Category Archives: Melbourne

All fores! Miranda July among artists to create feminist mini-golf course in Melbourne

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Swingers, which aims to celebrate the sport’s feminist history, will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom as part of the 2025 Rising festival

The acclaimed author and film-maker Miranda July is among a group of artists who are building a mini-golf course in Melbourne to celebrate the sport’s little-known feminist history.

Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom, an abandoned space above the busy Melbourne railway station, as part of the city’s annual Rising festival.

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Arson attack that killed innocent Melbourne woman linked to tobacco wars, police say

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Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina in January

A house fire which killed a “completely innocent” woman is a case of mistaken identity linked to Melbourne’s tobacco wars, police say.

Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina, in the city’s west, in the early hours of 16 January.

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Melbourne zoo investigating shock death of Kimya the western lowland gorilla

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Vets are undertaking a necropsy to determine why beloved 20-year-old animal suddenly died on Saturday morning

Vets at Melbourne zoo are investigating the sudden death of 20-year-old western lowland gorilla, Kimya.

In a statement, Zoos Victoria said the gorilla’s death was “unexpected” and that staff were “devastated” at the news.

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‘Like finding gold’: plains-wanderers spotted in Melbourne’s west for first time in 30 years with help of AI

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Critically endangered bird detected after analysis of tens of thousands of hours of song meter recordings

Critically endangered plains-wanderers have been found living in Melbourne’s west for the first time in more than 30 years.

Notoriously elusive and difficult to spot, the rare birds were detected on two pockets of remnant grassland by Zoos Victoria, with the help of AI.

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Victoria byelections: Liberals claim Greens seat as Allan pledges to ‘do more’ after vote dives in Labor heartland

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Greens concede loss to Liberals in Prahran and ALP on a knife-edge in Werribee

The Greens have conceded the loss of the Victorian state seat of Prahran to the Liberals, while the result in the once-Labor stronghold of Werribee remains too close to call.

The Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, said on Sunday the result in the inner-Melbourne seat was close but that it was clear the minor party will “fall just short” when counting resumes on Monday.

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Alleged ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti creator denied bail as court hears of social media-driven reoffending risk

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Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, to remain behind bars over concerns the prolific design would continue across Melbourne if he was released

A Melbourne man alleged to be the creator of the prolific “Pam the Bird” graffiti will remain behind bars, with a magistrate saying there was a risk of him continuing to target prominent locations to boost his social media notoriety if released.

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, appeared in the Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday morning where he was denied bail over concerns he would commit a serious offence if released.

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‘Intensely hot’ weather continues in south-eastern states as Victoria battles bushfires

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Heatwave not expected to end until Tuesday or Wednesday as fires burn in multiple national parks

South-eastern states sweltering in a heatwave may be waiting until late Tuesday or Wednesday for a cool change to bring some relief.

On Monday, temperatures in Melbourne peaked at 37.8C just before 4pm, after a high of 38C on Sunday.

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Peter Dutton and home affairs department cleared of wrongdoing in case involving Melbourne terrorist

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No potential breaches found by independent inquiry into former Coalition government’s handling of Abdul Nacer Benbrika case

Peter Dutton and the home affairs department have been cleared of wrongdoing over what a judge described as “a serious interference with the administration of justice” in a court case involving Melbourne terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika.

But the independent review clearing Dutton and his former department will not be released publicly, Guardian Australia has confirmed.

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Man allegedly behind ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks applies for bail

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Victoria police say Yarraville man, 21, is accused of vandalism on Flinders Street station clock and other prominent locations

A man accused of being one of Australia’s most prominent graffiti artists has faced court after allegedly causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage with his cartoon-like bird murals.

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, sat in the Melbourne magistrates court dock on Friday afternoon and smiled at times as the allegations against him were read out.

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Teen fighting for life and another injured after Melbourne street fight shooting

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Detectives believe the boys, aged 15 and 17, were shot in a targeted attack during a Collingwood brawl involving up to 50 youths

Two teens are lucky to be alive after a targeted shooting during a street fight that embroiled dozens of youths, police say.

A 17-year-old boy is fighting for his life in hospital while a 15-year-old has been hospitalised with serious injuries after both were found with gun shot wounds on Vere Street in Collingwood, inner Melbourne, about 1am on Friday.

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Kyle & Jackie O Show drew nearly half of all decency complaints on Australian radio in last financial year

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Exclusive: Kiis FM show promises to ‘behave’ in 2025 as regulator reveals 146 complaints made to broadcaster about material in 2023-24

Almost half of all complaints made in the last financial year about decency standards on Australian radio were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the Guardian can reveal.

