The pier, originaThe pier, originally built in 1854 as Railway Pier, was the ‘passenger gateway’ to Melbourne and the arrival point for hundreds and thousands of hopeful migrants after the Second World War. Countless arrivals who passed down the gangplanks and through customs recall this structure as their first memory of Australia. Station Pier is still a busy working pier. A large number of international cruise liners still dock here each year and the Spirit of Tasmania ferries its passengers to and from Australia’s island state. Today’s shipping schedules however are a faint echo of the frenetic activity of the past when ocean transport for people and freight was common. Gone are the enthusiastic crowds that came to throw streamers at the glamorous liners or board the paddle steamers for picnic cruises down the Bay to Sorrento and Queenscliff.
by cityofportphillip on March 31, 2016Please login to comment on this item