CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
A popular shopping centre in a seemingly normal middle class Melbourne suburb has really been copping it lately.
Whether it’s machetes, neo-nazis, or car chases – it seems that Northland Shopping Centre has really become somewhat of a hot mess.
Nobody really knows why the popular shopping precinct Preston has been at the centre of such dangerous and incendiary drama over the last couple months, but the place has just been placed in full lockdown for the second time in 24 hours.
This brings Northlands to three lockdowns this year.
Today’s evacuation took place at around 10:30am, and was believed to be caused by an electrical fault in the Myer. Firefighters were called to the scene with reports smoke was billowing from the roof.
Yesterday, it was revealed that somebody decided to drive a stolen four-wheel-drive as fast as they could through the shopping centre’s main thoroughfare, shattering glass doors at either end, for no identifiable reason.
Less than a month ago, Northlands made international headlines as machete brawl broke out between two street gangs in broad daylight, sparking a snap ban on the sale of the weapons in Victoria.
Since then, a masked white supremacist groups held a rally outside the shopping centre with extremely racist banners aimed at escalating the feelings of anxiety within the community.
The people of Preston really want to make it clear that they aren’t usually this fucking crazy, and are just a run-of-the-mill Australian suburb, who not really known for harbouring unhinged gangsters and political extremists.
In fact, the medium sized shopping centre has now hosted so much drama that many Australians living outside of Melbourne would be forgiven for thinking it is located in the CBD, and is frequented by millions of people a week.
This is not the case. In Sydney, the equivalent would be the Top Ryde shopping centre, the Brisbane version is probably Chermside.
Northlands is merely just a single-level shopping centre located 11 kilometres north of Melbourne City, in an area surrounded by free-standing family homes. The Hoyts cinemas and Pancake Parlour is the most exciting thing about the place.
There is absolutely no reason for this place to be at the centre of so many major news stories.
“It’s not usually this hectic we swear” said one local.
“It’s like there’s been a month of full moons. We don’t know what’s going on”
