City had two players sent from the field after receiving two yellow cards each The Eagles scored a third goal late to seal the win Georgopoulos said before the weekend that they played an aggressive game which could cater for them not having any draws so far He said he had been quite proud of how the group had responded to every challenge thrown at them The biggest one has been the consistency within their squad “Our three visa players are either injured or suspended,” he said “That’s six players from the starting line up if we were to play tomorrow Georgopoulos said while it’s been tough with players out they’ve been able to bring in a couple of younger players to make their debuts at 18 and 19 He said they needed to start to find a bit of consistency as if you lose a couple of games you could slip into the bottom part of the table “It’s been pretty good and we’re pretty happy considering the injuries and suspension “Once we get them back we will only improve.” Altona City is back in action on Tuesday night in the Australia Cup it is drawn to face the Eagles for a second time in less than a week In the National Premier League competition The Magic sits second bottom after 10 matches Four Hume men have been charged in relation to an aggravated home invasion in Altona Meadows in January Police will allege that four men attended a Victoria Street address around 8.30pm on Monday forcing entry into the property before threatening the occupants A man living at the address was assaulted and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries A second man fled from the address but was subsequently caught by the offenders who allegedly made demands for money or threatened to shoot him police became aware of a second incident in Shepparton earlier that same day It will be alleged two men entered the residential property before driving to Altona Meadows to commit the second offence Investigators will allege that this offence was carried out on the orders of person based overseas in exchange for payment Police executed search warrants at residential addresses in Dallas and Westmeadows on April 23 a 20-year-old from Dallas and a 21-year-old from Westmeadows have been charged with aggravated home invasion The duo will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later today a 19-year-old from Meadow Heights and 20-year-old from Craigieburn were both located and arrested in New South Wales earlier this year and have since been extradited to Victoria They were charged with aggravated home invasion criminal damage and theft of motor vehicle and remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on May 13 The Louis Joel Arts and Community centre (LJAC) in Altona is an appropriate place for the new play Ivy and Sylvia to be performed Not only is it a production by Altona-based theatre company Dramawerkz but Louis Joel sits on the site of the old Altona District Hospital where the two nurses the play is based on And as Dramawerkz chief executive and Ivy and Sylvia writer and performer being given a working space at the LJAC was how she found out about them “Last year the final medical centre parts of the Louis Joel centre were given back to the community and we (Dramawerkz) were given a room in the centre and decided to explore its past and all the kind of ghosts that might be there,” Boonen said “We heard from the pathology clinic that the old matron haunts the hallways We started to look into her and we discovered Ivy Weber and Sylvia Koch They were nurses in the 1920’s and 30’s and the backbone of health in Altona.” The play is an imagined conversation between Ivy and Sylvia and tells the story of two women with vastly different approaches to their shared goals: providing healthcare in Altona during a time of economic recession and prioritising women when many others refused “It’s a story about local history with a lot of themes that are still relevant now like women’s health care and community fundraising and shared resources,” said Boonen of the play which has a preview performance on Thursday before its official opening night on Friday Details: events.humanitix.com/ivy-and-sylvia?discountcode%3DBUSH-HOSPITAL1932 Altona’s Apex Park will be home of horse-power on Sunday when the Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed hold its annual car show there the car show is the men’s shed’s largest fundraising event with all proceeds going to local charities “This has been going now for 14 years,” Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed president David Berner of the event “We normally get up to 300 vehicles there.” Mr Berner said it was more a matter of what cars wouldn’t be there with being aged 25 years or older and paying a $15 entry fee it’s open to all types of vehicles,” he said Those that do enter a vehicle will out themselves in the running for a number of prizes across a wide range of categories They go by years,” said Mr Berner of the different categories music performances as well as a showcase of other men’s shed activities such as making model trains Patrons can enter by gold coin donation with proceedings kicking off at 9am As for how many people he was expecting to come through the gates Details: www.hobsonsnet.com/ Better facilities are on their way for