Blessing of the Waters Festival 2025

Happy New Year to everyone.

The annual Greek Orthodox Blessing of the Waters ceremony will be held on Princes Pier, Port Melbourne on Sunday 12 January. The festival will take place from 12 noon to 5 pm. There will be music, dancing, and activities for children. Food and drink will be available together with a variety of other stalls.

Click/tap here for more details.

Hoon Activity in Beacon Cove

In recent weeks there have been reports of hoon behaviour in Beach Street and around Station Pier. Nearby residents have had their sleep and evenings disturbed by excessive vehicle noise.

Police encourage hooning to be reported on ‘000’ while it is occurring, if it is safe to do so, or to ring 131 444 at other times. Reporting helps police to identify ‘hot spots’ so that police resources can be effectively deployed in the future.

The BCNA believes that there should be greater use of technology, such as CCTV and acoustic cameras, to deter hoon behaviour.

Acoustic cameras are used in several countries and are being progressively introduced in Australia. For example, in NSW a trial commenced in December 2024 and will run until mid to late 2025 as explained here. In Victoria, the EPA would like to undertake a trial with the City of Port Phillip but needs funds to do so.

The BCNA continues to advocate to Nina Taylor MP, Member for Albert Park, about hoon behaviour and the need for government funding of the EPA to undertake a trial with the City of Port Phillip.

Ship Visits in January

Ports Victoria expects 22 cruise ships to visit Station Pier in January. Click/tap here for details.

A highlight will be the visit of the Royal Australian Navy’s sail training ship, Young Endeavour, on 24 and 25 January. She will be berthed at Inner West, just opposite the West Finger Pier. Click/tap here for further details about the Young Endeavour.

BCNA AGM – Summary of Meeting

The BCNA held its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 14th November. For those who could not attend click/tap here for a summary of the meeting.

The Guest Speaker was Craig Walker, CEO of Ports Victoria. Craig spoke about the maintenance and improvements to Station Pier, the preparation of a Cruise Ship Strategy, and that Ports Vic may open the Pier to the public on occasions with special events on the Pier and precinct.

Ms. Nina Taylor, MP, State Member for Albert Park, spoke about the freight yard adjoining Station Pier may become a community area, hoon driving, and that she will investigate the installation of road humps to control hoon driving near Station Pier.

Port Melbourne Ward Councillor Heather Cunsolo spoke about collaborating with police on hoon driving, Fishermans Bend and public transport, E-scooters and 1 and 7 Waterfront Place.

Vale Greg Mate

It is sad that we note the passing of Greg Mate.

Greg was a long term resident of Beacon Cove. He was a member of the BCNA and served on the committee and as Vice President.

Greg was a surveyor by training. His knowledge of surveying and town planning was invaluable to the community and to the Beacon Cove Neighbourhood Association.

The BCNA extends our sympathy to Greg’s wife Pam and to their family.

Fishermans Bend Primary School

In June we advised that the state government proposed a new primary school for Fishermans Bend to cater for the increasing population. The location for the school has been announced as 299 Williamstown Road, which is on the corner of Smith Street. The school is projected to house a student population of around 650 students and provide welcome relief from the population pressures on the existing Port Melbourne Primary School. The BCNA welcomes this announcement but urges government planners to provide accessible green space for the student population. Primary school students need room to run and play!

Click/tap here for more details.

Fishermans Bend Insight Event

Recently, we highlighted an event to be hosted by Fishermans Bend Business Forum. The event was held on 15th October and provided a range of details about the Fishermans Bend development. Speakers reported that over 6,000 new residents had arrived since the start of development. The Fishermans Bend population is projected to increase from 1,902 residents and 28,156 workers in the 2021 census to approximately 16,000 residents and around 36,000 workers by 2030.

The BCNA notes that this influx of residents is occurring without any change to roads, available green space, or transport infrastructure. Significant additional bus services have been announced but it must be noted that this adds to the congestion on existing roads. The BCNA urges the state government to accelerate plans for trams and trains that will provide residents with alternatives to road transport.

Click/tap here for more details on this event.

Reminder of BCNA AGM - This Thursday

This year’s AGM of the BCNA will be held this Thursday, 14th November, at 7:15 pm. It will be held at the Trugo Club in Garden City Reserve. All financial members and supporters are invited to attend.

The President’s Report is now available, click here to read it.

Other papers for the AGM were emailed earlier.

The Guest Speaker will be Craig Walker, CEO, Ports Victoria. This will provide an unusual opportunity to hear about developments within Ports Victoria and how Station Pier and the surrounding Waterfront Place precinct fit into the Ports Victoria strategy. We will also have an update from Hon Nina Taylor, Member for Albert Park and have invited our outgoing councillors for Gateway Ward being Heather Cunsolo, Marcus Pearl, and Peter Martin, all of whom have served us well. This meeting represents a great opportunity to discuss local issues with your representatives.

1-7 Waterfront Place Update

Representatives from the BCNA recently met with executives from Casa Property, who confirmed their recent purchase of 1-7 Waterfront Place from Action Australia Group. Before purchase, Casa Property did extensive research on the development site and the existing permit that allows for a 10 storey development. They propose to refresh the design and, in the near future, to demolish the building remnants from the original Mirvac design. This location has a long and sorry history and the BCNA looks forward to building on the relationship with Casa Property to encourage a development that refreshes this important community site.

Port Phillip Neighbourhood Policing Forum

Victoria Police are holding a neighbourhood policing forum at 5:30pm to 8:30pm on Tuesday 3 December.

The forum will explore topics including: 

• Current crime trends and crime prevention 
• Family violence 
• Young people 
• Road policing 
• Drugs and drug related crime

For details on how to register (which is required) or how to submit a question in advance, please click/tap here.