Melbourne has, arguably, the best public transport system in Australia. The only thing we’re lacking is a train line from the main airport into the city centre… but we’re working on that! Here’s a list of transport sights and sites that we love.
Station and Princes Piers, Port Melbourne
Settlers have been arriving at Port Melbourne since the 1830s and the first pier was opened in 1854 to accommodate the hordes of people attracted by the Gold Rush. The first pier, known as Railway Pier, was connected to the settlement of Melbourne by a 4.5-kilometre train line known as the Sandridge Line. By 1861, Railway Pier had to be extended to facilitate the increasing numbers of people arriving in hopes of finding their fortune in the expanding city.
As the population grew, so too did the demands on Railway Pier. As a result, a new pier was built alongside it between 1912 and 1915 which opened in 1915 as New Railway Pier. New Railway Pier became the main passenger wharf for new immigrants arriving in Melbourne, while Railway Pier serviced the vessels carrying more supplies and cargo than passengers. In May 1920, the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) visited Melbourne, leading to New Railway Pier being renamed in his honour. We’ve called it Princes Pier ever since.
Newer and more powerful ships had started to arrive in the early 1900’s which Railway Pier could not cope with. A new, modern pier was designed and built over the top of the original supports, reopening in 1930 as Station Pier. Station Pier is the still largest timber piled wharf in Australia. The design was very forward thinking at the time, with two levels, one for passengers disembarking and another below for freight to be unloaded directly onto the trains. A system that is still used today and now found around the world.
Both piers still remain; Station Pier is still Melbourne’s primary wharf for passenger ships and serves the cruise ships, an occasional Naval ship as well as its most famous resident, a ferry service known as The Spirt of Tasmania. Princes Pier was closed in the 1990’s due to (by then) unsafe timbers but the 580-metre pier would cost too much money to completely repair (around $60 million). Instead, the first 196 metres has been restored at a cost of $14 million and was reopened to the public for recreational use in 2011. The remaining 384-metre stretch of the original pier was stripped of the decking, the supporting pylons were preserved and are visible from the end of the restored pier.
Flinders Street Station
Australia’s first train line was the Sandridge Line with ran from the pier at Port Melbourne to the township of Melbourne. The Sandridge line connected to Melbourne Terminus by crossing the Sandridge Bridge over the Yarra River. In 1919 the Sandridge Line was electrified all the way to Port Melbourne and by 1921 onto the pier itself. By 1987, most cargo ships were arriving elsewhere and thus the train line was transformed into a tram line. The line became a light-rail/tram line and is now served by the 109 tram which runs from Station Pier to the eastern suburb of Box Hill. The Sandridge Bridge was closed to trains, sitting unused for 20 years until it was re-opened as a cycle and footbridge in 2006. The artwork which adorns the bridge is by Nadim Karam and represents the types of immigrants to have arrived by train across this bridge. Nine of the ten sculptures move across the bridge every 15 minutes.
Originally known as Melbourne Terminus, the current Flinders Street Station buildings were completed in 1909. Built to accommodate the growing number of railway lines of an ever-growing city, Flinders Street Station was designed by two railway employees, James Fawcett and H. Ashworth. Theirs was the winning design of 17 entries for a competition held in 1899, with first prize claiming a £500 reward.
At present, all metropolitan train lines running through Melbourne’s suburbs all make a stop at Flinders Street Station, as well as a number of regional train lines. The city’s busiest train station, Flinders Street Station sees over 90,000 passengers per day.
Puffing Billy
It is not documented where the name Puffing Billy came from, but it is known to be a nickname the locals gave the train in its early days of ‘puffing through the countryside like a boiling billy-can’. What we do know for sure is that Puffing Billy is Australia’s oldest and best-preserved steam railway.
The line, which opened in 1900, was initially built to transport farming and timber freight. It very quickly gained the attention of Melburnians, who began to day tripping to ride on the train and enjoy the scenery. It became such a popular destination, that in 1919 fifteen dedicated passenger carriages were built for the line. It is these carriages which are still used today.