students at Altona Primary School with a builder contracted to undertake much needed upgrades Reliance Construction and Maintenance Pty Ltd has been appointed to upgrade the fencing and modernise the playground at the school in Blyth Street 2 million project over the coming weeks and is forecast to be completed by the end of this year Williamstown Melissa Horne announced the builder appointment on Wednesday February 25 and said the project would give Altona Primary students the amenities they need and deserve “I look forward to seeing the project come to life to help enrich the educational journey of students,” Ms Horne said Education Minister Ben Carroll said the upgrades were part of the government’s broader commitment to improving education facilities across the state pointing out that $16.9 billion had been invested over the past 10 years to build new schools and deliver more than 2,200 school upgrades − supporting more than 26,000 jobs in construction and associated industries “We are building the education state to ensure every Victorian student has access to a quality education close to home regardless of their background or where they live,” Mr Carroll said The 2024/25 invested $947.7 million to build 16 more new schools which the government argues will complete its promise to deliver 100 new schools between 2019 and 2026 Firefighting planes were needed to bring a large grass fire under control in Altona on Sunday afternoon Crews from Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and the Country Fire Association (CFA) arrived at the Laverton Grasslands on Purnell Street at about 3.49pm on January 26 after callers to Triple Zero reported a fire on the site was spreading quickly Crews found the fire had already spread over a 2km radius and was threatening houses located 30 to 50 metres away A Watch and Act message was issued for residents of Altona and Altona Meadow as the grass fire travelled north from the Laverton Grasslands towards Kororoit Creek Road The fires also got close to Westona Train Station on the Werribee train line forcing a temporary suspension of services After four firefighting planes were deployed to assist ground crews tackling blaze the fire was brought under control by about 6.15pm A total of 23 hectares of grassland was burnt by the fire which has been deemed suspicious and is being investigated by FRV and Victoria Police Spotswood has set up a virtual elimination final with Altona in the final round of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association south-west Saturday’s results saw Spotswood move into the top six while Altona slipped out and sits in seventh spot The A’s are three points behind Spotswood and fifth placed Caulfield Spotswood and Altona play each other in the final round they would need Caulfield to lose by a much bigger margin to have any hope of playing finals Woodsmen coach Dan Schuppan said they had been playing virtually elimination finals for weeks “We feel like we have been in that spot for a couple of weeks,” he said They snuck into finals last year and were so close to making a grand final “We will have to bring our A game on Saturday.” The Woodsmen gave themselves a chance with a strong all round performance against Hoppers Crossing the past two weeks The Woodsmen made 5-326 on day one of the match on the back of 114 from Lachie McKenna and 89 from Jarrod Martignago Schuppan said McKenna has really found his feet at this level after coming back from Victorian Premier Cricket last season “He’s had a fantastic year with over 800 runs,” he said “Each of his 100s have been done in different ways Schuppan said while they were confident with more than 300 on the board there’s always a feeling that it might not be enough The Cats were looking good in their run chase early before Simon Lambert was given out LBW That turned the game and the Woodsmen were able to bowl the Cats out for 236 in the 72nd over Schuppan said the game was a good learning curve for some of their younger players in learning to be patient when there’s plenty of runs on the board “Eventually something turns for you and you have to capitalise when it comes,” he said “We were able to get key wickets at certain times.” Altona let one slip on Saturday in its match with Port Melbourne Port Melbourne finished its second innings at 4-105 Yarraville got another win on the board as it beat Melton The new Altona Pier has proven a huge hit with locals and visitors alike since it opened almost two years ago and now Australia’s landscape architects have expressed their approval too The rebuilt pier was honoured at the 2024 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) National Awards in Melbourne on Thursday Burrows Architects and AW Maritime won a Landscape Architecture Award for the pier rebuild which was commissioned by Parks Victoria after the original structure was damaged by a storm in 2021 Site Office Landscape Architects’ Chris Sawyer said winning the award was especially thrilling given architects don’t often receive thanks for working on these type of projects “To be recognised by your peers in the industry is very satisfying,” Mr Sawyer said Altona Pier wasn’t the first time architects from the three firms had worked together to design such a structure