UPDATE: 14/08/2026 18:35 - Meeting with GNV

Dear supporters of Yarras Edge,

Thanks to the referral from City of Melbourne, I was able to meet with Rafe, Team Leader at GNV late this afternoon. A big thanks to him for seeing me with such short notice on a Friday afternoon.

Over the past 14 months since I started the campaign to change the name from Docklands to Yarras Edge, Rafe had been made aware of the request by City of Melbourne and was across the proposal, rejecting it on 2 previous occasions based on the feedback given. However because of my persistence is happy to discuss with me. He was involved with the renaming of Capel Sound in the Mornington peninsula and we discussed how that process went and was eventually approved.

Summary:

Rafe and I had a very positive, logical and constructive discussion, he was open to hear my thoughts and he shared perceived roadblocks regarding the duplication of name, uniqueness of the name, small size of suburb, commercial use, evidence of use by community e.g. signage, websites etc and impact to emergency services and postage plus the focus on aligning with the national guidelines.

During our discussion I stated my unequivocal support for the guidelines and willingness to work with GNV to align with those rules but also leave room for compromise where it was reasonable and logical. As has been done in the past with other similar changes where a precedent has been set. I explained that I did a lot of research in preparing my proposal to align with the guidelines. I was able to walk through each of the objections providing evidence and justification why Yarras Edge is an appropriate naming identifier and the only logical choice.

Points made:

• Duplication of name and Uniqueness – I explained that Docklands does not uniquely identify the area by the river known as Yarras Edge for the past 30 years. Yarras Edge is a name embraced by the community; demonstrated by the strong response to my petition currently 1,556 signatures, and name used by council themselves: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/yarras-edge-marina. In fact, the address on Lorimer street where I live, is still linked to Port Melbourne when searched online, which it was carved out of in the past. I stated that Yarras Edge uniquely identifies the area by the river, cannot be confused with anywhere else as the Yarra river is only in Melbourne, similar to Darling Harbour being in Sydney. Examples of Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction and Yarra Ranges are noted to be in outer Melbourne country and cannot be confused with an area in the city. And there are many Docklands around the world, so that name itself is not unique.
  --->Rafe agreed with my logic that a name supported and adopted by the community for 30 years, and clearly used by council which uniquely identifies the area makes sense to change to. And the use of Edge, is no problem.
   
• Small size – I explained that there are other suburbs with similar size and that this area had been carved out of Port Melbourne 30 years ago, made sense to change it back and formally adopt a name it has been identified as for past 30 years. To solve the size question, I proposed (with the advice of City of Melbourne) to add the new proposed Lorimer precinct to Yarras Edge, creating a large enough area that would be approved. This combined area encompasses all land from the Yarra River, up to the Bolte Bridge and down to the West Gate FWY and back up to the boundary with South Wharf.
  --->Rafe agreed that this made sense and works to address this point.
   
• Commercial use and community use– I explained that the name Yarras Edge is not currently being used in a formal commercial sense, but rather adopted by the community and clearly identifies this region of the city. As stated earlier, even the Council is using the name.
  --->Rafe agreed that if the council is using the name then it should be ok to adopt formally
   
• Emergency services and postage  – There is no mistaking Yarras Edge, in fact right now packages are being misdirected to South Wharf or other parts of Docklands because of confusion with the name and identifiers used. By allocating this area to Yarras Edge, it makes it clear and easy to send emergency services, parcel packages, and food delivery etc.
  ----> Rafe agreed that uniquely identifying the area solves this issue

We also briefly discussed Fishermans Bend Precinct, how Yarras Edge would fit into that project as well as the postcode and using the available 3007.

----> Rafe stated that adopting a new postcode and slotting into Fishermans Bend shouldn’t be a problem, but requires City of Melbourne, Planning Minister and AusPosts approval and signoff
 

Conclusion:

Overall, a positive outcome, Rafe agreed that the evidence I provided gave strong support to formally adopting the name Yarras Edge and using 3007 as the new postcode, however he would need to consult internally, have it formally reviewed and get approval. He asked that I summarise my evidence and send to him to share and we agreed that it made sense for me to meet with the team to discuss in person and come to a compromise. 

Rafe also urged caution that it could still be blocked. If that happened I could go to the Planning Minister who can override the decision but they’d still go back to GNV, so do need their support. It’s also possible that the name may get blocked and another name be required to be put forward. I responded by saying that would not make sense given the 30 years of name adoption already in place with the use of Yarras Edge, choosing something new wouldn’t work. Rafe also agreed.

Next Steps:

1. I respond to the objections, provide evidence and attach my proposal ---> Ill work on this immediately
2. I meet with GNV wider team, present my case ---> looking to book this in coming weeks
3. IF, GNV approves, then the next step is to get sign off from City of Melbourne, they have already stated that they are guided by GNV. This includes community consultation.
4. I meet with the MP and the Planning Minister to get their sign off ---> I have already booked to meet with them next week
5. Then AusPost do a final sign off
6. The name gets Gazetted and its official

Again, please continue to share the petition, it would be great to see the number of signatures reach 2,000 and then 3,000+.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email or phone.

Kind regards,

Sam Aftasi
Yarras Edge Resident Representative

yarrasedgesuburb@gmail.com

0401675514