Sangeeta Kocharekar

Good news for many homeowners (though not those still looking to buy) in Melbourne: house prices in some areas rose more than 25 per cent in 2025. According to the latest Domain House Price Report, the median house price across the city rose 6.2 per cent from September 2024 to September 2025. Domain’s chief of research and economics, Dr Nicola Powell, said interest rate cuts and government support for first-home buyers – mainly the 5% Deposit Scheme – are behind Melbourne’s house price jump, helping to create a sense of urgency among buyers. Photograph: Lisa Saad Among the Melbourne suburbs where house prices grew the most, Heidelberg topped the list, up 25.9 per cent to a median price of $1,386,000. Just 11 kilometres northeast of the CBD, this historically significant suburb is home to the Heide Museum of Modern Art, Austin Hospital and café-and-boutique-lined Burgundy Street, making it a peaceful yet culturally rich place to live. Box Hill, 14 kilometres east of the CBD, had a higher median house price of $1.6 million, but a lower annual change of 20.7 per cent. The area’s known for its authentic Asian food scene, Box Hill Central shopping complex and art gallery Whitehorse Artspace.   The suburb of Oak Park came next, recording an 18.2 per cent annual growth and a home median price of $910,000, followed by the inner-eastern suburb of Mont Albert, which grew 16.5 per cent and had the highest median house price among the areas listed: $2,387,500. Many of Mont Albert’s pro

What do Madonna, Queen Elizabeth II and Anna Wintour have in common? They’ve all been served by acclaimed chef and restaurateur Jeff Schroeter. Soon, you join that list when his latest venture opens in Glebe – on a site he’s very familiar with. Set to open on February 4, 2026, Darling Glebe will occupy the historic Darling Mills site on Glebe Point Road, where Schroeter co-founded restaurant Beckett’s in 2021. This new iteration of the subterranean space will feature a French omakase chef’s table, a Martini bar, a private dining room and a private cellar event space. The talent collaborating with Schroeter is equally impressive: Charlie Ainbsury (2016 Diageo Reserve World Class Australian Bartender of the Year) is curating the Martini bar; while Sarah Biswas, whose CV includes stints at Odd Culture Group, Restaurant Hubert and Banksii, will serve as venue manager.    Originally from the Riverina region of NSW, Schroeter has run kitchens and owned restaurants from Sydney to Brisbane, London, Switzerland and New York City, including The Savoy London, Royalton Hotel New York, Sydney fave Bistro Moncur and the former Bayswater Brasserie. Photograph: Supplied | Christopher Pearce | Jeff Schroeter - Darling Glebe He’ll be personally serving guests at the chef’s table in a French omakase, a “leave it to the chef” dining experience available for exclusive use. “You can drink and dine based on your own mood, the venue lets people have that type of freedom,” Schroeter says. The desig

Architecture enthusiasts and infrastructure fans, we’ve got news. The Melbourne train station known as the first station in the state with a rooftop garden (and a sympathetically-designed forecourt, curated to complement protected land) has just won big in a national architecture awards competition. Deer Park Station, which sits along the Ararat and Warrnambool lines, won in the 2025 National Landscape Architecture Awards’ Infrastructure category – here’s what we know about the forward-thinking space. The project was completed by architects Hassell in 2023, as part of the Mt Derrimut Road level crossing removal. Hassell collaborated with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation Elders Aunty Gail Smith and Aunty Julieanne Axford to create the station’s forecourt, which sits next to a protected area. Together, they created a space that complemented the protected area, home to remnant grasslands and a habitat for local fauna. The resulting design is based on the ‘layers of Country’, a set of stories told by the Elders that recognise Bunjil the Great Creator Spirit, usually depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle, as the creator of all layers of Country. “The Deer Park Station landscape works demonstrate the design team’s commitment to protecting and regenerating Country through engagement with community,” the award jury wrote. “The team’s approach to integrated cultural references in the design brings an added dimension to the outcome, allowing stories of the

Parks Victoria placed a ban on more than 100 rock-climbing routes, all near Mount Arapiles, which is widely regarded as Australia's top rock-climbing area. The five banned parts – Chicken Boulder, Pharos Boulders, Castle Crag, Taylors Rock and Plaque Rock, which includes Tiger Wall – contain 3,000-year-old rock art, tens of thousands of artefacts, and one of the largest Aboriginal stone quarry complexes found in the country. Yet many in the rock-climbing community say they don't plan to comply with this request. Parks Victoria shared in November 2021 that it was working with Barengi Gadjin Land Council to determine a longer-term management response for protecting the Mount Arapiles climbing areas that have significant Indigenous cultural heritage. A formal ban has yet to be put in place, but rock climbers expected an update when Mike Tompkins, president of the Australian Climbing Association of Victoria, posted in the Climbing Access Discussion Facebook group that the climbing bans in the area “were off”. A state government spokesperson since confirmed to the ABC “there have been no changes to current climbing access at Mount Arapiles”. Following the confusion, the Climbing Victoria Facebook group recently shared a post from Parks Victoria confirming the climbing area closures were still in place. Members of the group commented on the post saying they don't plan to follow the ban. “Just keep climbing!!!”, wrote one. “If they want to ban certain areas they better get training.

