VICPort & river
Port Melbourne
Where ships unloaded rather than tackle the shallow Yarra.
1839Liardet builds a hotel and jetty
WHAT STARTED IT
Shipping goods up the Yarra to Melbourne in small vessels was slow and costly, so passengers and cargo landed on the Hobsons Bay beach closest to town. Wilbraham Liardet built a hotel and jetty here in 1839 and ran a mail service to Melbourne.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Gold rush traffic brought a government pier and Australia’s first railway, opened from Melbourne to Sandridge in 1854. Sandridge became a borough in 1860 and Port Melbourne in 1884, with piers, sugar, soap and biscuit works, and generations of migrants arriving at Station Pier.
TURNING POINTS
1839Liardet settles on the beach and builds a hotel and jetty.
1854The Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay railway opens to Sandridge.
1860Sandridge Borough is created.
1884The municipality is renamed Port Melbourne.
1987The railway is converted to light rail.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A residential bayside suburb with apartments on former port land, while heritage-listed Station Pier still receives passenger ships.