Areas we serve / Mornington Peninsula / Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus
Lawyers and solicitors for Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus
Buying and selling, wills and powers of attorney, and family law for Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus clients, from our Frankston office about 25 to 30 minutes away.
What we do for Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus clients
Choose what you need help with. Each one opens the detail further down this page.
Legal services for Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus clients
Crib Point, Bittern and the naval base at HMAS Cerberus sit side by side on Western Port, joined by four stations on the Stony Point line. HMAS Cerberus, established in 1920, is a Navy training establishment where about 6,000 people train each year. Crib Point has port berths and a jetty, and in March 2021 the Minister for Planning found that a proposed gas import terminal there would have unacceptable effects on the Western Port Ramsar site.
We act for Crib Point and Bittern families buying and selling, for Defence members and their families with wills, powers of attorney and family matters, and for people working through a separation. Radek Dajer, our principal solicitor, acts personally on each matter, in English or in Polish, and we meet at our Frankston office or by video.
Local note
The state’s planning statement for the Peninsula says land at Crib Point will not be used for port purposes likely to generate significant heavy vehicle traffic on local roads or through towns and villages.
Property, wills and family matters in Crib Point and Bittern
Choose a topic to see what it involves and how we help.
Contract and section 32 review, auctions and private sales, and settlement for homes and land.
- Before you sign: we check the contract, the section 32 statement and the planning controls on the land, including any overlay, and suggest changes while you can still negotiate.
- Cooling-off: for many private sales of residential property, you have 3 clear business days after signing to end the contract. There is none at a publicly advertised auction.
- Creswell Street, Crib Point: land in the Creswell Street East area is covered by a development contributions plan, under which landowners pay a share of the cost of new roads and drainage. A revised plan took effect on 25 June 2026 (Amendment C295morn), so check what is payable for the land before you buy.
- First home buyers: no land transfer duty on homes up to $600,000 and reduced duty up to $750,000, and other concessions for some homes and off-the-plan purchases.
Wills and powers of attorney for families, including Defence members.
- Before a posting or deployment: an enduring power of attorney lets someone you trust deal with your affairs while you are away or if you cannot act yourself, and a current will says who receives your estate if you die.
- Enduring power of attorney: appoints someone to make financial or personal decisions for you, or both, and continues if you lose capacity. Made under the Powers of Attorney Act 2014 (Vic).
- Guardians: your will can appoint guardians for your children if both parents die.
- Superannuation: your fund’s trustee decides who receives your super unless you have a valid binding death benefit nomination. Some nominations lapse after a set period.
Planning controls, subdivisions and development in the Crib Point and Bittern townships.
- Township plan: Crib Point’s commercial areas have an 8.5 metre (two storey) mandatory height limit, kept by a 2022 planning scheme amendment after the Township Plan was refreshed in 2021.
- Port land: port land at Crib Point is in a Special Use Zone reserved for port-related uses.
- Subdividing: a subdivision under the Subdivision Act 1988 (Vic) moves through several stages before new titles issue. We coordinate the legal steps with your surveyor and the council so lots can be sold and settled once titles are available.
Separation, property settlement and parenting arrangements.
- Separation and divorce: separate legal steps under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). You do not need to be divorced to settle property or parenting arrangements.
- Time limits: married couples must apply to the court within 12 months after their divorce takes effect; de facto couples within 2 years after the relationship ends.
- Parenting: the best interests of the child are the paramount consideration. Before applying for parenting orders you generally need a certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner.
- Consent orders: once you agree, the court can make your agreement into binding orders, usually without anyone attending court. Superannuation can be split by consent orders or by a financial agreement.
Serving in the Defence Force?
If you may be posted or deployed, make or update your will and powers of attorney first. We can see you at our Frankston office or by video.
Separating
Separating, step by step
What happens after a separation, from the first advice to an agreement or orders. We explain each step, in English or in Polish.
01
Get advice early
Separation and divorce are separate legal steps. Time limits apply to property claims: 12 months after a divorce takes effect, or 2 years after a de facto relationship ends.
02
Children first
The best interests of the child are the paramount consideration. Before applying for parenting orders you generally need a certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner.
03
The property
We gather the details of the property, debts and superannuation of both parties, which the court looks at when deciding a fair division.
04
Agreement
Most matters are resolved by negotiation, mediation or family dispute resolution, and agreed arrangements can be made into consent orders, usually without anyone attending court.
05
If you cannot agree
We act for you in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, which sits in Dandenong and in Melbourne, and brief a barrister where the matter needs one.
How we work
Visit us from Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus
435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC 3199
Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm, by appointment
From Crib Point and Bittern
About 25 to 30 minutes by car via the Frankston-Flinders Road.
By train
The Stony Point line runs from Stony Point, Crib Point, Morradoo and Bittern to Frankston station, a short walk from our office.
Parking
Wilson Parking at 453 Nepean Highway, street parking on the Nepean Highway, and the car parks at McDonald’s across the road and at Dan Murphy’s.
Common questions
Can’t see your question? Call 1800 776 529 or send us a message.
Yes. A will and an enduring power of attorney mean someone you trust can deal with your affairs if something happens to you, or while you are posted or deployed. Review them when your circumstances change.
It is a plan under which landowners in the Creswell Street East area of Crib Point pay a share of the cost of new roads and drainage. A revised plan took effect on 25 June 2026, so if you are buying or selling there, we check what is payable for the land.
Married couples must apply to the court within 12 months after their divorce takes effect. De facto couples must apply within 2 years after the relationship ends. It is often easier to settle early, while records are available.
First home buyers pay no land transfer duty on homes up to $600,000 and reduced duty up to $750,000, and other concessions apply to some homes and off-the-plan purchases. We calculate the duty and claim any concession you are entitled to.
Our office is at 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston, about 25 to 30 minutes by car, or a short walk from Frankston station on the Stony Point line.
Yes. Radek Dajer speaks Polish and can take your instructions and explain your documents in Polish. See our Polish-language services.
Wills and family insights
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Buying a home is one of the most significant financial decisions you will make. A conveyancing lawyer guides you through contracts, Section 32 statements, stamp duty, and settlement.
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More than half of Australian adults do not have a valid will. If you die without one, Victorian law decides who receives your assets, not you.
Talk to us about your Crib Point, Bittern and HMAS Cerberus matter
Tell us briefly what has happened or what you are planning. We reply to every enquiry within one business day, by phone, email or text, whichever you prefer.
What happens next
- Send the form.
- We reply within one business day.
- We arrange a time to talk, or ask for any information or documents we need first.
Prefer to talk? Call 1800 776 529, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm.