⏱️ The 168th edition of our newsletter is a five-minute read.
Hi there 👋
Matthew Sims here, your reporter at the Eastern Melburnian.
🕳️ In case you missed it, last week I took a look at the state government’s pledge to fix 500,000 potholes before the end of the year.
I reached out to all seven local councils within my patch to see how much of the road network they manage, with all responsible for 70 percent or more.
Watch my video breakdown below.
🗞️ Today, we’re covering:
The 117-year history of the Kew Mental Asylum, including several investigations and its decommissioning in 1988; and
Our selections for some of the must-see art exhibitions across Melbourne’s east over the coming months.
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WHAT’S ON COMING UP 🎟️
SATURDAY 12/09/26, 10AM-8PM & SUNDAY 13/09/26, 10AM-5PM | Hot Rod and Street Machine Festival
SATURDAY 12/09/26, 10AM-6PM | Melbourne Moon Festival
SATURDAY 12/09/26 TO SUNDAY 11/10/26 | Tesselaar Tulip Festival
SUNDAY 13/09/26, 11AM-4PM | Schwerkolt Cottage Heritage Family Day
SUNDAY 13/09/26, 2-3:15PM & 6-7:15PM | Nathan Cavaleri
FRIDAY 18/09/26, 8:30-11PM | Liz Young with Kris Mizzi
SATURDAY 19/09/26, 11AM-1PM | Mont Albert Village’s Moon Festival Celebration
SATURDAY 19/09/26, 8-10:30PM | Cathy Dobson, Tim Ireland and Ian Green
SUNDAY 20/09/26, 10-10:50AM & 2-2:50PM | Mario the Maker Magician
SUNDAY 20/09/26, 6-7:15PM | Daniel Champagne
RECENT HEADLINES 📰
🔎 The many investigations into Kew’s mental asylum
A residential estate in Melbourne’s east once functioned as an asylum, home to more than 1000 patients. Its history is shrouded in stories of mistreatment, disease and overcrowding.
The Kew Asylum was operational under a number of names from 1871 to 1988 and is now part of the Willsmere residential community.
Watch our video below.
✍️ EASTERN MELBOURNE QUIZ QUESTIONS
1: Hundreds of fans of iconic soap opera Neighbours attended a special event at its main studios before part of the site is demolished to make way for redevelopment. In which suburb is this located?
2: A number of councils, including many across Melbourne’s east, are opposed to the state government’s mandate to introduce a glass disposal bin, with a final deadline set for July 1 next year. What is the colour of the bin’s lid?
3: The Suburban Rail Loop East’s tunnelling works begun earlier this week. What are the names of all six stations planned along the eastern arm?
4: On Friday, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to host the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia. Who are the teams competing?
5: Alexandra District Health merged with which eastern suburbs public health service late last month?
🎨 Did you see our guide to the creative talent on show locally over the coming months? Check it out below.
Cheers,
Matthew