Heritage newspaper names have been adopted for many of the local editions of The Local Paper. The masthead titles pay homage to the traditions of long, established newspapers that have served local communities over the past 150 years. The newspapers are today published under The Local Paper brand by Local Media Pty Ltd.

The Local Paper commenced weekly editions on February 17, 2016. However, The Local Paper was first adopted by a progenitor of Local Media Pty Ltd in August 1985 for the brief trial of a newspaper in Greater Dandonong. It was published as a monthly newspaper at Park Orchards for several decades. The Local Paper was the name of a weekly section in The Phoenix newspaper produced for Victorian bushfire communities from March 2009.

Arranged here by municipality name, here is a brief history of some of the mastheads:

• Banyule. Incorporating the traditions of The Heidelberger. The Heidelberger name was first used in 1958, when a free newspaper was developed to succeed The Heidelberg City News which was established in 1897. READ MORE

• Bayside. Incorporating the traditions of the Bayside Advertiser, Brighton Advertiser and Sandringham Advertiser. Appears in theSouthern Cross Weekly edition. The Sandringham News commenced publication in 1900. READ MORE

• Boroondara. Incorporating the Boroondara Weekly. Appears in the Southern Cross Weekly. This area was traditionally served by Progress Press, which commenced as the Ashburton Progress Press which commenced on January 23, 1946. READ MORE

• Brimbank. Incorporating the traditions of the Brimbank Messenger and Keilor Messenger. The Messenger started as the Broadmeadows & Keilor Observer in 1956. The separate Keilor Messenger commenced in the early 1960s. READ MORE

• Cardinia. Incoporating the traditions of the Dandenong Advertiser. TheDandenong Advertiser Cranbourne, Berwick and Oakleigh Advocate was first published by the Sword Brothers in 1874.The Casey-Cardinia Edition of The Local Paper commenced on March 31, 2021. READ MORE

• Casey. Incorporating the traditions of the Cranbourne Sun. The Mornington County Herald was established on March 22, 1889. The Koo-Wee-Rup Sun and Cranbourne Sun commnced in 1893. The Lang Lang Guardian, from February 22, 1902, was owned variously by J.C. Ryan, H. Furze, T. Henderson, G.F. Hopkins, the last named setting up the Koo-Wee-Rup Sun, incorporating the previous titles. Later owners included A.ER. Millard, W.J. Bath, Bill Giles and Chris Fisher, who started the Cranbourne Sun, Hastings Sun and Phillip Island Sun. READ MORE

• Darebin. Incorporating the Northcote Budget, Preston Post and Reservoir Times. READ MORE

• Frankston. Incorporating the traditions of the Frankston-Peninsula News, which began publication on May 30, 1968. The Frankston Edition of The Local Paper commenced on November 11, 2020. READ MORE

• Glen Eira. Incorporating the Glen Eira Standard. Appears in the Southern Cross Weekly edition. READ MORE

• Greater Dandenong. Incoporating the traditions of the Dandenong Advertiser. TheDandenong Advertiser Cranbourne, Berwick and Oakleigh Advocate was first published by the Swords family in 1874. READ MORE

• Hobsons Bay. Incorporating the traditions of the Western Times and the Western News.  Local Media publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Western News in the late 1980s. READ MORE

• Hume. Incorporating the traditions of the Broadmeadows Observer, Hume Observer and Sunbury Regional News. The Broadmeadows & Keilor Observeri started n 1956. The Sunbury Regional News was an amalgam, formed on August 13, 1965, of the Lancefield Mercury (1879-1965), Melton Mirror, Sunbury News (1892-), Gisborne Gazette (1892-) and Romsey Examiner (1872). READ MORE

• Kingston. Incorporating the Kingston Standard. The Moorabbin News started life in 1889, adopting the Moorabbin Standard News-Pictorial name, 60 years later, The Mordialloc Chelsea News started as the Seaside News in 1902, became the Carrum Borough Gazette. The two News entities were brought together in 1966. READ MORE

• Knox.Incorporating the traditions of the Knox News. The Knox News was first published on April 19, 1967, It traces its origins to a local Knox Sererance Association newsletter. In 1970, the Knox News was under the proprietorship of Patrick Hegarty, Neville Hoare and Judith Norton. Leader bought the Knox newspaper business in 1972, soon expanding it to become the Knox-Sherbooke News. READ MORE about the Knox News and  the Free Press.

• Manningham. Incorporating the traditions of the East Yarra News and Doncaster-Templestowe News. The East Yarra News started in May 1962. READ MORE

• Mansfield. The Regional Edition of The Local Paper includes Mansfield. The Regional Edition commenced publication in February 2016. READ MORE

• Maribyrnong. Incorporating the traditions of the Western Times and the Western News.  Local Media publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Western News in the late 1980s. READ MORE

• Maroondah. Incorporating the traditions of the Ringwood Mail, Croydon Mail, Maroondah Mail, Croydon City News and Ringwood City News..READ MORE

• Melbourne. incorporating the Melbourne Observer and The Clarion. The Melbourne Observer was first published on September 14, 1969. The Clarion business was purchased by a progenitor of Local Media Pty Ltd in 1984. READ MORE

