# City of Hobsons Bay

The City of Hobsons Bay is a local government area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre.
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.

## 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:
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes |
| Altona | Independent | Daria Kellander | Mayor |
| Altona Meadows | Independent | Diana Grima | |
| Altona North | Independent Labor | Rayane Hawli | Deputy Mayor |
| Laverton | Independent Labor | Paddy Keys-Macpherson | |
| Spotswood | Independent | Kristin Bishop | |
| Williamstown | Independent | Lisa Bentley | |
| Williamstown North | Independent | Michael Disbury | |

## 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.

## Transport
### Suburban railway

Hobsons Bay has seven train stations on the Werribee railway line, in PTV Zones 1 and 2. These stations are Spotswood, Newport, Seaholme, Altona, Westona, Laverton and Aircraft. Previously on this line were the stations of Mobiltown, Paisley, and Galvin.
Williamstown railway line is another service which runs through Hobsons Bay. It departs the Werribee railway line at Newport and visits the stations of North Williamstown, Williamstown Beach, and Williamstown.

### Freeways

The interchange between the West Gate Freeway, Western Ring Road and Princes Freeway lies in the north-west of 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

The 2021 census, the city had a population of 91,322 up from 88,778 in the 2016 census
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Altona | 10,762 | 11,490 |
| Altona Meadows | 19,160 | 18,479 |
| Altona North | 12,152 | 12,962 |
| Brooklyn^ | 1,856 | 1,979 |
| Laverton^ | 4,915 | 4,760 |
| Newport | 12,916 | 13,658 |
| Seabrook | 5,124 | 4,952 |
| Seaholme | 1,928 | 2,067 |
| South Kingsville | 1,947 | 2,156 |
| Spotswood | 2,604 | 2,820 |
| Williamstown | 13,969 | 14,407 |
| Williamstown North | 1,593 | 1,622 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA

## Sister cities

* Anjo, Aichi, Japan
* Shire of Buloke, Victoria, Australia (friendship alliance)