St Kilda Pavilion, Federation architecture pavilion at St Kilda Beach, Australia.
St Kilda Pavilion is a white wooden structure standing at the end of St Kilda Pier, built in the Federation style with ornamental details. The building features an ornate cast iron roof and windows that face toward Port Phillip Bay.
Francis Parer, from a family of restaurateurs, proposed and ran the kiosk. It was designed by James Charles Morell of the Victorian Public Works Department and built in 1904 by John W. Douglas. Known as Parer's Pavilion until the 1930s, its actual name was the Austral Refreshment Rooms. Noble and Ivy Kerby took the lease in 1939, and their son Colin ran it until retiring in 1987. An arson attack on 11 September 2003 destroyed the kiosk; it was rebuilt to the original 1903 plans using salvaged parts and reopened in March 2006.
The pavilion's official name was the Austral Refreshment Rooms, though it was long known as Parer's Pavilion after Francis Parer, who proposed and ran the kiosk. From 1939 the Kerby family held the lease, and their son Colin lived upstairs with his family until retiring in 1987. Locals still call it Kerby's Kiosk.
A kiosk inside the building offers drinks and light snacks that can be enjoyed on the terrace while watching the bay. Visitors should know that the place gets quite crowded in good weather and feels less busy early in the morning or late afternoon.
The cast iron roof, decorative cresting and weather vane were salvaged from the 2003 arson and reused when the kiosk was rebuilt to the original 1903 plans. An extra structure behind the pavilion expands capacity but is hidden from view along the pier.
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