Station Pier, Heritage maritime pier in Port Melbourne, Australia
Station Pier is a pier on Port Phillip at Port Melbourne, with a concrete deck on cylindrical piles and four berths, two on each side of the wharf. Its wharf length is 933 metres and it can berth ships 305 metres long with a draught of 10.3 metres. A central roadway lets cars be driven onto ships that carry them, and the terminal building carries the sign "Spirit of Tasmania".
This pier was built in the 1850s and served as a vital railway connection point for Melbourne's transport system from the start. The current timber structure was later rebuilt in the early 20th century to replace the original infrastructure.
The pier's name comes from the railway that reached it in 1854, when the 4.5 km Port Melbourne line to Flinders Street opened as Australia's first significant railway. From 1936 the blue and silver Boat Train ran direct from Flinders Street to the pier for liner passengers, and the name was painted in red letters on each motor car. The line closed in 1987 and tram route 109 took over.
The pier is easy to access and provides clear paths along the waterfront for walking and viewing. Keep in mind that it remains an active port, so some areas may be restricted depending on vessel movements and shipping activity.
The original 1850s pier supports still lie beneath the 1922–1930 deck, cut down when the replacement was built. The pier was designed so passengers landed at the upper terminals while goods moved underneath, an arrangement considered forward-thinking for the 1920s. Its four berths each take ships drawing up to 10.3 metres.
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