• Melton. Incorporating The Advertiser and News Pix Weekender. Local Media publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Bacchus Marsh Express and Melton Express from 1982-1993. He was key to organising the merger of the Express  titles with the Mail (Syme Community Newspapers) in 1983. Long published The Advertiser and News Pix Weekender in 1983-84. READ MORE

• Merri-bek (formerly Moreland). Incorporating the traditions of the Coburg Courier and Brunswick Sentinel. The Coburg Courier started as the Coburg & Brunswick Courier on January 15, 1932. The Brunswick Sentinel started on November 25, 1936, and with the Brunswick Guardian, incorporated as Leader-Budget on July 14, 1943. Earlier newspapers under the Courier, Gazette and Leader titles were also published. READ MORE

• Mitchell. Local Media publisher Ash Long has been involved in newspapers in Mitchell Shire since the late 1980s when he founded the Nagambie Chronicle and Seymour Chronicle newspapers. As well as establishing Chronicle editions in Broadford and Kilmore, he was later involved as Production Editor of the Seymour-Nagmabie Advertiser. The Mitchell Shire edition of The Local Paper was established by Local Media Pty Ltd. READ MORE

• Monash. Incorporating the traditions of the Monash Gazette, Waverley Gazette, and Oakleigh and Ferntree Gully Times. The Waverley Gazette was launched by the Hattwell family in 1961. The Oakleigh Times was launched on June 8, 1889. It merged with the Clayton-Springvale Standard on July 16, 1964. The progenitor of Local Media Pty Ltd published the Waverley City News in 1984-85.. READ MORE

• Moonee Valley. Incorporating the traditions of the Moonee Valley Gazette which began life as the Essendon Gazette on August 23, 1888. READ MORE

• Moorabool. Local Media publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Bacchus Marsh Express and Melton Express from 1982-1993. He was key to organising the merger of the Express  titles with the Mail (Syme Community Newspapers) in 1983.  Long published The Advertiser and News Pix Weekender in 1983-84. READ MORE

• Mornington Peninsula.Incorporating the traditions of the Mornington Peninsula Post, Hastings Sun, Southern Peninsula Gazette and Peninsula-Western Port Advertiser. The Peninsula Post began in 1913 as a re-plated edition of the Frankston Standard. The Southern Peninsula Gazette was launched as a paid newspaper in 1953. READ MORE

• Murrindindi. Local Media publisher Ash Long was Publisher of The Yea Chronicle from 1984-1993. Later he published the Yea Advertiser and its sister newspapers at Diamond Valley, Whittlesea, Kinglake, Yarra Valley, Kilmore, Broadford, Seymour, Nagambie and Yarra Glen. Long published The Phoenix newspaper from 2009, and established The Local Paper from 2016. READ MORE

• Nillumbik.Incorporating the traditions of the Diamond Valley News and the Evelyn Observer. The Diamond Valley News name was first used in 1897. A free newspaper was developed in 1958-59 to succeed The Heidelberg City News. The Evelyn Observer was first published on October 31, 1873. READ MORE and READ MORE

• Port Phillip.Incorporating the traditions of the Emerald Hill and SandridgeTimes and St Kilda Times. Appears in the Southern Cross Weekly. READ MORE

• Stonnington. Incorporating the Stonnington Weekly. Appears in the Southern Cross Weekly. READ MORE

• Whitehorse. Incorporating the traditions of the Whitehorse Gazette. The Box Hill Gazette was first published by George Baker on January 29, 1965. It succeeded The Box Hill Reporter which was published from 1889 to 1964. The Gazette group was founded by George Baker, Keith Macpherson and Max Finch, who had been manager of the Jack Taylor-led Hannam’s electrical stores. One of the Gazette’s characters was Barbara Dewhurst, whose passing was recognised with a double-page spread featuring tributes from R.R. Mott, David Tomlin, Max Finch, former editor Harry Grover and sales manager Jim Dowsley. Other tributes came from ad men Leo Hart and Ted Williams, Ringwood Mail stalwart Harald Nicolson, and colmunist Pamela Price.

• Whittlesea. Incorporating the traditions of the Whittlesea Post, Whittlesea Advertiser and Whittlesea Chronicle. The Whittlesea Post was established by the Leader Publishing Co. in 1935. The Whittlesea Advertiser was published from 1995, succeeding the Whittlesea Chronicle which commenced in July 1990.

• Wyndham. Incorporating the traditions of the Western Times and the Western News.  Local Media publisher Ash Long was Editor of the Western News in the late 1980s. READ MORE

• Yarra. Incorporating the traditions of the Collingwood-Fitzroy-Carlton Courier and Richmond Times. As a young 18-year-old journalist, Local Media publisher Ash Long had his first-ever front-page story in the Collingwood-Fitzroy-Carlton Courier in 1975. The Courier had been operated by Leader, 1948-50, and 1958-76. READ MORE

• Yarra Ranges. Incorporating the traditions of the Lilydale and Yarra Valley Express, Yarra Ranges Advertiser, The New Free Press and Valley Voice. The Express was first published on June 30, 1886. READ MORE about the Express. READ MORE about the Free Press.