The Melbourne Snap⚡- Friday 14 February, weekend edition
Melburnians on Australia's 2025 rich list, police Valentine's Day warning, the east/west heat divide, best new restaurants and 5 things to do this weekend.
G’day and welcome to The Melbourne Snap. Here’s Friday’s extended weekend edition. Word of mouth is the best way for the Melbourne Snap to grow. Please consider forwarding this to a friend. They can put their email in the box below to join the list.
💰Australia’s 50 richest people saw a nearly 10% rise in collective wealth to (AUD)$385 billion, with tech businesses driving gains. Mining baroness Gina Rinehart is still the top dog despite a 4% decline in her fortune to $46 billion, while property mogul Harry Triguboff reclaimed second place. Businessman Anthony Pratt is the richest Melburnian on the list. - Forbes Magazine
🗳️Labor's John Lister is on track to win the Werribee by-election, increasing his lead to 593 votes after the addition of postal votes, though the party has faced a significant 10.2% swing against it. Despite retaining the seat, Labor's reduced primary vote and the swing have raised concerns about voter dissatisfaction in Melbourne's west. - ABC News
❤️It’s Valentine’s Day. So let’s start the newsletter with a cosy message from Victoria Police’s Cybercrime Squad. They’ve issued a warning to the public about romance scams, which have cost victims over $30 million since January 2024.
➡️Scammers use online platforms to build trust before requesting money, often through emotional manipulation, and authorities urge people to stay cautious, verify identities, and never send money to strangers.
➡️Ladies aged between 30-39 are the demographic with the highest number of reports of this nature. - Victoria Police
🌧️🌧️⛅ Weekend weather
Crime Watch
This section is dedicated to crime news. Scroll on if you want to skip to lighter news.
🧴A 49-year-old US woman has been charged after attempting to smuggle 3kg of cocaine into Australia hidden in shampoo bottles at Melbourne Airport. She faces a charge of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. - AFP
🚨 A 26-year-old man in Ringwood was charged with assault after allegedly running through traffic, attacking passersby, and spitting on a police officer on Wednesday night. He was bailed to appear in court in May. - Victoria Police
🚓A 16-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly driving a stolen Mercedes at speeds of up to 200km/h before abandoning the car in Dandenong North on Wednesday night. He faces multiple charges and will appear in a children's court later this month. - Victoria Police
👮Police are investigating a hit-and-run in Mulgrave where a stolen Volkswagen Polo crashed into a pole on Monash Freeway in the city’s south-east before its occupants fled in another stolen car. - Victoria Police
🚑 A person died and another was hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash in Laverton North, west Melbourne. The other car’s occupants were uninjured. - Victoria Police
🐶A desperate plea has been made for help after thieves broke into a home in Springvale South, stealing a dog named Gigi along with other items from the property. - Reddit
🔥 A burned-out car was found in Clyde Street, St Kilda yesterday morning. - RiSK (Facebook)
📢 Share your local news and events by filling in this form here. I’d love to share upcoming community events.
🌡️Melbourne’s west is feeling the effects of extreme heat, with suburbs such as Seddon facing temperatures on surfaces like concrete footpaths well above 50°C on hot days. - Bianca Hall, The Age
➡️There is also a stark east/west divide in urban greenery. The east boasts more established tree cover and thus cooler temperatures, with suburbs like Park Orchards offering up to 90% canopy cover.
➡️However, rapid development in the west has led to heat islands. Scientists found that a 10% increase in tree canopy cover was linked to lower risks of all causes of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and heart attacks.
❌The Souled Out music festival, featuring artists like Don Toliver, Jhene Aiko, and Vince Staples, has been cancelled just over a week before its Melbourne date due to financial challenges. - Instagram
🕊️While there have been more than 130 firebombings linked to the tobacco war across the state, the CBD has never seen a single attack. The city centre has been classed as “open territory” by warring gangs. - Marta Pascual Juanola, Chris Vedelago and Lachlan Abbott, The Age.
