| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| ALPINE SHIRE COUNCIL ABN 14 821 390 281 vs CRAIG THOMAS DELANEY | SOE | 10:00 am |
| EBERT, W** V A** D** | Courtroom 1 | 09:30 am |
Last updated: 04 Sep 2026, 10:04 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
If you have a matter listed at the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court, knowing exactly when and where the court sits is the single most important piece of information you need. This is one of Victoria's smallest and most infrequently sitting regional venues, and its schedule works very differently from the busy metropolitan and major regional courts. The court is located on Myrtle Street, with entry via Clyde Street, in Myrtleford, Victoria 3737, in the heart of the Ovens Valley. Because sitting days are limited and lists change without notice, checking the current daily list before you travel is essential, and this page brings that information together in one place alongside the practical detail you will not find on a standard directory listing.
Myrtleford sits roughly 282 kilometres north-east of Melbourne and 47 kilometres south-east of Wangaratta, along the Great Alpine Road. The town had a population of 3,285 at the 2021 Census and forms part of the Alpine Shire, a local government area of 4,788 square kilometres with a total population of about 13,235 people. The court services this alpine catchment, taking in surrounding localities such as Ovens, Gapsted, Barwidgee, Rosewhite and Porepunkah, along with the wider Kiewa and Ovens valleys. Understanding this geography matters, because the sparse population and large distances directly shape how often the court runs and where matters are redirected when it does not sit locally.
Myrtleford Magistrates' Court sitting days and opening hours
The defining feature of this venue is its limited schedule. The Myrtleford Magistrates' Court is attended by a registrar only once a month, on a Friday, except for public holidays. On a sitting Friday the court is open from 9:00am to 1:00pm, and it closes between 1:00pm and 2:00pm. For the remainder of the week the registry is closed: Monday through Thursday and the weekend the venue does not operate. This is a stark contrast to daily-sitting courts, and it is the fact that catches most self-represented people by surprise.
The practical consequence is timing. Because the court sits only monthly, a charge arising from an arrest or police investigation in the Myrtleford area may not reach its first mention for several weeks, and any adjournment can push a matter out by a further month or more. If you have received a charge or a notice to appear, do not assume your first date will come quickly, and do not assume the venue will be open on the day you plan to attend. Always confirm the next sitting date before making arrangements to travel, arrange representation or take leave from work.
When Myrtleford sits remotely from Wangaratta or Wodonga
Throughout 2025 and into 2026 the Magistrates' Court of Victoria repeatedly directed Myrtleford matters to be heard remotely from nearby registries. Published court notices confirm the venue sat remotely on dates including 3 October 2025, 7 November 2025 and 9 January 2026, with Myrtleford matters administered from Wangaratta. When this happens, hearings still proceed, but the physical Myrtleford courtroom is not the point of contact. If your listed date falls on a remote-sitting day, you should contact the court directly on (03) 9063 0114 or by email at myrtlefordcoordinator@courts.vic.gov.au to confirm arrangements. For urgent matters, the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court at 24 Faithful Street, Wangaratta 3677 is the practical alternative registry.
What kind of cases the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court hears
The Magistrates' Court is where the overwhelming majority of criminal matters in Victoria begin, and Myrtleford is no exception. As a summary jurisdiction, it deals with less serious criminal charges heard by a magistrate without a jury, along with the early stages of more serious matters. Typical business at this venue includes summary criminal offences, traffic and driving offences, and applications for family violence intervention orders and personal safety intervention orders. The court also handles the first appearances and procedural steps for indictable matters before they move to a higher court.
For serious indictable offences that require a committal or trial, the matter will not stay at Myrtleford. Committal proceedings are generally dealt with at the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court, and trials or sentences in the higher jurisdiction are handled by the County Court of Victoria, which conducts circuit sittings in regional centres. On certain days the Myrtleford venue may also deal with matters involving accused persons under 18 and some child protection matters, reflecting the way small regional courts often combine functions that would sit in separate specialist lists in a capital city.
The three tiers of the Victorian court system
It helps to understand where Myrtleford sits within the broader structure. Victoria operates a three-tier hierarchy. The Magistrates' Court is the entry point and highest-volume tier, hearing summary matters and committals. The County Court is the intermediate tier, dealing with serious indictable crime, appeals from the Magistrates' Court and major civil claims, and it runs circuit sittings at regional hubs including Wodonga. The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the state, exercising unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction. A matter that begins with a mention at Myrtleford can, depending on its seriousness, progress upward through each of these tiers.