Flower fans of Victoria, we’ve got good news. If you’re looking for something to brighten up the end of the holiday season, you can truly stop and smell the roses at this garden 35 minutes outside Melbourne CBD – 5,000 of them to be exact. Victoria State Rose Garden in Melbourne’s western suburbs spans five magical hectares, and is overflowing with all types of roses. When viewed from above, the garden itself is shaped like a five-petalled Tudor Rose, with a gazebo at its centre and a pathway acting as a stem. In 2003, the garden took home the award for International Garden of Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies, becoming the first rose garden outside Europe to win. Adding to the garden’s appeal is the fact it’s looked after mainly by a group of 100 volunteers (with help from staff at Parks Victoria). And the final layer of sweet sweet icing on the cake? It’s free to visit. Here’s everything you need to know about this cute-as-anything spot. Where is the Victoria State Rose Garden? The Victoria State Rose Garden is in the Werribee Park Tourist Precinct, near Werribee Open Range Zoo and adjacent to Werribee Mansion. Because of its location, it’s sometimes (incorrectly) called Werribee Park Rose Garden, but we won’t call you out if you get it wrong. How do you get to Victoria State Rose Garden? The garden is about a 35- to 45-minute drive west of Melbourne’s CBD along the M1. If you’re coming by public transport, you can take the Metro from Melbourne to Werribe

Cyclists travelling between Footscray and Melbourne’s CBD can finally give their necks – and physios – a rest. If you’re a committed bike rider in Melbourne’s west, you’ll know what we’re talking about. And thanks to a new off-road pathway, cyclists will no longer have to constantly twist and turn to spot oncoming cars across six busy intersections. Formally known as the Dixon Veloway, the new path is a major part of Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel Project – here’s what we know about it so far. Opened on December 6, 2025, the 2.5km-long cycle path runs between Shepherd Bridge in Footscray and the city side of Moonee Ponds Creek, providing riders with a dedicated, off-road route to and from the CBD. “The veloway has been built with cyclist safety front and centre – taking out six intersections between Footscray and Docklands to give riders a clearer, safer run,” said Gabrielle Williams, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, at the time of its opening. Photograph: Supplied | Victorian Government The path is four metres wide, with two cycle lanes, and features lighting, CCTV, alarmed exits and emergency vehicle access. Its suspended section is made up of 195 segments, each individually lifted and added, and weighing a total of 1,700 tonnes. Dixon Veloway, named in honour of Victorian cyclist and Australian Hall of Fame inductee Iris Dixon, is one of many new or upgraded bike paths by the West Gate Tunnel Project, which aims to take 9,000 trucks off local roads, cut congestion an

Even if you're not at the age and stage where you can think about knocking off work for good, the whole retirement game takes a bit of planning – so travel publisher World Atlas regularly looks at Australia's best towns for retirees, taking into consideration factors including affordability, green spaces, cultural outlets and essential services within easy reach. Their list also looks at an area's healthcare services, transport and opportunities to stay active, as well as the number of cafés and markets. Want to know where in New South Wales you should be putting your feet up? Here’s their 2025 list of the best NSW towns for retirees (plus some commentary from us about what's good in each area). Jindabyne  Topping the list is Jindabyne, which sits at the edge of Lake Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains. The town’s retiree appeal is its access to a wide range of outdoor activities. Retirees can fish, kayak or stroll lakeside, ending their day with craft beers at Jindabyne Brewing. Sounds alright to us. Or, if the weather’s cooler and they’re up for something more strenuous, there’s skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing at nearby ski resorts Perisher and Thredbo. Bathurst You’ll be spoilt for choice with retirement living options in Bathurst, a 3.5-hour drive northwest of Sydney. The town has spots for every level of independence, with the main two properties Oak Tree Retirement village and Ingenia Gardens Bathurst. You can also have peace of mind about your health, thanks to two ho

When it comes to Sydney’s housing affordability crisis, things tend to get contentious.  Whether you’re feeling worn out by Saturday mornings spent traipsing around dingy apartments with rents that make you want to cry, given up on the dream of ever buying because you can barely afford a car spot, or, as some members of the Inner West community are feeling, enraged at the prospect of your neighbourhood changing forever because of a major new development, you can probably agree on one thing: Sydney’s housing situation is less than ideal.  In an effort to address this, Inner West Council recently passed ‘Our Fairer Future’ plan, which aims to deliver 20,000 to 30,000 new homes to the Inner West over the next 15 years. This decision was met with significant community backlash in the Inner West, with local residents concerned that the ‘Fairer Future Plan’ would eradicate a sense of community, hurt heritage institutions and businesses, and fail to provide adequate green and park space.  As a result of the community protests, the plan underwent significant amendments, with the most notable being the reduction of 5,000 proposed homes in Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Ashfield.  Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne noted that some of those homes would be redistributed to the Parramatta Road corridor, which will accept a total of 8,000 new homes as part of a partnership between the Council and the NSW Government. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons | Bidgee “Our Fairer Future Plan will stop the e