Constructed between 1912 and 1915, Port Melbourne's Princes Pier is the second largest timber piled wharf structure in Australia. As well as its accommodation of outgoing troops and incoming migrants, the pier played a pivotal role in Australian trade. It was known as the New Railway Pier until the visit to Melbourne of the Prince of Wales in 1920 that prompted the name change.
The pier's redundancy came soon after the introduction of shipping containers and was reinforced by an infestation of shipworm, followed by fires, eventually resulting in its closure. It wasn't until 2006 that the State Government announced its plan to remove the southern portion of the concrete deck (while preserving the original pylons) and replace the first 196 metres of the pier deck. A further and equally significant component to the project is the restoration of the 1935 gatehouse (for community use).
The Princes Pier project strives to secure the future of this historic landmark. Evidence of this commitment is the preservation of the piles at the seaward end of the pier as a heritage and sculptural centrepiece. Bringing it all home is the Premier's Sustainability Award - the timber base of the trophy an actual relic of the original Princes pier.
Princes Pier is a 580 metre long historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne. It was known as the New Railway Pier until renamed Prince's Pier after the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) who visited Melbourne in May 1920.
The pier was constructed between 1912 and 1915 by the Melbourne Harbour Trust to supplement the adjacent Station Pier (originally the 'Railway Pier'). From completion in 1915 until 1969 it was also a major arrival point for new migrants, particularly during the post-war period. In addition to a pier, there was a gatehouse and barriers, terminal building, amenities rooms, goods lockers, ablution blocks, railway sidings and passenger gangways.
From opening the pier was linked by rail to the Port Melbourne railway line, via double lines branching from the Melbourne side of Graham station. Eight railway tracks ran onto the bridge, four along either face. A passenger rail service was provided to the pier from 30th May 1921 operated by suburban electric trains. Provided when ships were docked at the pier, it was usually operated by a single double ended 'swing door' motor car until ended in November 1930, as it was not financially rewarding to the Victorian Railways. The overhead wiring was removed on 17th August 1953 and the line singled and worked as a siding from 21st March 1961.
With the containerisation boom the pier became unused, being closed to public access in the early 1990s due to the poor timber condition, and squatters caused a fire in the late 1990s that destroyed the store structures. In the three years to 2004, 14 fires occurred. A refurbishment estimated to cost $14 million was announced by the State Government in April 2006, with the first 196 metres of the Pier fully restored, beyond that point the decking will be removed and the original pylons preserved. A full restoration was estimated at $60 million. A contract for the work was awarded in June 2007, and work began in October of the same year. The pier reopened to the public in December 2011.
Port Melbourne was originally called Sandridge. It was William Wedge Darke who surveyed Port Melbourne area under the instructions of Surveyor Robert Hoddle. He worked from a Caravan that he parked near the beach. A track was put through the tea tree scrub and a sign for the settlement was erected on as sandy ridge, and the name Sandridge was adopted. In 1884, local council changed the name to Port Melbourne.
Land sales were delayed until 1850. The gold rush immigration brought passengers and freight which made use of a government pier on Hobsons Bay, served by Australia's first railway line from Melbourne to Hobsons Bay. The first allotments surveyed in Sandridge were between Stokes Street and a linear lagoon on the east, now Esplanade East.
The formerly industrial Port Melbourne has been subject to intense urban renewal over the past decade. As a result, Port Melbourne is a diverse and historic area, featuring industrial and port areas along the Yarra, to open parklands, bayside beaches, exclusive apartments and Bay Street's restaurants and cafes. The suburb also forms a major transport link from east to west, home to one end of the West Gate Bridge.
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