It was founded on 22 June 1994 during the amalgamation of local councils by the state government from the City of Williamstown and the City of Altona, as well as the suburb of South Kingsville from the City of Footscray. It took its name from Hobsons Bay, named after Captain William Hobson. The city has an area of 64 square kilometres, and in June 2018 had a population of 96,470.[1]
Council
Starting with the 2024 election, Hobsons Bay has been restructured into seven single-member wards, with each councillor elected through preferential voting. Previously, councillors were chosen from three multi-member wards.
The councillors currently serving as of the 2024 election are:[2]
Ward
Party
Councillor
Notes
Altona Medows
Independent
Diana Grima
Altona North
Labor
Rayane Hawli
Deputy Mayor
Altona
Independent
Daria Kellander
Mayor
Laverton
Labor
Paddy Keys- Macpherson
Spotswood
Independent
Kristin Bishop
Williamstown North
Independent
Michael Disbury
Williamstown
Independent
Lisa Bentley
Education
Libraries
The library, run by the council has five branches: Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Newport and Williamstown. Reflecting the multiculturalism of the community, the library service has a large amount of material in eight different languages.
The Environment Resource Centre is located in Altona library and provides the community access to resources concerning the environment, including initiatives and environmental groups in Hobsons Bay.
From Hobsons Bay, the West Gate Freeway provides access to the Melbourne CBD and eastern suburbs (over the iconic West Gate Bridge), the Princes Freeway provides access to outer south-western suburbs and Geelong, while the Western Ring Road leads to the northern suburbs and Melbourne Airport.
Townships and localities
Suburban streets of Altona North
The 2021 census, the city had a population of 91,322 up from 88,778 in the 2016 census[3]
^"International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