How to find the Myrtleford court list for your hearing date
Daily lists are essentially timetables of every matter scheduled at a court on a given day, and they are published shortly before the sitting date. Because Myrtleford sits monthly and its lists are subject to change at short notice, checking a current, consolidated daily list is the most reliable way to confirm your matter is proceeding and to see the courtroom and time it has been allocated. Lists can move between venues when the court sits remotely, so relying on an out-of-date printout or an assumption about the venue is risky.
When you check a list, look for your name in the defendant, accused or respondent field, and note the associated case number, courtroom and listed time. Keep in mind that family violence intervention order and personal safety intervention order hearings are generally not published in open search tools, for the protection of those involved, so if your matter is an intervention order application you should confirm details directly with the registry rather than expecting to find it online.
Practical checklist before you attend
- Confirm the venue is sitting: verify the next Friday sitting date and check whether the matter is being heard at Myrtleford or remotely from Wangaratta.
- Arrive early: aim to be at court well before your listed time, as matters are not always heard in strict order and you should expect to be there for much of the morning.
- Allow for security: you will pass through a security screening and may need to place items from your pockets into a tray to be scanned.
- Dress appropriately: neat, conservative clothing is expected in any Victorian courtroom.
- Plan parking: only on-street parking is available at the Myrtleford venue, so allow extra time.
- Bring your paperwork: have your charge sheet, notice or any correspondence and your case number with you.
Getting legal help in the Ovens Valley
Self-representation is possible for straightforward matters, but many people benefit from advice before their first appearance. Victoria Legal Aid provides duty lawyer services at regional Victorian courts, including those across the north-east, and can offer advice and, for eligible people, representation on the day. The Victoria Legal Aid general helpline is 1300 792 387. Duty lawyer help is valuable, but because Myrtleford sits so infrequently, arranging advice well ahead of your date is far better than relying on same-day assistance, particularly for contested hearings or matters where a plea needs careful thought.
Because the nearest daily-operating registries are at Wangaratta and Wodonga, people with matters connected to Myrtleford often deal with those courts as well. If your case has been redirected, or if you simply want to understand the busier venues that support this part of the state, our Wodonga court list and Wangaratta court list pages set out sitting arrangements and daily hearings for those registries. For a complete picture of every sitting venue across the state, the full VIC magistrates court list hub brings the entire network together in one place.
Why the Myrtleford venue matters despite sitting once a month
It is easy to underestimate a court that opens for four hours a month, but for the Alpine Shire community it fills a genuine access-to-justice role. Regional Victoria covers vast distances, and requiring every resident of the upper Ovens Valley to travel to Wangaratta or Wodonga for routine mentions would place a real burden on people without reliable transport. A local sitting, even a monthly one, keeps the justice system physically present in a town that traces its European settlement to 1858 and has long served as the gateway to the high country. The trade-off is that residents must plan around a schedule that offers far fewer opportunities to be heard than a metropolitan court.
That trade-off also explains why timing errors are the most common problem at this venue. Missing a monthly sitting can mean waiting weeks for the next opportunity, and a failure to appear can have serious consequences, including a warrant or a matter being determined in your absence. Treating the sitting calendar as a hard constraint, rather than a rough guide, is the single most useful habit for anyone with business at this court.
Frequently asked questions about the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court
How often does the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court sit?
The court is attended by a registrar once a month, on a Friday, except for public holidays. On sitting days it is open from 9:00am to 1:00pm and closed between 1:00pm and 2:00pm. It does not operate daily or weekly.
Where is the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court located?
The court is on Myrtle Street, with entry via Clyde Street, in Myrtleford, Victoria 3737. Only on-street parking is available nearby.
What happens if the court sits remotely on my date?
When Myrtleford sits remotely, matters are typically administered from the Wangaratta registry. Your hearing still proceeds, but you should contact the court on (03) 9063 0114 or myrtlefordcoordinator@courts.vic.gov.au to confirm arrangements. Wangaratta Magistrates' Court at 24 Faithful Street is the practical alternative for urgent matters.
What types of cases are heard at Myrtleford?
The venue hears summary criminal matters, traffic offences, and intervention order applications, along with the first appearances for more serious charges. Indictable matters requiring a committal move to Wangaratta, and higher-court trials proceed to the County Court.
How do I find out if my matter is listed?
Check the current daily court list for your name, case number, courtroom and listed time before you travel, as listings can change at short notice. Note that intervention order hearings are generally not published online and should be confirmed directly with the registry.
Can I get a duty lawyer at Myrtleford?
Victoria Legal Aid provides duty lawyer services at regional north-east courts and can be reached on 1300 792 387. Because the court sits monthly, arranging advice ahead of your date is strongly preferable to relying on same-day help.
