This week’s trivia answer 🌋

Q: How many volcanic formations and landscapes are in West Vic?

A: More than 400 🤯

Latest stories in Apollo Bay 🗞️

🏠 Does Apollo Bay need another 144 houses? The agent selling this 100-acre plot thinks so

Apollo Bay could be set to host a 144-lot housing estate after 100 acres of land approved for development by Colac Otway Shire Council hit the market last week. 

What happened: The site, at 6230 and 6280 Great Ocean Road, received development approval in September 2023, meaning a future buyer could move ahead with subdivision soon after purchase. 

• The coastal town has a winter population of roughly 2,000 residents, but can reach up to 10-20,000 people through the peak summer months. 

Paperwork: While the permit allows for 144 lots, the land’s marketing suggests a buyer could seek approval for other developments such as a retirement village, land lease community or tourism accommodation.

Inside knowledge: Raine and Horne Land Victoria agent Kevin Paghdar said large development sites in Apollo Bay rarely became available because “the council is very protective of the green space”.

“So when you have limited availability of the stock, whatever is coming up, it's very high value,” he told the Brolga.

“Apollo Bay, Anglesea, Lorne, all of the towns which are waterfronts are very much in demand.”

Show me the money: The approved subdivision equated to about $160,000 to $170,000 per lot before construction, and closer to $600,000 to $700,000 for the final product ready for housing.

“It depends on the developer. A housing developer will develop a housing estate... say they want to develop a retirement village, multiple things can depend on what the developer wants to do,” Paghdar said, adding a land lease community with smaller lots was another possibility if approved by the council.

“These days, people don't always need 600 square metres. People are happy with 200 or 300 as well because it's cost effective.”

The site sits within the Apollo Bay Township Boundary and Structure Plan and has about 458 metres of frontage to the Great Ocean Road.

Latest stories in Hepburn 🗞️

🗣️ Hepburn Shire saga draws to a close as criminal charges dismissed

Private criminal charges against five Hepburn Shire councillors and its CEO were dismissed on Wednesday morning by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The move puts a question mark over Local Government Minister Paul Hamer’s decision last week to appoint an administrator to run the council.

"What's happening at the Hepburn Shire Council is causing unnecessary disruption and it's the residents who are paying the price," he said last week.

Hepburn Shire was due to meet on July 28, but given five of the seven councillors had been forced to stand down in the wake of the criminal charges being filed, there was no quorum and the meeting was cancelled.

How did we get here?: In July, five out of Hepburn Shire’s seven councillors - Shirley Cornish, Lesley Hewitt, Pat Hockey, Don Henderson and mayor Tony Clark - were stood down after local businessman David Penman filed private criminal charges. This left only councillors Tim Drylie and Brian Hood able to serve. 

Penman also charged former CEO Bradley Thomas, who later resigned. 

Penman filed the charges due to his belief councillors voted on the budget “before they knew the true financial position and that means now ratepayers are carrying the risk”.

Budget buster: He told ABC Radio the budget was adopted without all financial statements included, and “what was a marginal budget became a reasonably ugly budget”. 

Filing the charges required the councillors to stand down, despite none of Penman’s allegations having been tested or investigated. Two out of seven councillors is two short of a quorum for the monthly meeting, meaning all council business outside of essential services were at a standstill.  

“Our main role is within the chamber, meetings and other special meetings. That’s all stopped,” Drylie told the Brolga in July. 

The resolution: On Wednesday, Hepburn Shire released a statement.

“This morning, a representative of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) attended the hearing of private criminal matters against five Councillors and Council’s CEO.

“The DPP took over all matters, and the charges have been dismissed. The DPP, having reviewed all the evidence, determined that there were insufficient grounds available to proceed with the prosecutions.”

Once the charges are formally withdrawn, councillors will be reinstated, Hepburn Shire said.

“This is a great outcome for democracy and our community.”

The West Vic Brolga has sought comment from all seven councillors and David Penman, and will update the story as required.

❓ Would you ever move to Melbourne?

Darcie asked Ararat locals their thoughts on relocating to the big smoke. The general consensus? No, thank you. Watch the video below to hear why they’d prefer to stay put in West Vic.

On Your Feed 📱

Darcie took a trip down memory lane, visiting the former location of Blockbuster Video on Mair Street in Ballarat. Check out the video below for more.

Meanwhile, I had a squiz at a local rural property currently on the market to learn what a cool $5 million can buy you in West Vic.