New court building for Melbourne’s west: Wyndham Law Courts, Werribee

What you need to know

Werribee Magistrates’ Court will permanently close on Friday 31 October 2025.

The new Wyndham Law Courts will open to the public on Monday 10 November 2025.

Wyndham Law Courts are located at 17 Basalt Road, Werribee (next to the Wyndham Police Station). The new building will service the:

• Magistrates' Court of Victoria
• Children's Court of Victoria
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)

The Magistrates’ Court and the Children’s Court will open on Monday 10 November, while VCAT will open on Monday 17 November.

For information on individual courts (jurisdictions) see 'The courts', below.

Aerial drone shot of Wyndham Law Courts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Service Counters open at 9am.

Contact

Phone: For assistance call:

• General enquiries (from 3 November): (03) 8011 2700
• Magistrates’ Court: (03) 9087 5730
• Children’s Court: (03) 8638 3300
• VCAT: 1300 018 228
• RDRV: 1300 017 378

In an emergency call triple zero (000).

Address: 17 Basalt Road, Werribee VIC 3030

Postal address:

• Magistrates’ Court: PO Box 196, Werribee, VIC 3030
• Children’s Court: PO Box 13292, Law Courts Victoria 8010
• VCAT: GPO Box 5408, Melbourne, VIC 3001

How to get there

By car

Wyndham Law Courts are at 17 Basalt Road, Werribee (see map below).

Free parking (including accessible parking) is available on site.

By public transport

Wyndham Law Courts are located midway between Werribee Railway Station and Hoppers Crossing Railway Station. Both stations have buses that run to the courts. The trip is around 2km (8 minutes) from either station. From Werribee Railway Station catch Route 170 or 153. From Hoppers Crossing Railway Station catch Route 153.

Map

Google Map showing Wyndam Law Courts at 17 Basalt Road, Werribee

About Wyndham Law Courts

Wyndham Law Courts is Victoria’s largest courts precinct outside of Melbourne CBD. It services the rapidly growing communities of Melbourne’s western metropolitan area.

The building has13 courtrooms, four hearing rooms, three mediation suites and 26 day-holding cells, plus workspaces for agencies. It will also house a 'Community Connections’ space, providing access to a range of community services in a court setting and fostering collaboration with the local community.

Over the next few years, the courts’ services will grow to include diversionary, First Nations and family violence services.

Specialist Children’s Court of Victoria services, including the Children’s Koori Court and Marram-Ngala Ganbu (Koori Family Hearing Day), will open from July 2026.

The Koori Court and the Specialist Family Violence Court (SFVC) will open from early 2027.

Services and facilities

Onsite services and facilities include:

• Disability access to all public areas, accessible bathrooms, accessible parking
• a Changing Places facility for people with high support needs
• onsite cafe operated by a social enterprise
• a Community Connections drop-in facility
• bookable interview and meeting rooms
• parents’ rooms and child-friendly waiting and play areas
• a Children’s Court ‘Cubby House’ for children and young people involved in child protection matters
• outdoor terraces with winter gardens and other amenities
• quiet rooms and a Sacred Space for reflection and calm.

Consultation with Bunurong Traditional Owners and the local First Nations community during design has led to the integration of Traditional Owner and First Peoples artwork, outdoor community gathering spaces and a firepit, Indigenous landscaping to support the creation of modern songlines, and the embedding of Boonwurrung language in strategic locations around the building.

For more information about the Wyndham Law Courts’ design, see ‘Wyndham Law Courts: Design features’, below.

Wyndham Law Courts lobby showing Magistrates’ Court reception desks and public seating

Wyndham Law Courts: Design features

The new Wyndham Law Courts building is a significant investment in the delivery of justice services to Melbourne's rapidly growing western suburbs.

The $274 million complex is Victoria’s largest court complex outside of Melbourne CBD, bringing together multiple jurisdictions, specialist courts and services.

Designed by Lyons Architects, with cultural design input by Greenaway Architects, built by Lendlease and delivered by Court Services Victoria, Wyndham Law Courts prioritise user experience, safety, sustainability and technological capability.

The courts building has been purpose-built to improve user experience, safety and cultural responsiveness. Its look and feel support a therapeutic approach to justice services, using natural light, a neutral interior palette and organic features, including a rammed-earth walls and greenery to create a calming environment.

Secure outdoor terraces are connected to public waiting areas to provide a more therapeutic setting and access to fresh air, natural light, views and greenery from within the building.

User-centric design principles informed the design, which embraces the surrounding landscapes, strongly connecting with the communities of Melbourne's west. The design has also been informed by extensive consultation with court and tribunal users, staff, judicial officers, VCAT Members, agencies, Traditional Owners, community groups and people with lived experience.

Features

• technology-enabled services: digital displays, kiosks, room booking panels, remote hearing capabilities, video conferencing and livestream functionality
• purpose-built courtrooms and hearing spaces: 13 courtrooms, four hearing rooms and three mediation suites with access to natural light
• improved safety and accessibility: separate public entry points, airport-style security, dedicated circulation pathways, safe waiting areas and advanced duress and CCTV systems
• cultural safety initiatives: Indigenous architectural consultation, Traditional Owner and First Peoples artwork integration, outdoor community gathering spaces and a firepit, Boonwurrung language embedded in multiple locations and Indigenous landscaping to support the creation of modern songlines.

Integrated services

The new courts support integrated justice and community services, including:

• dedicated workspaces for justice agencies and services
• Community Connections drop-in facility for multi-jurisdictional information, support and referral
• Changing Places facility
• a not-for-profit onsite cafe operated by a social enterprise
• bookable interview and meeting rooms
• quiet sensory rooms and a Sacred Space for reflection and calm.

