St Kilda Pier and Kiosk with Catani Gardens in foreground - panoramio

The St Kilda Pier in

St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, southeast of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. St Kilda recorded a ...

, Australia, is home to a colony of Australian little penguins, the St Kilda Pavilion, as well as the Marina of the

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron is a yacht club located at St Kilda Beach, Victoria, St Kilda Beach in the suburb of St Kilda, Victoria, St. Kilda in Melbourne, Australia. The squadron was founded in 1876. It has occupied its grounds on Pier Roa ...

. It was first built in 1853 as a small private timber jetty by the St Kilda Pier and Jetty company, but destroyed the same year, and rebuilt by 1855 as a public pier. It was extended many times, until it became a 1944 ft pier with stone groins, a shelter at the beach end, a breakwater and an L-shaped extension sheltering the St Kilda Yacht Club by the 1880s. Moorings for the

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is comple ...

excursion steamers were added in 1893, and the Pavilion was added in 1904. The pier became a favourite destination for promenading, fishing, excursions and small boat moorings for much of the 20th century, as St Kilda became Melbourne's entertainment district and most popular beach. The breakwater had been built in timber, and in 1955 was replaced with a rubble stone one. In the 1970s, the timber pier was replaced with a concrete one, and the breakwater extended. Australian little penguins breeding amongst the rocks of the breakwater were first documented in 1974, with 100 altogether identified by 1989. They now number about 1200, and public viewing is a popular attraction. In 2017, with the pier nearing the end of its

design life The design life of a component or product is the period of time during which the item is expected by its designers to work within its specified parameters; in other words, the life expectancy of the item. Engineers follow a theory to calculate th ...

Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment. The ''Parks Victoria Act 2018'' updates ...

, the owner of bayside infrastructure in Victoria, announced a plan to replace the current one, with two options designed by architects Jackson Clements Burroughs. The option of a new alignment angled to the south, with a curved end following the breakwater, was chosen. Construction commenced in 2022, and the new pier was officially opened on 7 November 2024. The pier remains a favourite destination for visitors to the St Kilda foreshore, with a walk to the end and back a popular activity.

References

Piers in Australia

Pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

Buildings and structures in the City of Port Phillip Tourist attractions in Melbourne Landmarks in Melbourne {{Australia-geo-stub