having already already collaborated on the redevelopment of St Kilda Pier a much bigger project that is still underway the Altona Pier rebuild still presented a unique challenge it’s not architecture and it’s not engineering it’s typology that straddles all of those disciplines,” he said adding that the history and status of the Altona Pier added an extra layer of difficulty “A pier like Atona Pier is a lovely thing to design because it’s primarily a pedestrian function but at the same time it was nerve wracking because the local community in Altona had a very very strong attachment to the original 100 year old timber pier so there was a great responsibility to make sure that the replacement pier lived up to the expectations.” Fortunately for Mr Sawyer and his colleagues something he attributes to it being built with timber “The old pier was timber and people really respond to timber as a material,” he said warm material and most modern piers are constructed from steel and concrete The focus was very much on making sure this wasn’t just an engineered solution.” A demolition job with the ball helped Altona Sports complete the perfect Western Suburbs Churches and Community Cricket Association A.E Lowe Shield season Having moved its top side back to the Churches competition this season Sports completed the perfect season with a big win against Western United in the grand final Sports captain Liam Brennan said it was pretty good to be back on top “We got the big wicket early on of Kazi [Shamiul Islam] and rolled through them in the end Sports made 320 on day one with Khush Talati making 134 to rescue the innings but rain meant it was postponed until Saturday Altona Sports needed just 36 overs to roll Western United for 69 Brennan said they’d had some good performances throughout the season and rolled some teams for less than 50 but they didn’t expect that performance in a grand final Tom Harrison was the star of the show with 8-27 “He opened the bowling and bowled 17 overs straight,” Brennan said Harrison was awarded man of the match for this bowling performance Brennan said he couldn’t split Harrison and Talati and gave him his own man of the match medal after the game The captain said they were really happy with how the season turned out They also finished runners-up in the T20 competition “We weren’t sure how we would come back after a couple of years out of this competition,” he said “We weren’t sure what the competition was and we had lost a couple of key guys “It was really good and we had a lot of young guys and to go through undefeated is unbelievable “There were six or seven guys in the T20 final as well.” Overall the club won two senior premierships and had four teams in grand finals said it was a really good year for the club The aim for the future now is to continue to make the program stronger while the club continues to look at options to play on turf Stockland has opened four new architecturally designed warehouses at its Altona Industrial Estate in Melbourne’s inner western logistics corridor The new facilities provide 46,000 square metres of warehouse and office space The new tenants at the estate include Putzmeister a global construction machinery and equipment company; Krannich Solar an international renewable energy company; Comcater an Australian commercial catering equipment provider; Mojo Motorcycles part of the Motorcycle Holdings Group; and Pony Xpress a family-owned agricultural product distribution company Stockland marked the opening of the warehouses with an event attended by the Honourable Melissa Horne the new buildings have been well received due to the limited supply of new logistics facilities in the inner west corridor He noted that the estate’s location near the Port of Melbourne and the Western Ring Road supports the efficient movement of goods from businesses to consumers The warehouses were designed by Watson Young Architects and incorporate carbon reduction strategies including the use of low carbon products such as green concrete achieving a 22 per cent reduction in embodied carbon The buildings are aiming for a 5 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia featuring energy-efficient water and electrical fixtures and access to green power through a local embedded network The new warehouses contribute to a total of nine warehouses on the 15-hectare site The estate includes a 1.1MW rooftop solar installation developed in partnership with Energy Bay generating power for Stockland’s commercial buildings Firefighters responded to another to a significant grass fire at the Laverton Grasslands in Altona on Wednesday morning FRV and CFA crews arrived at the Bell Avenue scene at 1.42am on January 29 after callers to triple-0 reported seeing two fires spreading across the wetlands firefighters immediately requested additional support as a fire grew to three hectares in size An advice message was issued for residents in Altona and Altona Meadows but the fire was not considered a risk to people or property and was brought under control by 4.36am It’s the second major fire to occur at the Laverton Grasslands in the space of three days with firefighters also responding to a blaze there on Sunday Altona Meadows sold under the hammer on Saturday A property investor