Port Melbourne in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia — Oceania
Station Pier - Milestones
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, September 29, 2026
1. Station Pier Marker North Side
Station Pier's Historic Milestones
1861 - The first English cricket team to tour Australia arrived here.
1862 - The exhumed remains of explorers Bourke and Wills arrived from Adelaide.
1895 Good Friday - The great horse Carbine, winner of the Melbourne Cup in 1890, was loaded to return to Britain.
1899 - The Victorian and Tasmanian contingents left for the Boer War.
1908 - The pier hosted the visit of the Great White Fleet from the United States.
1940 - Australian troops headed to various WWII theatres of conflict from Station Pier.
Station Pier Today
In the post-war years, Station Pier became the welcoming point for newly arrived immigrants.
Between 1949 and 1966, an average of 61,000 passengers arrived every year in Port Melbourne reaching almost 110,000 at its peak in 1960.
Today, Station Pier retains its heritage status but has been transformed over the last few years into a modern cruise ship terminal which also hosts navy visits throughout the year, together with the Bass Strait passenger service to Tasmania.
In terms of passenger usage, Station Pier is now busier than at any time
this page online
For more information visit www.portofmelbourne.com
(Reverse Side)
Arrivals and Departures
Since 1854, this has been the arrival and departure point for immigrants, visitors and troops bound for battlefields around the world.
In over 150 years. of operation, Station Pier has played an important role in almost every phase of Australia's history - in times of war and peace, in times of commemoration and celebration, for servicemen and women returning home, for migrants from distant lands and refugees from war zones:
Gateway for Boomtown Melbourne
The discovery of gold in 1851 brought an influx of ships carrying goods and passengers to Melbourne.
As the Yarra River was too shallow for large ships to navigate, passengers and goods had to be ferried by smaller boats. to the shore, then transported overland to Melbourne.
In 1854, the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company constructed Railway Pier at Sandridge (Port Melbourne). This enabled ships to unload goods and passengers directly onto the pier for transportation by rail to Melbourne.
Railway Pier was extended to more than 661 metres
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, September 29, 2026
2. Station Pier Marker South Side
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Immigration • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.
Location. 37° 50.529′ S, 144° 55.894′ E. Marker is in Port Melbourne, Victoria, in Port Phillip. It is on Waterfront Place 0.1 kilometers west of Beach Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Waterfront Place, Port Melbourne VIC 3207, Australia. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Oceania, in Australasia, in the Pacific Ocean, in South Pacific, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Station Pier - Cranes and Cargo
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, September 29, 2026
3. Station Pier - Milestones Marker with Station Pier in the background
Also see . . . Station Pier history. Ports Victoria
Historically, Station Pier has been Victoria’s welcoming point for generations of new arrivals.(Submitted on October 25, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)
The first pier was opened on 12 September 1854 and known as Railway Pier. The Argus newspaper described it at the time as ‘memorable in the annals of Victoria and Australia’ because the railway line between Flinders Street and the pier was Australia’s first.
The current pier, Station Pier, was built in the 1920s and opened in 1930, replacing the former Railway Pier. The Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners spent £624,375 on it, including dredging the Port Melbourne Channel and the area around the pier to a depth of 10.4 metres.
The new pier could then accommodate the new generation luxury passenger liners.
Operating for 170 years, the piers have been important in almost every phase of Australia’s history.
In war and peace.
Commemoration and celebration.
Servicemen returning home.
Migrants arriving from distant lands.
Refugees arriving from war zones.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
