Station Pier

Station Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip Bay, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

History

Station Pier, originally known as Railway Pier, was officially opened on September 12 1854.cite web
url=http://www.portofmelbourne.com/cruiseshipping/stationpier.asp
title=Station Pier
publisher=www.portofmelbourne.com
accessdate=2008-07-31] The 4.5 kilometre rail link from the pier to Flinders Street Station via the Sandridge Bridge (the Port Melbourne line) was opened at the same time to facilitate the transport of passengers and goods, and was the first significant railway in Australia.cite web
url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/railways/pdf/sandridge_railway_trail.pdf
title=Sandridge Railway Trail guide
publisher=museumvictoria.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-31] The pier was kept busy throughout the 1850s, due to the increased passenger traffic created by the gold rush. In 1861, the pier was extended to a length of 661 metres, in order to accommodate the ever-increasing traffic associated with the number of people settling in Victoria.

In the early part of the 20th century, the original pier was unable to accommodate the new breed of larger and more powerful steamships. As a result the current pier was built between 1922 and 1930 and is the largest timber piled wharf structure in Australia. The Stothert and Pitt cranes were erected in 1949 for goods handling. [cite web
url=http://www.heritage.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahpi/record.pl?VICH985
title=Station Pier, Southern Section (ref. H985)
work=Victorian Heritage Register
publisher=www.heritage.gov.au
accessdate=2008-07-31] The original supports are still underneath the current pier, chopped down when the replacement was built. The new pier was designed so that passengers landed at the terminals above, while goods traffic moved underneath, in what was quite forward thinking for the 1920s. [cite web
url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/29/1096401639187.html
title=Pier into the past
work=The Age
date=October 2, 2004
publisher=theage.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-31] It has a wharf length of 933 metres, and capable of berthing ships 305 metres long with a draught of 10.3 metres.

When originally built the pier had five railway sidings running onto it, as well as a passenger platform on the southern side named 'Bay Excursion Platform', a westward extension of Port Melbourne station. [Victorian Railways signal diagram cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/22'15.htm
title=Port Melbourne line - Bridge Street to Piers 1915
accessdate=2008-07-31] After the pier was rebuilt it was provided with eight tracks, four along each wharf face. [Victorian Railways signal diagram cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/2'37.htm
title=Port Melbourne line - Bridge Street to Piers 1937
accessdate=2008-07-31]

In January 1921 electric passenger services were extended to the platform at the Bay Excursion Pier, two years after electric trains had been extended to Port Melbourne. It was served by two trains per hour Monday to Friday, until their withdrawal in November 1930 as they were not financially rewarding to the Victorian Railways.cite book | author = S.E. Doorman and R.G. Henderson | title = Electric Railways of Victoria | publisher = Australian Electric Traction Society | page = pages 58 - 59 | year = 1979 | isbn = 0 909459 06 1 ] From May 22, 1933 passenger services were again extended to Station Pier, but only as required when overseas liners were berthed. The overhead wiring had to be extended beyond the Bay Excursion Platform onto the pier itself. The "Boat Train" service was introduced in March 7, 1936 with a single Tait train set painted in blue livery with silver roof. The name was added to the top of each motor car in red letters along with exterior lighting. Operating direct from Flinders Street Station to Station Pier, the service was discontinued in October 1939.

In 1934 the 'Victorian Centenary Bridge' was built over the railway lines, carrying Beach Street traffic over the pier railway sidings, as well as providing road access to the centre of the pier. Overhead wiring over half the pier was removed in October 1937, with the remainder unused from 1939 until removal in January 1950.

In 1987, the railway line to Port Melbourne was closed, and replaced by a light rail service, tram route 109, which runs to Box Hill via the city.cite journal
year = 1997
month = March
title = Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960
author = Chris Banger
journal = Newsrail
publisher = Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)
pages = pages 77–82 ] The Centenary Bridge was demolished in 1991. The Sandridge Trail runs parallel to the tram line.

Infrastructure

Station Pier has four operating berths, two on each side of the wharf. Each berth has a maximum draft of 10.3 metres.

The pier operates 24 hours per day, and open for pedestrian access from 6am to 9 pm except when cruise ships or naval ships are visiting. In addition as the light rail line, the pier has a central roadway, which allows cars to be driven on to ships capable of carrying them.

References

Victorian Railways signal diagrams:
* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/22'15.htm
title=Port Melbourne line - Bridge Street to Piers 1915
accessdate=2008-07-31

* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/38'19.htm
title=Port Melbourne line - Bridge Street to Piers 1919
accessdate=2008-07-31

* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/2'37.htm
title=Port Melbourne line - Bridge Street to Piers 1937
accessdate=2008-07-31

* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/17'64.htm
title=Port Melbourne and Graham 1963
accessdate=2008-07-31

* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/35'69.htm
title=Flinders Street to Port Melbourne 1969
accessdate=2008-07-31

* cite web
url=http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/My_Web_pages/VR/Metropolitan/6'71.htm
title=Flinders Street to Port Melbourne 1971
accessdate=2008-07-31

External links

* [http://www.portofmelbourne.com/cruiseshipping/stationpierservices.asp Services at Station Pier]
* [http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Places/StationPier.asp The White Hat Guide to Station Pier]

VictorianClosedStations
VICORMELB=Melbourne
Line=Port Melbourne line
Previous=Port Melbourne