In the 2023-2024 financial year, 321 complaints were made to radio stations across Australia about “material not suitable for broadcast”. Of these, 146 complaints (45%) were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

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Tributes for ‘star’ Melbourne burlesque performer killed in arson attack

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Police believe 27-year-old Katie Tangey’s death was a case of mistaken identity as friends rally to raise funds for her family

A popular performer, killed by fire in what police say is a case of mistaken identity, has been remembered as “an icon” as friends rally to raise funds for her heartbroken family.

Katie Tangey, 27, died after becoming trapped while house-sitting her brother’s three-storey townhouse in Truganina, Melbourne’s west, on Thursday morning.

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Melbourne brawl that left two men dead began with birthday party argument, police say

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Neighbours told to stay inside as police seek information on stabbing deaths of two men from same family

Two men died in a brawl at a birthday party on that spilled on to the streets in Melbourne’s outer south-eastern suburbs, police say.

Detectives said the two men, aged 23 and 54, who were from the same family, were involved in a brawl involving about 20 people. Police alleged some left the scene before police arrived.

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One man dead after being stabbed in ‘targeted attack’ in Melbourne park

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Police called after reports of a group of people fighting in Wyndham Vale on Friday

A man has died after he was ambushed and stabbed during a late-night knife fight at a park in Melbourne’s west.

Police were called to reports of a group of people fighting in a park on Haines Drive, Wyndham Vale, about 11.30pm on Friday.

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Soaring air fares between Melbourne and Sydney see travellers take 11-hour train

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Exclusive: Seats on Sydney-Melbourne train service regularly sell out over holiday period, as one-way flights to Tullamarine average almost $500

The 11-hour Sydney-Melbourne train has become so popular services are selling out – even with extra carriages added – as travellers seek alternatives to an aviation duopoly that is stronger than ever, with carriers charging $900 for one-way economy tickets.

Ridership on the Sydney-Melbourne rail corridor has exploded in recent months, with 203,000 passenger journeys between July and December. Data for the 2023-24 financial year revealed 393,000 passenger journeys, a 14% increase on the previous year and just 7,000 shy of the annual record.

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Average renter would take 8.3 years to save enough for a house deposit, new Victorian analysis shows

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Exclusive: PBO report based on wage growth, house prices and rent rises says nearly a decade needed if 20% of gross income is put aside

It could take almost a decade for the average Victorian renter who puts aside 20% of their gross income to save enough money for a home deposit, according to analysis from the state’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office.

But if rents were to increase in line at the historically high rate seen in 2022 and 2023, the time needed to save for a deposit could blow out to more than 65 years.

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Man accused of setting fire to Caulfield racecourse grandstand also broke into Jewish centre, court hears

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Alleged arsonist Travis Bird, 51, charged with nine offences over Tuesday’s blaze and another three grassfires at nearby Attenborough park

A man accused of setting fire to a heritage-listed racecourse grandstand before breaking into a Jewish community centre will remain behind bars after facing court.

Travis Bird, 51, appeared at Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday after being charged with nine offences – four counts of arson, two of trespass and one each of burglary, criminal damage and theft.

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Caulfield Racecourse fire: suspicious blaze engulfs grandstand in Melbourne’s south-east

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Victoria police say nobody has been injured and a crime scene has been established

Major parts of a Caulfield Racecourse grandstand have been destroyed in a suspicious early morning fire.

Fire Rescue Victoria responded to the blaze at Station Street in Caulfield East in Melbourne’s south-east at 6.20am on Tuesday.

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Melbourne fire that destroyed Forty Winks store could have been arson, police say

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More than 95 firefighters and 26 trucks deployed to Nunawading, with dozens of nearby residents evacuated

Fire crews remain at the scene of a blaze that destroyed a Melbourne mattress store, with investigations likely to continue well into Sunday night after the fire was deemed a suspected arson attack.

Emergency crews responded to several calls about a two-storey building on fire at Nunawading in the city’s east about 2.20am on Sunday.

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Heatwave descends on south-east Australia with temperatures forecast to exceed 40C

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Bureau of Meteorology says Melbourne’s hot weather will peak at 38C on Saturday while Penrith will reach 39C on Sunday and 40C on Monday

Much of south-east Australia will swelter through a heatwave over the weekend that is expected to exceed 40C in some places, bringing extreme fire danger before a cool change comes through.

Melbourne was expected to peak at 38C on Saturday, reaching 37C on Sunday and dropping to 22C by Monday as the cool change brings widespread showers.

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