Beveridge and Donnybrook sit on the Hume corridor, about 40 km north of the Melbourne CBD. Both are filling up fast. In 2026, the freight terminal finally broke ground and a new primary school opened in Wallan. Also, Canberra and Spring Street put more money into Donnybrook Road. But the two things locals ask about most still have no start date. So here is what has money, what’s under construction and what is still a promise.
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Where Beveridge and Donnybrook sit, and how fast they’re growing
Beveridge is in Mitchell Shire, while most of Donnybrook falls in the City of Whittlesea. Both straddle the Hume Freeway and the Seymour rail line. Wallan sits a few stops further north. That split across councils matters, because each one plans its own roads and community buildings.
The growth numbers are hard to ignore. Mitchell’s population rose from 56,079 in 2024 to 58,459 in 2025, a jump of 4.2 per cent. That made it the second-fastest growing council in Victoria, according to .id’s analysis of ABS data. On top of that, the state’s Plan for Victoria housing targets ask Mitchell for 66,000 extra homes by 2051. Whittlesea’s target is 72,000. Note that the 2024 draft quoted 68,000 for Mitchell, so you’ll still see that older figure around.
The Beveridge and Donnybrook housing pipeline
Two big plans carry most of the new homes. First, the Donnybrook-Woodstock plan covers about 1,786 hectares north of Donnybrook Road. It allows for more than 16,400 houses, plus six primary and four secondary school sites. The state gazetted it back in November 2017, so many of its estates are already selling.
Second, the Planning Minister approved the Beveridge North West plan in August 2025. It allows for 15,000 homes, four town centres and eight schools. Once it’s finished, more than 47,000 people would live there. Still, there’s a catch. Only around 2,400 homes on 140 hectares can go ahead from gazettal. After that, later stages must wait until the Camerons Lane interchange is complete.
Further north, Wallan’s next growth areas have stalled. The planning authority paused both the Wallan East (Part 1) and Wallan South plans in October 2024. It now says they’ll restart sometime between 2025/26 and 2028/29. So most new Wallan land in the short term comes from estates that already hold approval.
The Beveridge Intermodal Precinct is finally under way
This is the biggest project in the area by a long way. In December 2025, the federal government turned the first sod on the $1.62 billion Beveridge Intermodal Precinct. It will be the Melbourne end of Inland Rail. John Holland won the stage 1 contract the same month. Its scope includes 1 km of rail viaduct and 6.5 km of new sidings.
The terminal targets mid-2028 operations, with capacity for up to 200,000 containers (TEU) a year. Each train should replace up to 110 trucks. Once the precinct is fully developed, that means 167,000 fewer truck trips a year. Also, the government expects 8,000 jobs inside the precinct, and more than 17,000 supported at the peak.
One caution on the money. The federal release quotes $1.62 billion, but the North Central Review has reported a $2.56 billion figure. So check which package a number refers to before you repeat it. Stage two, the warehouses and land, runs from 2028 to 2040, and National Intermodal hasn’t named a partner yet.
Camerons Lane interchange: funded, but no construction date
The new Hume Freeway interchange at Camerons Lane is what unlocks both the freight terminal and Beveridge North West. In its May 2024 Budget, Canberra added $750 million, taking its total commitment to $900 million. The state now calls it “fully funded”.
Yet the Victorian Big Build project page says the job is still in pre-construction. The business case is complete. However, the team still needs planning and environmental approvals and a cultural heritage plan. Consultation ran from 18 March to 21 April 2026, and 95 per cent of survey respondents backed it. But the page also says construction timelines “will be confirmed once our planning has progressed further”.
The plan closes the existing freeway ramps at Lithgow Street. It also adds traffic lights at Camerons Lane/Patterson Road and Minton Street/Spring Street.
Donnybrook station and Donnybrook Road
If you’ve heard about “Donnybrook station upgrades”, those works finished years ago. Under Regional Rail Revival, the state added 150 car spaces and extended the city-bound platform. It also built a bus interchange and drop-off zone. Big Build declared the upgrade complete in April 2020. Right now, there’s no new funded station project in 2026.
The road to the station is where the money is going. On 14 May 2026, the federal and state governments added $45 million to the Donnybrook Road upgrade. That splits as $37.4 million federal and $7.7 million state. Stage 1 (still in pre-construction) turns the Mitchell Street roundabout into traffic lights and adds a new bridge over Kalkallo Creek. Then stage 2 adds a second bridge over the Hume and duplicates the road to Dwyer Street. Both stages together cost $170.1 million.
New schools for Beveridge and Donnybrook families
Schools are the part that has actually arrived. In 2026, these opened in or near the corridor:
- Muyan Primary School, Wallan East. It’s at 268 Wallara Waters Boulevard, takes Prep to Year 6 and has room for 525 students. A kindergarten is also going in on the same site.
- Ngayuk College, Kalkallo. This new secondary school started with Year 7 and will grow to 800 students.
- Marra Specialist School, Kalkallo. It supports up to 148 students from Prep to Year 12.
Beveridge North West has eight school sites on paper. However, none of them has a published opening year yet. So families buying in the newest stages should plan on driving to Wallan, Kalkallo or Donnybrook for now.
What’s still missing / not confirmed
For Beveridge and Donnybrook, the headline gap is a Beveridge train station. Mitchell Shire Council has made it the top priority for the November 2026 state election and costs it at $165 million. Infrastructure Victoria’s 30-year strategy also recommends a new station at Beveridge. But no party had committed money when the council launched its list in August. The council notes that only 1.2 per cent of residents commute by public transport.
- No construction start or finish date for Camerons Lane.
- No opening years for the eight Beveridge North West schools.
- No stage two partner for the intermodal precinct yet.
- No restart date for Wallan East and Wallan South beyond a 2025/26 to 2028/29 window.
My take: Beveridge and Donnybrook are real growth areas. The freight terminal also gives the north a jobs anchor most outer suburbs lack. But an interchange with no build date gates Beveridge North West. So we’d treat any block beyond that first 2,400-home stage as a long wait. Donnybrook looks safer today, because its plan has been running since 2017 and its road money is locked in.
We’d also watch the November election closely. A funded Beveridge station would change the commute story more than any estate brochure. Until someone puts it in a budget, though, buyers should assume a car-dependent life.
Comparing Melbourne growth corridors? Then read how Cobblebank and Melton and Wyndham Vale stack up, and check the 5% deposit scheme caps before you sign.
This article is general information based on Victorian Government, Australian Government, Victorian Planning Authority and council sources available at publication. It isn’t financial advice. Funding, approvals and timelines can change, especially around the November 2026 election, so check current details with the developer and council before you buy.
