100,000 more trees for Melbourne’s hotter suburbs

More than 100,000 trees will be planted in suburbs with less shade, and 10 shopping strips and streets will get a green makeover.

More than 100,000 trees will be planted across Melbourne’s suburbs, with the focus on areas that have less tree cover and greater exposure to heat.

The Victorian Government announced the $3 million package on 22 October. It covers 23 projects across two programs.

Where the trees are going

The first program puts $1.5 million into 13 tree-planting projects. Planting will stretch from Werribee, Altona and Braybrook in the west, to Craigieburn, Sunbury and Broadmeadows in the north, and Pakenham, Cranbourne and Keysborough in the south-east.

The biggest projects include:

• 16,000 trees across Hume
• 14,000 trees at Cranwell Park in Braybrook
• 15,000 trees along the Maribyrnong River and nearby reserves.

According to the government, the trees will provide more shade, cool neighbourhoods and create more habitat for native wildlife.

Greener shopping strips

The second program puts another $1.5 million into 10 projects to green busy shopping strips and streets.

These include shopping streets in St Albans, Sunshine West, Brunswick, Clarinda and Chelsea Heights, as well as streets in Richmond, Southbank and the CBD. The government says the extra greenery will cool these areas and make them more comfortable places to spend time.

Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes said the aim was to make everyday places “greener, cooler and better places to spend time”.

What comes next

The 100,000 trees are the first stage of a plan for 500,000 more trees and plants. The remaining 400,000 will be allocated in future rounds.

The government says this builds on 500,000 trees already planted across Melbourne’s west.

Source: Victorian Government, 100,000 More Trees To Help Melbourne Keep Its Cool, media release, 22 October 2026. Adapted from the release, © Copyright State Government of Victoria, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence; this version has been edited and shortened.