WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026
Uni urges Box WRONG-WAY PORSCHE Hill-Airport bus CHASE ON EASTLINK
■ The alleged driver of a stolen vehicle was under police guard in hospital following a collision on Eastlink on Saturday morning (Aug. 15). Officers responded to reports of a carjacking on Godfrey St in Bentleigh about 9.20pm on Friday (Aug. 14). The driver of a white Porsche, returning home, reversed into their driveway before being confronted by a group of offenders, one armed with a large kitchen knife. The group allegedly made threats towards the 44-year-old woman and demanded she hand over keys to the Porsche. They took off in the Porsche as the owner fell to the ground and sustained a minor injury. The Porsche was spotted, by numerous police units, driving in a dangerous manner and at speed across Melbourne’s western and southern suburbs after the alleged carjacking. The Porsche was sighted by officers, this time in Melbourne’s east, driving inbound on Eastlink about 2.10am on Saturday morning. Police units held back and observed the Porsche allegedly speeding with its headlights off. Officers attempted to intercept the vehicle before it failed to pull over and continued driving. A pursuit was called. The Porsche continued to drive through the Melba Tunnel, towards a roadworks closure on the Eastern Fwy at Springvale Rd.
● Melba Tunnel, Eastlink The Porsche continued to drive through the Melba Tunnel, towards a roadworks closure on the Eastern Fwy at Springvale Rd. The pursuit of the Porsche was called off before the stolen vehicle u-turned, just prior to the roadworks, and travelled contraflow to oncoming traffic. The Porsche, driving on the wrong side of the road, collided with a van soon after. The driver and sole occupant of the van, a 51-year-old from the Yarra Ranges area, was transported to hospital with non-lifethreatening-injuries. The alleged driver of the Porsche, a 19year-old Pakenham man, needed to be extracted from the vehicle and transported, under police guard, to hospital with serious injuries. The other two passengers, a 21-year-old Clayton man and an 18-year-old Silvan woman, were also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation remains ongoing.
■ La Trobe University agrees with the need to urgently establish a bus connection on the route of the Suburban Rail Link, including a rapid East to West bus service from Box Hill to Melbourne Airport. The University has proposed the service could use the soon-to-be-opened North East Link to improve travel times and reliability. The University says improving connections between the three busiest rail lines in Melbourne’s north and the Bundoora Campus would help almost 8500 students access the campus more efficiently. “Improving east-west connectivity and access to the Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus is a priority shared by La Trobe University and local government partners.”
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● Schematic View of the proposed Mount Scopus Memorial College redevelopment
■ Whitehorse City Council is encouraging residents to have their say on the proposed rezoning and masterplanning of the 10hectare Mount Scopus Memorial College site in Burwood. The school is utilising the State Government’s Development Facilitation Program as a fast-track assessment pathway. Community feedback is now open on plans that would deliver around 3900 new homes. The site was nominated by the College through the State Government’s Unlocking Strategic Sites Expression of Interest Program.
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