The Melbourne Snap⚡- Friday 17 January, weekend edition
Woman killed when arsonists firebomb wrong house, tennis star riles Open crowd, where to live if you want to turn 100 and 5 things to do this weekend.
G’day and welcome to The Melbourne Snap. The weekend is nearly here. If you’ve stumbled across The Snap, please consider subscribing. It’s a free espresso shot of news every weekday morning. Here’s Friday’s weekend edition.
⚫We now have more info on the house fire reported in Truganina yesterday. A 27-year-old was killed by an arsonist after they firebombed the wrong house in the city’s west around 2am on Thursday. The woman was house-sitting for her brother who was on his honeymoon when the attack occurred - Yashee Sharma, Nine News
☄️A rare comet will light up Melbourne’s skies this week. Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), a once-in-160,000-year event, is now visible in the Southern Hemisphere after passing the sun on January 13. Set to be one of the brightest comets in recent history, it offers a rare chance for Australians to witness its brilliance in the coming days. - Jonti Horner, The Conversation
⛅☀️⛅Weekend weather
Crime Watch
This section is dedicated to crime news. Scroll on if you want to skip to lighter news.
🕵🏻♀️Detectives are investigating the deaths of two men in the south-east of Melbourne last night. Emergency services were called to a home on Observatory Street, Clyde North shortly after 9:30pm following reports of an altercation.
➡️Two men were located with wounds consistent with a stabbing.
➡️A third male left the address before police arrived and a search is currently underway to locate him. - Victoria Police
🚓 Cafegoers enjoying lunch on a busy strip in Brighton watched on as three teenagers were arrested by undercover police after fleeing an allegedly stolen vehicle. - Eleanor Wilson, Nine News
🔫A public appeal has been launched after an armed robbery at a bottle-o in the north of the city this week. A man approached the cash register and presented a firearm in front of an employee at a shop on Plenty Road, Preston on Tuesday evening. The man made off with cash and a 10-pack of Woodstock & Cola cans. - Victoria Police
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🗣️American Danielle Collins will probably not have the Melbourne crowd on her side for the rest of her Australian Open run. The 31-year-old knocked out local girl Destanee Aiava in the second round of the women’s singles. But it was Collins’ reaction to the crowd after she won which made headlines. Small sections of the crowd had antagonised her during the match and she let them have it afterwards, blowing sarcastic kisses and pointing to her backside. - Eurosport
🍺While we’re on the tennis, lifestyle guide Concrete Playground has come up with 15 of the best bars to watch sports in Melbourne during the Open and for the upcoming AFL season. - Andrew Zuccala, Concrete Playground
🏊Melburnians who blow up an inflatable pool in their backyard this summer may not be aware they are breaking the law by not putting a fence around it. Many blow-up pools require a safety barrier under Victorian laws. - Caroline Schelle, The Age
💯If you want to live to 100 then you might need to move. New research revealed residents who call Queenscliff home, a small suburb on the southern side of Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, have the strongest chance of living a century after analysing lifestyle and age data from the latest census. - Sarah Petty, realestate.com.au
🚇The Metro Tunnel project has completed its biggest trial yet, with trains running a further 35,000 kilometres and taking more than 2,600 trips across 10 days, as the project edges towards opening later this year. - Vic Gov
🛫Brimbank Council, which covers western suburbs like Sunshine, Keilor and Tullamarine, is demanding the Federal Government review its decision to conditionally approve a third runway at Melbourne Airport. - Brimbank Council
💦This geyser of water erupted from a burst pipe in the eastern suburb of Deepdene yesterday utterly drenching the whole area. - Jacqui Felgate/Instagram
🎫 A childcare worker who was allegedly pinned to the ground and bruised by a group of “really aggressive” Myki inspectors at a train station in Melbourne’s west plans to launch legal action against the state government. - Herald Sun
🎉5 things to do this weekend 🎉
Today is the last day to visit the NGV’s Kids Summer Festival. It’s free and features hands-on activities, interactive exhibitions and stories for children and families. - More details
Join in the colourful celebrations of Australia's premier queer arts and culture event: Midsumma Festival. From January 19 to February 9, Melbourne will come alive with around 200 performances and events held across the city. - More details
LEGO enthusiasts are coming from around Australia and the world to display their builds in all sorts of themes and genres at Brickvention. Filling the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton this weekend will be hundreds of unique, creative models built out of LEGO bricks. - More details.
Melbourne’s CBD is spectacular. Walking around it is always enjoyable, but do you know what might make it more enjoyable? Cocktails. There are a few spaces left for the Urban Cocktail Trail this Saturday. Explore the heart of the city while making pitstops at some of Melbourne’s best bars. - More details
Anyone who loves the Japanese game and cartoon phenomenon, Pokemon, and is looking for a party this weekend, the Poké Ball 2025 at Glitch nightclub could be for you. There’s Pokemon cosplay, Pokemon karaoke, Pokemon trivia, Pokemon-themed drinks and Pokemon burlesque. Only on Saturday. - More details.
🫂And finally…International Hug Day is on Tuesday. To get you ready there is a cuddle event taking place at Laneway Learning on Swanston Street on Saturday. There’s “tea, chats and hugs” to be dished out at the event. A certified cuddle professional and holistic counsellor will guide you through what to do. - Eventbrite
Thank you for reading edition 43 of The Melbourne Snap. I write this newsletter in the early hours every weekday morning between 4am - 6:30am in my free time. If you can afford to support the newsletter you can do so for as little as $10 a month. Have a great weekend.
If Trump heavies in on Greenland, Greenland may call on their legitimate connection: Denmark, to start setting up a countering tariffs. So very popular weightloss drugs, something something and LEGO will become very expensive indeed for Americans. Is this relevant to Melbourne? All the Melbourne LEGO aficionados need not lose any sleep.