Station Pier

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Bass Strait Ferry Spirit of Tasmania I at 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.

[edit] History

Station Pier, originally known as Railway Pier, was officially opened on September 12, 1854. Located in the suburb of Port Melbourne (then known as Sandridge), the pier is approximately 5 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne. In order to facilitate the transport of passengers and goods from the pier to the city, a railway between Station Pier and Flinders Street Station via the historic Sandridge railway bridge was opened in 1854, known as the Port Melbourne line. This was the first significant railway in Australia.

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 numbers 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 such, it was replaced by Station Pier, which at a wharf length of 933 metres, is capable of berthing even the largest ships.

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 by way of the city. The Sandridge Trail runs parallel to the tram line.

[edit] Infrastructure

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

**Berth information**
Berth	Length (metres)	Usage
Inner East	220	Tasmania ferry (Spirit of Tasmania)
Outer East	223	cruise-ship berth
Inner West	185	cruise-ship and Royal Australian Navy berth
Outer West	305	cruise-ship berth

The pier operates 24 hours per day, and open for pedestrian access from 6am to 9pm. 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.