fed up with increased taxes offloaded their Altona Meadows residence to a couple at its auction on Saturday The three-bedroom house at 9 Haigh Court sold for $671,000 – $21,000 above its reserve price of $650,000 Initially listed with a $600,000-$650,000 price guide bidding began at $550,000 and rose in $20,000 to $1000 increments RELATED: Inside a Hawthorn house straight out of a time capsule Birthplace of Aussie entertainment icon Bert Newton for sale Ex-Tiger Shai Bolton sending home under hammer to head west Seller Kerryn said she had owned the property as an investment for about 15 years but because of increased land taxes and new rental reforms “(Increased taxes) is just making it too hard I’m probably five years off retiring and it was just not worth it,” she said it went from $900 to $2100 (a year) so that’s a big chunk.” The home’s soaring ceilings offer plenty of natural light She said she had the same tenant for 14 years and wanted to keep the rent low but the property had become too expensive to hold on to Kerryn said she was happy with the auction result and that the couple who purchased it were planning on living there Ray White Werribee agent Eben Geelhuizen said he was selling a number of properties for investors who were wanting to get out of the market is the investors that have more than one property they’re the ones that are looking to offload one or two where they can,” he said Mr Geelhuizen said there were two groups who inspected the home for the first time right before the auction and placed bids Cathedral ceilings offer plenty of natural light throughout the home there’s a sprawling backyard as well as a pergola for entertaining Ray White Werribee managing director Robert Krnjeta said the major drawcards of the residence were its location and that it had been refreshed by the previous owners owners that are doing a little bit of work to the property … they’re getting a way better result,” Mr Krnjeta said “I think the market is stretched with their finances because interest rates have gone up “They’ve got the budgets to bid higher at auctions through borrowing capacity but they don’t have the money to renovate.” Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox MORE: Dusty lines up for $15m payday in property portfolio sell off Melbourne home prices at ‘turning point’ Tania Buckley cops tough $1m price drop third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. Police are appealing for public assistance to identify a man who trespassed at an Altona vehicle storage facility It is believed three people inside a gold Nissan X-Trail pulled over at the Altona business about 9am on January 7 A man entered the facility through a hole that had been cut in the fence and was on site for at least 40 minutes before leaving the scene empty-handed The trio then drove to a nearby vehicle storage facility but did not get out of the car Investigators have released images of a man and car in the hope someone may recognise them The man is described as Caucasian in appearance Detectives believe this may be linked to an incident on October 21 last year where 45 vehicles were stolen from a Salmon Street facility in Port Melbourne Forty-three of these vehicles have since been recovered and police are still searching for two other vehicles Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Altona Gators still have plenty of work to do after a slow start to the Big V women’s division 1 season The Gators suffered successive two-point losses in the opening two rounds with coach Randy Shanklin saying they hadn’t played anywhere near their best “We are just not in tune at the moment,” he said “We have a few new players that are learning our system We were a bit disrupted in the practice matches “At the end of the day we can give excuses Shanklin would have been more happy on Saturday night as the Gators opened their account against Melbourne University with the Gators setting up the 76-57 win with a 25-7 first quarter Shanklin said the league was stronger than last season so they would have to be better to improve on last season when they were knocked out in the second week of finals He said they had a bit of work to get where they were last season but had set some high expectations for the season “I think the expectations are high,” he said we’re not calling in the fire brigade just yet “They’re two two-point losses and there’s lots of good things to take out of them One area the Gators have looked to improve is adding some extra depth Shanklin said they didn’t want to have to rely on the youth league players as much as last season “It’s not as disruptive,” he said of having players jump from side to side “We just have to get the new players to catch up to how we want them to play and learn our style.” Shanklin said they were working hard to break down some old habits at training to ensure that everyone was working on the same page Detectives from the Hobsons Bay Crime Investigation Unit are examining a significant grassfire that occurred early this morning at a wetlands reserve in Altona Emergency services responded to reports of the blaze near Bell Avenue around 2 am The fire consumed several hectares of grassland and was brought under control after more than two hours Authorities