The Melbourne Snap⚡- Wednesday 25 June
Pull back on gas plans, the rare art-deco penthouse, Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard to headline women's event, parents rally to save community centre and entertainment hub coming to QV Melbourne.
G’day and welcome back to The Melbourne Snap. Today is the 150th edition of this newsletter. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed so far - all 773 of you - as I continue to see if I can figure out a better way for people to get local news and to help people feel more connected to their communities. Here’s Wednesday’s edition.
🔥 Victoria will phase out gas hot water systems from March 2027, requiring electric replacements, but has dropped plans to scrap gas cooktops and heating after industry pushback. - Vic Gov
🇮🇩 A Melbourne mother of six is stranded in Bali after her husband, Zivan Radmanovic, was fatally shot in their villa during her 30th birthday trip, with three Australian men now in custody over the attack. – Bryce Luff, 7 News
🌦️ Wednesday weather
🏙️ A rare one-bedroom penthouse in Toorak’s historic Caringal Flats is on the market for under $1 million in one of Melbourne’s priciest postcodes. – Emily Power, Domain
⚖️ A group of Victorian Liberals are preparing a Supreme Court challenge to block the party’s $1.55m loan to John Pesutto, arguing it breaches party rules. - Shannon Deery, Herald Sun
🏡 Melbourne’s Bayside suburbs, including Brighton and Sandringham, are bucking winter trends with a rise in homes for sale, suggesting a shift towards a buyer’s market amid subdued demand and economic uncertainty. - Jim Malo, Domain
🍽️ Baix, a 40-seat neighbourhood restaurant in Brighton, is set to open on 3 July - its first venue outside the CBD - following the launch of adjoining wine bar 81 Bay in April. - 81bay_baix (Instagram)
🎓 The University of Melbourne has been ranked 19th in the world in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, maintaining its position as Australia’s top university. - University of Melbourne
➡️ It’s not all good news for the uni. It dropped six places from last year.
🎤 Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard will headline the Women UNLIMITED leadership summit in Melbourne this September, with Gillard appearing via hologram. - Women UNLIMITED
🏛 Knox Council in Melbourne’s east has released its 2025–29 plan, shaped by opinions from over 1,000 locals. You can read it here.
🎸 Fitzroy live music venue Baxter’s is relocating just down the road to 296 Brunswick Street. - baxterslive (Instagram)
🎶 A seven-hour experimental electronic music marathon is taking over Coburg’s Industrique warehouse on 25 July, featuring live modular synthesis and ambient soundscapes in a six-act narrative. - Beat Magazine
🏫 Parents are rallying to save Footscray’s not-for-profit Bulldogs Community Children’s Centre after Maribyrnong Council moved to open its lease to for-profit providers. - Natasha Schapova, ABC News
🏗 Monash Council has revealed new designs for Glen Waverley’s civic precinct, featuring a library, event spaces, green areas and underground parking. - City of Monash
🕹️ Hijinx Hotel and Archie Brothers are opening a 1600-square-metre entertainment hub at QV Melbourne on 1 August, featuring arcade games, challenge rooms, cocktails and karaoke. - Hudson Brown, Concrete Playground
🎤 🏙️ The 12-level Douglas Menzies Chambers, opposite the Supreme Court on William Street, has sold for $23 million - the first time it’s changed hands in over 30 years. - David Bonaddio, realcommercial.com.au
🚌 Bus drivers at CDC Victoria will stage a third strike on Tuesday, 1 July as the Transport Workers Union pushes for better pay, conditions and safety. - TWU Vic (Facebook)
🔒 Seafood favourite Pinchy’s will close its Bourke Street venue after six years, with final service on Sunday 20 July. - pinchys_co (Instagram)
📌 Community Noticeboard
👉 The community noticeboard is a bit light today. Get your community notice added to this section. Fill in this form to submit your news, event, new business, charity do, opening or campaign.
📌 “A Dog’s Day Out at EBV – Head to East Brunswick Village’s Makers Market on Sunday 29 June, 10am–3pm for pet treats, artisan goods and snacks. Free, family-friendly and wheelchair accessible. Entry via 131 Nicholson St.” - More details
📌 Port Phillip wants your say on safety. The Council is developing a new Community Safety Plan and considering a ‘no encampment’ zone law. Feedback open until Sunday, 29 June. Have your say here.
📌 “Bundoora Park Farm Winter Holiday Program is out. Bookings now open for kids’ farm fun this July (7, 9, 10, 15 & 17). Activities include animal care, garden exploring, and farm baking. Runs 10am–3pm, $68/day. For grades Prep–6.” - More details
📌 “Help families in crisis by donating canned and dry goods to the 2025 Stonnington Winter Food Drive. All items go to local charities like the Malvern Emergency Food Program and Avalon Centre.” - More details
Crime Watch
This section is dedicated to crime news. Scroll on to the final section if you’d rather skip it.
🍄 The jury in Erin Patterson’s mushroom lunch murder trial has begun receiving final instructions, with the judge urging them to ignore media attention and focus solely on the evidence, including claims Patterson lied and inconsistencies over her foraging habits. - Adeshola Ore, Guardian
⚖️ Families of two men who died after separate police arrests - Luke Briggs in Hoppers Crossing and Steven Woodhouse in Reservoir - are demanding independent oversight, as homicide investigations drag on. - Cameron Houston, The Age
👮 Police were called to Hawdon Street, Eaglemont, last night after residents reported attempted car break-ins.
➡️ Detectives continue to investigate an attempted aggravated burglary at the same location on 16 June involving two offenders, one armed with a knife. - Victoria Police in a statement to The Snap
⚖️ Prosecutors have appealed the 14-year sentence given to Xiaozheng Lin for killing two migrant sex workers in Melbourne within 24 hours in 2022, calling it "manifestly inadequate."
🚔 Two men were arrested after an alleged road rage incident involving a Porsche on Nepean Highway in Seaford. - Victoria Police
And finally…
🎤 Anyone remember Rebecca Black? In 2011, aged just 13, she shot to viral fame with her song “Friday”, which was derided as one of the “worst songs ever.” At the time, it was one of the most disliked YouTube videos on the platform. Well, now the 28-year-old has become a successful DJ and singer and will be in Melbourne for her Salvation Tour at The Forum on 11 December. - Live Nation
✍ Thank you for reading edition 150 of The Melbourne Snap.
🙋🏻♂️ I get up at 5am each morning to find the best, most intriguing and most relevant pieces of Melbourne journalism to send to you so you don’t have to trawl through sites covered with intrusive ads or social feeds littered with clickbait.
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