Support for children and families

The Wyndham Law Courts incorporates family and child-friendly features such as:

• Children's Court ‘Cubby House’ providing a safe space for children and young people
• child-friendly waiting and play areas, including an interactive digital art installation
• parents’ rooms, outdoor terraces with winter gardens and other amenities to support families and people using the courts.

The courts

Magistrates' Court

The Magistrate's Court will open six courtrooms at Wyndham Law Courts in year one.

The court will hear a range of matters including mentions, remands, fixtures and family violence lists.

Just prior to Wyndham Law Court’s opening, Werribee Court (two courtrooms) will be closed and services relocated to Wyndham.

The Court Integrated Services Program (CISP) will be delivered through an integrated workforce. CISP offers a coordinated, team-based approach to the assessment and treatment of court-users at the pre-trial or bail stage. It provides case management support and links court-users to support services such as drug and alcohol treatment, crisis accommodation, disability services and mental health services.

The Magistrate's Court will utilise holding cells to deliver in-person remand hearings and bail applications so that people are no longer required to be transferred to neighbouring metropolitan courts.

The court will introduce and expand access to Specialist Family Violence Court and Koori Court in January 2027.

Website: Magistrates' Court of Victoria

Children’s Court

Wyndham Law Courts includes a dedicated Children’s Court to improve access to justice and outcomes for children, young people and their families in Melbourne’s west.

The court will hear child protection, intervention order and criminal cases (including custody). Specialist children’s courts, including the Children’s Koori Court and Marram-Ngala Ganbu (Koori Family Hearing Day), will also be available.

The new Court will provide a state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose facility with a range of innovative features:

• three courtrooms specifically designed for Children’s Court cases, including young people in custody and a Children’s Koori Court
• the ‘Cubby House’, is a secure, purpose-built waiting space for vulnerable children in traumatic family situations who are under the protective care of Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and required to attend court for child protection proceedings
• a Custody Centre that includes holding cells designed to separate young people in custody from adult holding cell areas
• a dedicated space for legal and support services including DFFH, Victoria Legal Aid, Victoria Police, Youth Justice, Education, and private legal practitioners and flexible spaces available for other supporting agencies
• carefully designed public waiting areas, enabling privacy and security, as well as intuitive wayfinding to services and amenities
• separate entrance, waiting area and remote hearing facilities for vulnerable court users, including victims of family violence.

Children’s Koori Court and Marram-Ngala Ganbu

The Children’s Koori Court ensures that sentencing outcomes imposed on young people are culturally appropriate and facilitated through the presence and cultural advice of Elders and Respected Persons.

Marram-Ngala Ganbu (M-NG), meaning “we are one” in Woiwurrung language, is a Koori Family Hearing Day that provides a more effective, culturally appropriate, and just response for Koori children and families engaged in Victoria’s child protection system.

M-NG aims to improve outcomes for Koori children and families involved in child protection proceedings through provision of culturally safe support before, during and after the court process. The program also actively assists Aboriginal families with referrals to a range of Aboriginal-controlled support services for ongoing assistance.

This represents progress towards implementing recommendations of the Yoorrook for Justice Report.

The Children’s Koori Court and Marram -Ngala Ganbu (Koori Family Hearing Day) will be open from July 2026.

Website: Children’s Court of Victoria

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)

The Wyndham Law Courts will be VCAT’s first community-based venue to bring services to the west of metropolitan Melbourne.

The new VCAT space, including multiple hearing rooms, will enable local residents to have their matters dealt with close to home in a more familiar environment. It will operate the model that exists within the community-based venues at Bundoora, Frankston and Oakleigh.

Services including counter enquiries, hearing support, appropriate dispute resolution and specialist services such as the provision of Family Violence, Koori and Disability Liaison support. Vulnerable VCAT users will have access to facilities that will increase their safety, and the Koori hearing room will assist in meeting the needs of the Koori community.

VCAT will commence sitting four days per week, utilising four hearing rooms and mediation rooms as required.

The new venue and services will cater to all the lists of VCAT. Initial listings at the venue will comprise of Residential Tenancies and Guardianship List cases, before increasing in 2026 to include Civil Claims, Human Rights and Planning and Environment cases.

Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) services will be available at the new venue, offering a fast and affordable way for renters, rental providers, and real estate agents to resolve disputes over bonds, repairs and excessive rent.

VCAT services at Wyndham will increase civil protections and supports for women, particularly through the Residential Tenancies list, where victim survivors of family violence (predominantly women) can apply to change, end a lease or challenge a notice

to vacate. The presence of VCAT at the new court will support local women to exercise these rights.

VCAT users will benefit from the onsite presence of WestJustice (Western Community Legal Centre), Victoria Legal Aid and the ‘Community Connections’ space, with VCAT staff assisting with referrals when required.

Website: Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Specialist courts

The Wyndham Law Courts will have infrastructure to support Specialist Courts and Therapeutic Programs such as:

• a multi-disciplinary Specialist Family Violence Court
• a specialist Children's Court
• an Assessment and Referral Court for accused persons who have a mental illness or a cognitive impairment (operational funding has not yet been provided)
• a Koori Courtroom with a dedicated Elders and Respected Person's room.

Due to the scale and size of the new court there will be a staged establishment of court business and services.

Specialist Children’s Court of Victoria services including the Children’s Koori Court and Marram-Ngala Ganbu (Koori Family Hearing Day) will open from July 2026.

The Koori Court and the Specialist Family Violence Court (SFVC) will open from early 2027. The opening date of the Assessment and Referral Court is yet to be determined.