Northland Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Preston, approximately 11 km north of the

Melbourne central business district The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

. It is the largest predominantly single-level shopping centre in Melbourne. It has more than 330 stores on one floor, with the top floor containing just the

Hoyts The HOYTS Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes HOYTS Cinemas, a cinema chain, and Val Morgan, which sells advertising on cinema screens and digital billboards. The company was established by dentist Arthur Russell in Melbo ...

cinemas, Pancake Parlour and

indoor golf Indoor golf is an umbrella term for all activities in golf which can be carried out indoors. Venues include indoor driving ranges, chipping areas, putting greens, machines and home golf simulators. Many of these indoor facilities are businesses ...

venue X-Golf. The centre is anchored by a

Myer Myer (stylised MYER) is an Australian mid-range to upscale department store. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of products across women's, men's, and child ...

department store (4 levels),

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

and

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

department stores, Coles, Woolworths and

Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...

supermarkets, as well as mini majors

Best & Less Best & Less is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens. As of October 2022, Best & Less has 182 stores as well as an online platform. History Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges in January 1965, by occupying part of the grou ...

JB Hi-Fi JB Hi-Fi Limited is an Australian consumer electronics retail company. It is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Its headquarters are located in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria. As of June 2024, the company operates 330 sto ...

Rebel Sport Rebel (formerly Rebel Sport), stylised as rebɘl, is an Australian sport equipment and related apparel chain. It is a subsidiary of Super Retail Group. The company has 159 stores across Australia and over 6,000 employees. History Original ...

TK Maxx TK Maxx is a discount clothing and homewares retailer, founded in 1994. It is currently based in Watford, England. It is owned by American retailer TJ Maxx, who could not trade under the initials "TJ" in the United Kingdom due to the British d ...

and

Chemist Warehouse Chemist Warehouse Group (owned by Sigma Healthcare Ltd) is an Australian company operating a chain of retail chemists both locally and internationally. The company is one of Australia's largest retailers with over 500 stores in Australia, and em ...

, and international retailers H&M,

Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...

and

Sephora Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products, offering nearly 340 brands alongside its own private label, the Sephora Collection. Its product range includes cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, nail color, beauty t ...

History

Opening on 4 October 1966, Northland Shopping Centre was one of the first self-contained shopping centres in Melbourne. The shopping centre was built and owned by

. The original shopping centre consisted of three malls radiating north, east and west from a centre stage area. It housed 73 tenants and six professional suites. Some of the original retailers included Myer, Coles New World Supermarket,

Buckley & Nunn Buckley & Nunn (also known as Buckley's) was a department store in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It first opened its doors in 1851 as a drapery store and, in its heyday, competed creditably as a department store with Myer (1900). It occupied ...

, McEwans, Woolworths Variety Store and Coles Variety Store. A feature of the shopping centre was the Northland Market located at the south-west end of the shopping centre. In July 1983, the Myer Emporium sold the shopping centre to the Gandel Group of Companies. In June 2011, the CFS Retail Property Trust sold a 50% shareholding to

CPP Investments The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB; ), operating as CPP Investments (), is a Canadian Crown corporation established by way of the 1997 ''Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act'' to oversee and invest the funds contributed to and h ...

. CPP sold this in March 2014 to the

GPT Group The GPT Group is a Real Estate Investment Trust (also known as an Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd (ASX) is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Secu ...

. The other 50% passed to

Vicinity Centres Vicinity Centres , previously known as Federation Centres and Centro Properties Group, is an Australian Real Estate Investment Trust specialising in the ownership and management of Australian shopping centres. As at December 2021, it had stake ...

in June 2015 when it merged with the

Novion Property Group Novion was an Australian Real Estate Investment Trust which invested in shopping centres across Australia. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in October 1994 by John Gandel under the name Gandel Retail Trust' with six retail ...

. In 2001, Northland was the setting for the film ''

Mallboy ''Mallboy'' is an Australian film released in 2001, written and directed by Vincent Giarrusso, which depicts the difficulties faced by an adolescent trying to grow up in a community plagued by social problems. The film is set in and around the ...

''. In 2006, Northland Shopping Centre was one of seven buildings suspected of harbouring

legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often ''Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, myalgia, muscle pains, and headach ...

after an outbreak which killed one and infected seven others in the area. Subsequent investigation by the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

– Dr Jane Hendtlass (Case No 729/06) confirmed that alleged buildings nearby did not contain the disease.

Incidents

On 25 May 2025, at about 2:30pm, a

knife fight A knife fight is a violent physical confrontation between two or more combatants in which one or more participants are armed with a knife.MacYoung, Marc, ''Winning A Street Knife Fight'', (Digital format, 70 min.), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, ( ...

between rival gangs wielding

machetes A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

broke out in the food court of the shopping centre.

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victor ...

stated that the incident was an act of planned retaliation by one of the gangs. A 20-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious head injuries. Two teenagers were arrested at the scene. By 26 May, another two men were arrested, with police searching for four other men. Police believed that a total of four machetes were used in the incident. Following the brawl's outbreak, calls were made to fast track an already-planned ban on machetes. In response,

Victorian Premier The premier of Victoria is the head of government of the state of Victoria in Australia. The premier leads the Cabinet of Victoria and selects its ministers. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, must be a member of the Victo ...

Jacinta Allan Jacinta Marie Allan (born 19 September 1973) is an Australian politician serving as the 49th and current premier of Victoria since 2023. She has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2023 and has been ...

banned the sale of machetes in Victoria from 28 May 2025. By that day, seven males had been arrested and charged over the violent incident. Police believe that all those involved have been arrested. In the early hours of 1 June alleged members of the

National Socialist Network The National Socialist Network (NSN) is an Australian neo-Nazi political organisation formed from two far-right organisations, the Lads Society and the Antipodean Resistance, in 2020. The organisation, based in Melbourne, claims to be active i ...

, a

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

organisation, staged a protest outside the shopping centre. They dressed in all black and concealed their faces with balaclavas while holding a banner saying "Ban Niggers, Not Machetes". Premier Allan condemned their actions, and police were investigating the incident.

Gallery

File:Northland-main panorama.jpg, Panorama of the main entrance from Murray Road, 2009 File:Northland-side front entrance.jpg, Secondary entrance from Murray Road, 2009 File:NorthlandSC-Cinema.jpg, The

cinemas on the second floor, 2009 File:NorthlandSC-FoodCourt.jpg, The main food court, 2009 File:NorthlandSC-FreshFoodMarket.jpg, Outside a

Safeway Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...

store, 2009. Since rebranded as Woolworths. File:NorthlandSC-KmartArea.jpg, Kmart and surrounding stores, 2009 File:NorthlandSC-PlaytimeArcade.jpg, The Playtime Arcade, near the cinema, 2009. X-Golf is now in this location File:NorthlandSC-MainEntrance.jpg, The main entrance from Murray Road, 2009 File:Northland SC Melbourne entertainment exterior Aug 2023.jpg, Exterior of entertainment precinct, August 2023 with extensions such as a playground and bar opened in June 2023 File:Aerial perspective of Northland Shopping Centre with the Melbourne CBD in the background and Olympic Village sporting grounds.jpg , Aerial perspective of Northland Shopping Centre with the Melbourne CBD in the background and Olympic Village sporting grounds in April 2023 File:Darebin Creek, alongside Northland and its surrounds.jpg , Darebin Creek, alongside Northland and its surrounds

References

External links

* {{Shopping centres in Victoria, state=collapsed Shopping centres in Melbourne Shopping malls established in 1966 1966 establishments in Australia