are treating the fire as suspicious and are investigating its exact cause They are also exploring potential connections to a previous grassfire in the same area on 26 January at approximately 3:15 pm Police are committed to identifying and prosecuting individuals responsible for suspicious fires Convictions for recklessly or intentionally causing a bushfire can result in penalties of up to 15 years imprisonment lighting a fire on a total fire ban day can lead to fines up to $46,000 or imprisonment for up to two years The community plays a crucial role in preventing bushfires and is encouraged to report any reckless or suspicious behaviour Police are eager to speak with anyone who has witnessed concerning activities related to fires or has information about such behaviour Individuals with information, footage, or who witnessed the incident are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Police have arrested a 34-year-old St Kilda man following an extended pursuit from Bacchus Marsh to Altona North on Saturday The incident began around 4:30 pm when members of the public reported a Toyota Camry sedan allegedly driving erratically on the Western Highway between Beaufort and Ballarat Police attempted to intercept the vehicle in Miners Rest The Air Wing tracked the car as it travelled along the Western Freeway near Bacchus Marsh allegedly reaching speeds of more than 170km/h in a 100km/h zone The pursuit continued until the Camry collided with another vehicle on the West Gate Freeway in Yarraville before coming to a stop against a barrier in Altona North at approximately 5:25 pm The driver was transported to hospital under police guard for assessment the occupants of the other vehicle were not injured Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au A fire that forced the evacuation of an Altona shopping centre late yesterday afternoon Firefighters were called to the Altona Gate shopping centre on Millers Road shortly before 4pm on Tuesday after reports that a fire had broken out inside the centre’s Kmart store Crews wearing breathing apparatus worked through heavy smoke and low visibility caused by the store’s sprinkler system to find the source of the blaze in several clothing racks More than 200 people were evacuated from the shopping centre The fire was brought under control by about 4.20pm with the shopping centre sustaining smoke and water damage The incident has been deemed suspicious and is being investigated by Victoria Police Altona Gate has reopened for trading today Altona North’s man of the moment Connor Smith backed himself in to get the job done late in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association T20 grand final Smith was at the crease for the dying overs of the final on Tuesday night against Deer Park The match came down to the final ball with Smith on strike to Dean Russ Smith needed five for his side to claim the win he knew that it was going over the boundary to get his side the win “It was really good,” he said the following day “I knew that I was capable of hitting sixes It came from somewhere and there was a bit of luck “I backed myself in and turned down a couple of singles in the final overs and I was able to hit it well.” They made 8-109 with Aaron Shellie top scoring with 32 Thomas Taylor took three wickets for Altona North said at the halfway mark they were happy with their bowling performance and it had put them in a really good position The Lions took an early wicket in Altona North’s run chase before Altona North moved to 1-53 and was completely on top The wickets started to fall and Altona North slipped to 8-91 Altona North was halted by Aaron Ayre and Dean Russ with three coming off each of the second and third last overs I needed to step up to win the game for the boys There was a boundary early in the over and a wide It came down to the final ball and Smith was able to deliver as Altona North finished 8-111 while Smith finished 19 not out off 15 balls Smith said not having to work the next day meant he could have a few extra drinks after the match “We had a few drinks but everyone left relatively early I woke up to see all the messages from back home in England which is pretty cool..” While Altona North has claimed the T20 title Altona North sits atop the Isaacs Howarth Shield ladder “We’ll be back at training on Thursday night and focus on winning the Saturday one “We’ve done really well and played how Luke [Rainone] the skipper wants us to do We’ve been working on our fielding this year We’ll stick with what we are doing and hopefully we’ll come out on top.” Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInKNOX COUNTY (KWQC) - An Altona man is facing sex charges after soliciting minors for sexual favors According to a media release from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office its Investigations Division learned a local registered sex offender was soliciting minors for sexual favors was taken into custody on Wednesday and is facing: The sheriff also highlighted the importance of the office’s continued monitoring of registered offenders and their proactive efforts to stop people who prey on minors Police are investigating an aggravated burglary that took place in Altona North on Monday two unidentified male offenders armed with an axe forced their way into a home on Mangan Court and vandalised a car parked in the driveway A 36-year-old man from Altona North sustained minor injuries during the attack but did not require medical treatment Police are now examining whether the individuals involved were known to each other This incident follows a previous aggravated burglary at the same property early Sunday morning where a man reportedly gained access to the home and threatened the resident at around 4:30 am the resident chose not to pursue the matter further according to a Victoria Police spokeswoman Police are on the hunt for offenders believed to be responsible for an aggravated burglary and assaults in Altona Meadows earlier this week It is believed the offenders gained access to a property on Victoria Street about 8.30pm on Monday The offenders then assaulted a man and a woman who were home at the time with the man later taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Police have been unable to locate the offenders At this stage it is unclear if any items were stolen from the property Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au A Werribee man is among two men that have been extradited from South Australia over a firearms incident in Altona North last week The pair were arrested in Victor Harbor on Tuesday by South Australian police and subsequently charged in relation to the matter They faced Christies Beach Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where Victoria Police successfully made an application to extradite them to Victoria Both men are expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today is facing eight charges including discharging a firearm at a vehicle with reckless disregard for safety was charged with reckless conduct endangering life carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and possessing a loaded firearm in a public place detectives also executed two search warrants in Yarraville and Werribee on Thursday The arrests follow an incident outside a licensed premises on McArthurs Road about 2.45am on Thursday A group of men were in the car park when they were allegedly approached by a vehicle A verbal exchange followed before multiple shots were allegedly fired at the vehicle as it drove away Altona City is hoping to go a step further in the Victorian Premier League 2 competition this season finished in third spot after injuries halted their run later in the season Now with a full pre-season under their belts under coach Nick Georgopolous “It’s a 26 week season this year as they’ve added a couple of extra teams into the league “It means less pre-season and more competitive matches It has been really good at the new facility and it’s been appreciated by all the players.” who took over coaching part way through last season said it was much easier starting at the beginning of pre-season than coming in part way through the season He said they had managed to keep the core group of players and add in some other players who have fitted in well in the changeroom “We’re quite happy where we are placed,” he said “We played against Caroline Springs George Cross and won 2-1 “We had a good first 45 minutes … It was fantastic.” Georgopolous said they had added about 10 new players so far to build around the core group that they already have who has joined the club from Bentleigh Greens have joined the club which having played at higher levels who has also played at the Bentleigh Greens is the other signing that City has announced Their Japanese recruit Shion Ohta was set to arrive in the lead up to the game “They have come down from playing in higher leagues,” Georgopolous said “We picked them up for their capaci;ies and they are quality people as well.” Georgopolous said last season was a good building block for them at playing at this level “We had a few injuries towards the back end and we had a few boys in the 23s and 19s on the park,” he said “The younger ones couldn’t sustain it for long portions of time This season we are targeting 50 points and that should get us promotion “We finished third last year only missing out by three points.” Altona City started the season with a 2-1 loss to Essendon Royals Altona Magic is set to start its National Premier League season on Monday night against Melbourne Victory This is probably not the page you’re looking for Some of Australia’s best sailors took to the waters off Altona Beach last week for the Arrow and Mosquito Class National Titles More than 45 boats travelled from across the country to compete in the regatta from January 5 to 10 Among the winners were Hobsons Bay locals and father-son duo who took out the Mosquito Sloop Division in their boat Taboo Having won his first national titles with his father Robert this time Shannon teamed with his 10-year -ld son Jack to claim another championship Altona Yacht Club Commodore Paul Lindemann said he was proud of the effort club members put into hosting the event “I want to thank especially our canteen volunteers our shore crew helping sailors launch and our powerboat crews on start and rescue boat.” Altona Yacht Club is hosting training days for those wanting to take up sailing each Saturday morning from February 1 to April 5 Details: training@altonayachtclub.org.au