Who got lucky and lucked out of Melbourne’s 25km rule
Bayside residents and regional cuspers are among the losers of the new 25km travel rule, with most of their bubble made up of water or regional areas they can’t visit. Here’s how your suburb fares.
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Some Melburnians are winners while others have lucked out with the state government’s new 25km radius rule.
Ringwood, and surrounding suburbs in Melbourne’s east, appears to be the biggest winner — taking in the most usable amenities under its 25km threshold which includes access to Brighton Beach, Yarra Valley and the CBD.
Not all suburbs were lucky — Werribee and Werribee South in Melbourne’s outer west are too far away to include any exciting attractions such as big parks, shopping centres or beaches in their 25km radius.
Tooradin, Blind Bight and Cannons Creek also lucked out, as most of their bubble is made up of water or regional Victoria. This was a problem for many bayside suburbs — particularly near the pointy end of the Mornington Peninsula.
Committee for Mornington Peninsula (CFMP) president Shannon Smit said 25km rule shouldn’t apply to Peninsula residents.
“I definitely think it should be scrapped. My parents are in Red Hill and that 5km didn’t get them far and now the 25km only gets them 1km short of Mornington,” she said.
“It doesn’t serve a purpose on the Peninsula, especially when you have rural areas and no cases. Why can’t they just let businesses open?”
CFMP said locals found the 25km rule amusing as they could now travel but couldn’t visit retail or hospitality on the Peninsula.
She also said it was ‘crazy’ some residents’ 25km bubbles took in large parts of Port Phillip Bay and Queenscliff — which they’d only be able to access via ferry.
CFMP is fighting for the regionalisation of Mornington Peninsula and is seeking funding partners for further research.
Here’s a round up of the winners and losers of the new 25km rule.
WINNERS
BEACH ACCESS
Landlocked Ringwood residents can now stroll past the Brighton beach boxes with ease. Other suburbs with beach access include Glen Waverley, Knox, Wantirna, Burwood, Scoresby, Rowville, Wheelers Hill, Nunawading, Box Hill, Oakleigh, Murrumbeena, Rosanna, and even Templestowe and Greensborough. In the west, Deer Park has access to Port Phillip Bay beaches between Werribee and Brighton, while Sydenham locals can access the beach from Point Cook to St Kilda West.
Partial access
Unlike its name suggests, Bayswater is nowhere near Port Phillip Bay. The only way locals can feel sand between their toes is in small stretch near Aspendale and Beaumaris.
Beaconsfield locals, from the outer east, get access between Mordialloc and Frankston, while north-siders from Mill Park get to experience the best of western and eastern suburb beaches — a small section of Williamstown and between Port Melbourne and Elwood. Epping gets a small segment of beach between Port Melbourne and St Kilda West.
MORNINGTON PENINSULA
If you live in Frankston the 5km radius barely let you leave your suburb. At 25km, you can now visit the Mornington Peninsula — including Mount Martha, part of Dromana, Balnarring and Hastings. Even better news if you live in Mornington, as you now have access to Rosebud, Arthurs Seat, Point Leo, Shoreham, Balnarring Beach, Somers and Capel Sound. If you’re from Dromana you have access to the entire Mornington Peninsula.
CITY WALKING TRACKS
People from Roxburgh Park, Greenvale, Somerton and Eltham in the north can now cut a lap of Albert Park Lake and The Tan. Those who live as far out in the east as Donvale, Ringwood East, Knoxfield, Scoresby and Dandenong North can also visit the inner-city parks. In the West, residents from Deer Park, Truganina, Taylors Lakes and Williams Landing also have access.
MARKETS
South Melbourne: Noble Park North, Scoresby, Wantirna South, Ringwood North, Warrandyte, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Altona, Macleod, Kew East.
Queen Victoria Market: Caulfield, Ormond, Mulgrave, Wheelers Hill, Ringwood North, Bulleen, Coburg, Epping, Delahey, Deanside, Truganina, and Point Cook.
SHOPPING CENTRES
While not all retail is open at Chadstone Shopping Centre, suburbs as far as Bundoora, Sunshine, Montmorency and Glenroy are within reach of the shopping mecca. Eastland caters for Yarra Glen, Emerald, Seville, St Andrews, Diamond Creek, Melbourne CBD and Carlton North.
In the west, Highpoint reaches Craigieburn, Point Cook, Mount Waverly and even Burwood east. Sadly, parts of Werribee and Sunbury miss out on Highpoint. Werribee has access to Pacific Werribee, but Sunbury doesn’t. Only part of Sunbury has access to Pacific Epping.