🤰A convicted woman basher and drug lord captured by a global taskforce has impregnated his girlfriend using IVF from inside a maximum security prison in Melbourne. - Anthony Dowsley, Herald Sun
🧘🏻♀️Consumer Affairs Victoria is relentlessly pursuing Belle Gibson to recover the fines she was ordered to pay for misleading conduct more than seven years ago. Despite Netflix's recent dramatisation in Apple Cider Vinegar of Gibson's story, the state government yesterday said that it will not let up until the $410,000 fine is paid. - Benita Kolovos, Guardian Australia
🍽️Looking for inspiration on where to eat out this weekend? Lifestyle website Sitchu has compiled a list of the best new restaurants in Melbourne in 2025. - Kelsey Harrington, Sitchu
📚St Kilda Library, designed by famed Aussie-Italian architect Enrico Taglietti in 1972 has been proposed for the Victorian Heritage Register. - tallstorey/Instagram
🚢Experience the grandeur and tragic fate of the RMS Titanic like never before with the Titanic: A Voyage Through Time VR experience, coming soon to Melbourne at 206 Bourke St. Tickets are available from February 19th at 7pm. - Secret Melbourne
🥐Sam Iversen, former baker at the famous Lune, has opened Bobby’s Bakery in North Melbourne after starting his bread-making hobby in his mum’s backyard. Specializing in simple baked goods, the bakery’s standout item is the traditional Cornish pasty. - Lara Torcello, Broadsheet
🥃The Victorian Government is offering grants of up to $200,000 through the Distillery Door Program to help local distillers expand production with applications now open until March 25. - Vic Gov
🧸The Victorian Government is also investing $4.5 million to build the Jacksons Creek Community Centre in Sunbury, adding 118 new kinder places in Melbourne's north-west. - Vic Gov
🌳The Elsternwick Club site, about the size of 18 tennis courts, is being transformed into a new open space in Glen Eira, south-east Melbourne. - Glen Eira Council
✋City of Stonnington CEO Dale Dickson has condemned recent online abuse and physical threats directed at Councillors and Council employees. - Stonnington City Council
🏅Meanwhile, The City of Port Phillip Mayor, Louise Crawford, addressed the community's recent concerns over safety. She outlined ongoing initiatives such as CCTV installations, a mobile unit for monitoring, a rapid response crew and increased police collaboration. - City of Port Phillip
🎉5 things to do this weekend🎉
The headline event for the weekend is undoubtedly The St Kilda Festival. One of Australia’s most popular free music festivals will take over the St Kilda foreshore on Saturday and Sunday with an electrifying mix of live performances and entertainment. This year’s lineup features top Australian artists promising an unforgettable weekend. - More details
Federation Square will explode tomorrow with colour, rhythm, and energy in a free celebration of Afro-Caribbean music, dance, and culture. The Afro-Caribbean Carnival will bring exciting performances from soca (a style of Caribbean music) legends Kevin Lyttle and Alison Hinds. - More details
Another great free option for the weekend is the Sidney Myer Free Concert: Dvořák, Gershwin and Ravel. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will bring a night of orchestral classics under the open sky. The program features Dvořák’s Third Symphony, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Andrea Lam, and Ravel’s Boléro, building to a powerful finale. If you don’t fancy going into the city it can also be watched live on YouTube. - More details
Local spirit makers Marionette have launched a pop-up in Fitzroy which will run for the next two weeks. Expect cocktails and food from top local chefs and producers. - More details
An expert panel at the ACMI will dive into the world of cyberpunk at Cyberpunk Dreams, from classics like Blade Runner and Robocop to modern hits like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Altered Carbon. It’s on Sunday. - More details
📢Community Noticeboard📢
📌”Find your purr-fect match this Valentine's Day! Meet our cats looking for love and pats in their new forever homes. Head to the Melton Pound website to read their bios or discover another animal looking to match to their fur-ever homes.” - More details
📌”SOCIAL BOARDGAMES NIGHT IN MELBOURNE ! Feel free to bring your own games! Open mic karaoke also available. Free pizza, first come first serve at 215 Queen's Bar.” - More details
Editor’s note: Get your news, event, gathering, new business or community update here. Fill in this form, don’t be shy.
And finally…Nine Asian elephants have officially relocated from Melbourne Zoo to their new 21-hectare home at Werribee Open Range Zoo, where they can roam freely. The elephants are settling in well, though it will be a few weeks before visitors can see them. - Zoos Victoria
hank you for reading edition 63 of The Melbourne Snap.
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