Watch 16sWinds bring down tree in Altona Meadows CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Altona North made it two premierships in the space of a couple of months after holding its nerve in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Isaacs Howarth Shield grand final on Saturday Having beaten the top three senior division teams on the way to the T20 title Altona North had its focus on the division 1 title as well In control after day one of the grand final with Sunshine Altona North had a few nervous moments on Saturday before steadying to come away with the win and trophy Altona North chairman of selectors Ian Denny said it was pretty special “There are always nerves come grand final time and we didn’t start off well “They put on 30 or 40 for the first wicket [on day two] We dropped a couple of catches and could have dropped our heads.” Altona North had made 9-177 on day one of the match before having the Crows in trouble at 5-45 at stumps Denny said after the slow start on day two they had a few bowling changes and changed their tactics as well “Their number six and seven batsmen are really good players,” he said “We then looked to try and strangle them as we were giving them opportunities to score “We were able to strangle them and got them out that way The Crows managed to get to 5-90 to give their side some hope The wickets started to fall and continued to fall as they were bowled out for 126 Jinang Shah and Nathan Patrick took four wickets each for Altona North Man of the match was Joe Harrison for his 63 after coming in at number eight on day one Denny said Harrison was the player he thought changed the match “There were just over 300 runs scored and he scored 60 Our bowlers Jinang and Nathan bowled well too.” Denny said one of the biggest things that impressed him was the way the group came together in the lead up to the grand final Thomas Taylor had to head back to England in the lead up to the grand final “It drove them to be closer together as a team losing the best player in the competition.” While the celebrations will last for a while Altona North will soon have to start thinking about playing in the top flight next season Denny said a lot of work had been done to get them into this position “We set up this plan when I joined three years ago,” he said We will have to pick up a couple of players “Clubs like Yarraville Club and Deer Park have some quality players [who we will face].” Altona Sports are keen to see the next generation come through as two-day matches return to the Western Suburbs Churches and Community Cricket Association Sports has had its top sides play in the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association the past two seasons as they sought playing in the longer format But with the churches association bringing back two-day cricket Sports has moved all its sides back into the same competition Altona Sports club director Dean Bryden said it was exciting to have two-day cricket back in the churches competition “It’s the first time in four years,” he said “We decided to come back from the north west competition and support the league in getting two-day cricket up “Some of the other clubs have their lower division sides in the competition coming up against us We’re hoping to see long term growth in the association in the west.” Bryden said it’s easier having all their teams in the same competition and there isn’t as much travel for the top sides they wanted to focus on developing players this year “We think it’ll be a year or two before the competition really kicks off,” he said “It’s a good time for the younger guys to step forward Some of the next generation were on show in Sports outright win against Werribee’s sixth XI the past two weeks in the A.E Lowe Shield Sports made 228 before bowling Werribee out for 25 Sports batted again and finished 1-104 before Werribee was bowled out for 87 in its second innings “Brayden Svilar made his first ever senior 50,” Bryden said “He was dropped to the twos at one stage last year “Zac Zammit took 9-20 yesterday [on Saturday] “They are two young guys in their early 20s and it’s good to see.” Sports has six weekend sides again and has increased to 12 junior sides they made the semi finals against teams that play on turf regularly in the NWMCA Dutch international Scott Edwards will again line up for Sports when his international commitments allow The first of those was is Tuesday night against Glen Orden His brother Chris Edwards was also set to play “This year the competition is allowing two guest players,” he said “The kids come down when he plays and he sticks around for ages “We get about 150 people down when he’s playing Edwards is again working with Sports juniors and doing one-on-one sessions with players Detectives are investigating a home invasion in Altona North last night that left a man injured It is believed two unknown male offenders broke into a property on Mangan Court about 7.15pm on Monday A 36-year-old Altona North man sustained minor injuries Police were told the offending pair fled the scene in a white two door hatchback in an unknown direction Police are investigating whether the males are known to each other Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au