New primary school campus tipped for vacant Ferrars St site

The Victorian Government’s promised new campus for South Melbourne Primary School could be delivered on a major vacant site directly opposite the existing vertical school, Southbank News understands.

The government announced in the recent state budget that South Melbourne Primary School would share in a $419.6 million investment in new schools, with funding to provide a new campus and expand capacity by 250 students.

While the government has confirmed the new campus is scheduled to open in 2029, it has not publicly identified where it will be located.

However, Southbank News understands the state has been considering the vacant 120–132 Ferrars St site, on the corner of Buckhurst St, opposite the current school.

If pursued, the move would require a substantial government acquisition in one of Melbourne’s most strategically important urban renewal precincts.

The site sits within the capital city zone in Fishermans Bend’s Montague precinct, where land values and development expectations remain high.

Southbank News understands the current owner of 120–132 Ferrars St is unaware of any government plans to use the property for a new school campus.

The government has remained tight-lipped on how it intends to deliver the additional capacity, with Albert Park Labor MP Nina Taylor confirming only that planning, design and early works funding had been allocated.

“I’m proud that Labor is delivering a new public school campus for families in South Melbourne,” Ms Taylor said.

“South Melbourne Primary School will share in a $419.6 million investment in new schools in this year’s budget.”

The announcement has prompted speculation about whether the government intends to acquire a new site or add to the existing Ferrars St vertical school.

However, the use of the term “new campus” suggests a separate site rather than a simple expansion of the current building.

Such a move would represent another major government intervention in Montague, where the need for schools, parks and community infrastructure has grown alongside rapid apartment development.

The current South Melbourne Primary School opened in 2018 as Victoria’s first government vertical school, delivered as part of the Ferrars Street Education and Community Facility.

The building also includes a kindergarten, sports courts and maternal and child health services, and has long been closely linked to the Southbank community despite its South Melbourne name.

When the school opened, many local families from Southbank were within its catchment, following years of advocacy for a public primary school to serve the growing high-density population.

The new campus would continue that role in an area where enrolment pressure is expected to increase as Fishermans Bend develops.

The potential Ferrars St acquisition also carries echoes of the nearby MAP Coffee site, which the City of Port Phillip and state government were forced to acquire for around $19 million in 2016 to create what is now Kirrip Park.

That project provided crucial open space for South Melbourne Primary School and the growing Montague community.

If the state does move on 120–132 Ferrars St, it would again underline the challenge of retrofitting essential community infrastructure into a fast-growing precinct where private development has often moved faster than public planning.

City of Port Phillip Mayor and Montague Ward councillor Alex Makin said the council welcomed the investment in further educational facilities in Fishermans Bend and awaited further details from the government.

“The enrolment growth in South Melbourne Primary School is unsurprising given the residential expansion within the Montague precinct in Fishermans Bend,” Cr Makin said.

“The rapid growth in Montague and its connectivity to two existing tram routes, is a complete contrast to Sandridge and Wirraway, which lack the promised tram extensions and are forced to contend with an hourly bus service connecting these areas to the rest of Port Phillip,” he said.

“The success of Montague relative to the rest of Fishermans Bend highlights the importance of investment in our public transport networks to facilitate growth and support the investment in new schools.”

Southbank3006 president David Hamilton also welcomed the commitment for the new South Melbourne Primary School campus, emphasising that while the school bordered South Melbourne and Southbank, most of its students lived in Southbank.

“The need to expand the school to cater for rising student numbers reflects that Southbank is becoming more than just a neighbourhood for students and young people; increasingly, families are making Southbank their home,” Mr Hamilton said, adding that it was “why a forward-looking community is asking that the Victoria Barracks site be transformed into a high school and a suite of community facilities.”

“Expanding South Melbourne Primary is the first step in reinstating educational facilities in Southbank. But where do these students move to for high school?”

“The Victoria Barracks site is the first real opportunity in a generation to deliver a major facility that serves the whole community of Southbank, the CBD, and St Kilda Rd.”

“Securing a local high school is about more than just education; it’s about enabling people to think of Southbank as a long-term home, rather than somewhere you just stay for a short period of time.” •