COSTCO
Those having withdrawals of buying in bulk will be pleased Costco is now within reach. The Docklands-based warehouse is now accessible for suburbs including Cheltenham, Parkdale, Mentone, Oakleigh, Chadstone, Doncaster, Heidelberg, Vermont, Laverton North, Derrimut, Altona and Point Cook. While the Moorabbin store only fed surrounding suburbs of Mordialloc, Springvale South and Braeside, it now reaches as far as Frankston, Belgrave, Northcote and Carlton North.
THE DANDENONGS
If you’re from Melbourne’s west and inner eastern suburbs — you won’t be able to visit The Dandenongs. Suburbs within that 25km threshold include: Murrumbeena, Ashburton, Doncaster, Surrey Hills, Templestowe, North Warrandyte, Mordialloc, Aspendale Gardens, Cranbourne, Dandenong and Pakenham.
WINE REGIONS
Some outer eastern suburbs will be able to winery hop in the Yarra Valley (providing restaurants and cafes can open in the next couple of week). Bayswater, Boronia, The Basin, Kilsyth, Montrose, Croydon, Ringwood, Eltham, Templestowe, St Helena, Hurstbridge and Doreen will be able to travel to Yarra Glen — in the heart of the Yarra Valley wine region.
While Frankston South, Baxter, Somerville, Tyabb, Hastings, Mornington and Mount Eliza locals can access Red Hill wineries — where most Mornington Peninsula wineries are located.
GOLF COURSES
Golfers are some of the biggest winners in this round of restrictions. Not only are they allowed to play, but there’s many suburbs within 25km of prime golf courses.
Kingston Health, in Heatherton, can welcome members from Frankston, Cranbourne, Springvale, Dandenong, Narre Warren, Glen Waverley, Bayswater North, Ferntree Gully, Heidelberg Heights, Flemington, Footscray, Williamstown, Brighton and a small section of Mount Eliza. Keysborough Golf Course includes all of Mount Eliza, Devon Meadows, Belgrave and Caulfield South — but not any western or northern suburbs or Melbourne’s CBD.
CBD ACCESS
Melbourne’s central business district is a ghost town these days. But if you’re looking to wander the city streets — or finally eat some delicious takeaway from your favourite restaurants — these outer suburbs within 25km of the CBD now can: Wantirna South, Ringwood, Scoresby, Springvale South, Braeside, Point Cook, part of Hoppers Crossing, Truganina, Bulla, Calder Park, Epping and South Morang.
LOSERS
There’s no beach days on the horizon for those who live in Lilydale, Emerald, Belgrave, Craigieburn, Montrose, The Basin and Melton. Rockbank gets some beach access, but just misses out on the scenic part of Williamstown. Pakenham and Officer locals don’t have access to Port Phillip Bay — but can stroll Western Port beaches instead.
NO BIG SHOPPING CENTRES
Cranbourne misses out on Chadstone Shopping Centre, as does Pakenham, Kooweerup and Tooradin.
NO CITY PARKS
If you want to walk around The Tan or Albert Park Lake, you won’t be able to if you live in Chelsea Heights, Dandenong, Cranbourne, Endeavour Hills, Ferntree Gully, Bayswater North, Croydon Hills, Warranwood, Wattle Glen, Craigieburn, Bulla, Hillside, Calder Park and Werribee.
BAYSIDE LOCALS
Outside of the pandemic, everyone was envious of Bayside residents’ million dollar seaside views. Now, Bayside locals are among the biggest losers of the 25km radius rule — as most of their radius is taken up by water. But if you own a mega-mansion along Beach Rd, surely you’re allowed to take the boat out. In Beaumaris, half your bubble is made up of water. While Point Cook may not have the same water views, locals still luck out with their 25km radius. Mornington Peninsula locals perhaps have this the worst — with half of their radius water.
REGIONAL CUSPERS
Suburbs in the outer east, such as Bunyip, Powelltown and Lang Lang sit on the cusp of regional Victoria and can’t use half of their 25km as it falls into an area they cannot visit.
Whittlesea and Sunbury in the city’s north are also affected, as are Melton, Werribee, Werribee South, Eynesbury, Mount Cottrell and Little River in the west.
Residents from Tooradin, Blind Bight, Cannons Creek, Warneet find themselves between a rock and a hard place — to the south their 25km radius takes in Western Port Bay, and the other half of their border is regional Victoria.
CUT IN HALF SUBURBS
Not all suburbs get full access to parks, shopping areas or beaches. Only half of Keysborough can access The Tan or Albert Park Lake. The same goes for half of Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne’s west. Only some parts of Beaconsfield, in the outer south east, can visit Costco Moorabbin. Craigieburn residents, who live south of Marathon Boulevard, can visit the Queen Victoria Market. In Mordialloc, in the city’s south, residents who live south of Bear Street also cannot visit the Queen Victoria Market.
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