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April 10, 2026
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Suns debut in local derby
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History was made at Banyul-Warri Fields on Easter Saturday as the Surf Coast Suns made their Bellarine Football Netball League senior debuts. And it was a local derby with the fledgling club taking on regional powerhouse Torquay in front of a massive crowd. Torquay won both footy games by a combined total of 283 points and the Tigers also emerged victorious in all netball grades. Perhaps symbolic of the day on the ground and the courts is this picture of Torquay’s William Montebello on top of Surf Coast’s Tommy Stephen in the senior footy match. However, it wasn’t really about results with the Suns building a club for the future and speedbumps were always expected. The next Torquay derby is the return clash at McCartney Oval where the Tigers will host the Suns in round 12 on Saturday June 20. For our full coverage of the Easter footy and netball see pages 24 to 27.
Saleyards saga ends By Matt Hewson Geelong council has sold the former saleyard site in North Geelong, nearly nine years after resolving to do so. The City of Greater Geelong announced the sale late last week, calling it a “major milestone for the City’s north” that would bring “the long-term vision for the site closer to reality”. The buyer of the site has been widely reported as property development company Leaf Corporation after an open expressions of interest process. The Australian Financial Review reported the site sold for “between $10 million and $13 million, according to industry sources“ The Independent asked council how
much the land sold for, but it declined to answer. In addition to the acquisition of the 4.3-hectare saleyards site on Weddell Road, Leaf Corporation has recently acquired two adjacent holdings on Thompson Road that can now be consolidated with the saleyards to allow a massive 9-hectare development site. Mayor Stretch Kontelj was enthusiastic about the sale, calling it a win for everyone involved. “Th is is such a great outcome that the City has been working on for some time,“ he said. “The sale unlocks this land for redevelopment, and it ticks many boxes, promoting housing affordability, new jobs
and employment, new infrastructure, and of course, greater fi nancial sustainability for council.” The council resolved to sell the saleyards when the site closed in 2017 and adopted its Saleyards Precinct Structure Plan in 2020, rezoning the site to allow for higher-density housing. The fi nal step was closing the council-run truck facility on the site, which was announced in May last year and paved the way for authorising the sale of the former saleyards in August. The Saleyards Precinct Structure Plan also expresses a preference that affordable and social housing be available as part of the new development. However, councillors Emma Sinclair and
Introducing Dr Mahwash Masood to our practice
Elise Wilkinson voiced concerns when the site’s sale was authorised that there was no concrete mechanism to ensure that would be the case. The sale represents a continuity of the council’s avowed policy of selling public assets to reduce the City’s debt. “By selling assets which are surplus to requirements, we reduce debt and take the pressure off ratepayers, especially around asset renewal, while ensuring land and assets are used in the most productive way possible,” he said. “The plan for the future includes many protections to ensure high-quality, liveable neighbourhoods with a variety of housing types supported by great design and open spaces for the community to enjoy.”
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