From 14 September visitors and locals will be able to access Station Pier seven days a week.
Ports Victoria is extending the opening hours of Station Pier so it can be accessed on weekdays, as well as weekends to fish, sightsee and enjoy the iconic location.
Station Pier will be generally open during daylight hours, except for when there are ship operations or major maintenance works being conducted at the pier.
“We are delighted to be extending access hours to Station Pier now the majority of our maintenance works have been completed,” said Station Pier Operations Manager Captain Glen Colaco.
“You’ll see we’ve refurbished the Pier’s Gatehouse and wharf deck, and we’ve also made improvements to the structural pylons, electrical systems and improved the amenity at Station Pier.”
Station Pier is one of Victoria’s most recognisable maritime gateways and has been instrumental in Melbourne’s, Victoria’s and Australia’s immigration and defence history for more than 100 years.
Initially constructed as a timber pier in 1854, it was reconstructed in the 1920s and opened in its current form in 1930. It has played an important role in Melbourne’s maritime history ever since.
Station Pier was Victoria’s welcoming point for generations of migrants, particularly after World War II. It was also where many Australian troops departed.
And it continues to welcome visitors to Victoria who arrive via cruise ship, with the 2026-27 cruise season commencing on 11 October.
To keep the pier welcoming modern vessels operating in the region, we’ve undertaken annual remediation works to support timber piles, beams and fenders so the pier continues to meet the operational loading requirements for our defence and cruise ship industries.
This includes essential maintenance works beneath the pier and to its structure, including the ongoing rehabilitation of its piles – there are approximately 7,400 of them. And in the past 10 years, we’ve repaired over 2,000 of them.
This year the team has undertaken works to restore heritage features, so it continues to look like it did in its younger days, including:
- Repainting some parts of the building in its heritage colours.
- Repairing historic crests located at the Gatehouse.
- Commenced repainting the West Finger Pier kiosk, where many people in years gone by bought snacks while visiting the beach here, saying goodbye to travelling loved ones or about to set sail themselves.
- Functional repairs to decking, gates and facades have also been undertaken.
- Along with major maintenance works on the boardwalk and pergola on the eastern side of Station Pier to ensure they are safe for the public to access.
- The outer terminal building has also been given a facelift inside and out – as it’s where visitors to Victoria enter our state via a cruise ship.
- Passenger wayfinding and visitor accessibility has been improved with a significantly widened pedestrian pathway between the gatehouse and inner terminal, pedestrian wayfinding on footpaths, additional pedestrian crossings and improved accessibility to toilets. We’ve also refurbished the lifts at the inner terminal.
The pier can be accessed via the main gate to designated areas. Limited accessible permit car parking is available at the southern end of the pier.
Come and experience this iconic location. Before visiting make sure you check our website to confirm the pier will be open.