The line started to lose money during the great depression and the losses continued well into the 1950s. In 1953 a large landslide closed much of the line and the line was officially closed on 30 April 1954. In December of that year, the Sun newspaper arranged a special trip for children to say goodbye to the train. It was so popular that 3 more ‘farewell’ trips took place which led to the formation of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. Their hard work enabled the resumption of services on weekends which continued until 1958. The next 4 years were spent in repairing the trains, carriages and most importantly the line itself. The line officially reopened on 21 July 1962 from Belgrave to Menzies Creek and the hard work of volunteers has kept the line open and operating ever since. They bypassed the section of line previously affected by landslide and, in stages, reopened the line all the way to Gembrook.
A minimum of 3 trains run every day (except Christmas Day) from Belgrave Station to Menzies Creek and further to Gembrook on selected days. Regardless of your destination, Puffing Billy meanders through the lush, temperate rainforest of the Dandenong Ranges. Over one hundred years later, Puffing Billy still makes for a wonderful day for the entire family.
Yarra River Boat Houses
On the south bank of the Yarra River and east of Princes Bridge and Southgate you will find seven boathouses belonging to Melbourne’s oldest rowing clubs. The first was the Melbourne University Boat Club which formed in 1859. It was joined in 1862 by the Melbourne Rowing Club and the Richmond Rowing Club a year later. 1865 saw the establishment of the Banks Rowing Club followed by the La Trobe University Rowing Club in 1869. Two years later the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club was formed and the Mercantile Rowing Club finished the set in 1880.
The boat sheds started appearing at the turn of the 19th century and in 1904 the first Henley-on-Yarra regatta was held. The event took place in Spring, between the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup horse races and soon started to draw a similar type of crowd. It become one of the most popular events to draw the masses on both banks of the river as well as on pontoons on the river itself, which accommodated Melbourne’s more prominent and affluent families.
Now known as the Australian Henley Regatta, it is an amateur rowing regatta held annually under the auspices of Rowing Victoria. Still occasionally known as Henley-on-Yarra, it is organized by the Melbourne Amateur Regatta Association. The event features a two-lane knock-out format and is based on the Henley Royal Regatta, which takes place annually on the Thames River in Oxfordshire, England.
The Australian Henley was established to raise sufficient funds to send Australian rowing crews overseas and to draw international crews to Australia. Bobby Pearce, Merv Wood, Stuart Mackenzie, Kim Crow, Peter Antonie and members of the Oarsome Foursome have all won the prestigious event. International winners include crews from Lithuania, Japan and England, as well as Germany and New Zealand. Now held in late Summer, the regatta has school, club and open events and all amateur rowers are eligible. Entrants compete for Challenge Cups, some of which are among the oldest perpetual trophies for amateur rowing in Australia. Winners of senior events take home a prized 'Henley pot'.
You can see the boathouses and learn more about them on Show Me Melbourne’s Sports Lovers Walking Tour - https://www.showmemelbourne.com.au/sports-lovers-walking-tour
Trams and Hook Turns
Aside from trains, one of the first public transports seen in Melbourne were horse-drawn buses which met passengers at either of the two train stations and transported them, at a cost of three pennies, to Fitzroy, Richmond, Carlton or North Melbourne.
The first horse-drawn trams appeared in Melbourne around 1883. The first steam-powered cable tramway opened in November 1885 and ran from the corner of Bourke and Spencer Streets all the way to Hawthorn Bridge (where Bridge Road crosses the Yarra) in Richmond. By 1891, Melbourne had around 71 kilometres (44 miles) of double track cable tramway, which were powered by 11 engine houses. The first electric service opened in 1889 and operated from Box Hill to Doncaster until 1896.
By 1919 there were steam and electric tramways across many different councils of Melbourne and all were operated by different companies. As a result, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) was established to operate the entire network. The main task was to electrify the steam lines and link up and extend the whole tram system. Work progressed quickly through the 1920s but was halted by the Great Depression and then the second World War. The last steam-powered cable tram car travelled to Northcote on 26 October 1940.
The famous W class tram was built in 1923 to replace the varying tram styles used by the all the different companies inherited by the MMTB. The distinctive W class trams became a much-loved Melbourne icon and were in operation until 1975 when the Z class was introduced. The W Class trams can still be seen around Melbourne as many serve Route 35, also known as The City Circle, Route 35 is a dedicated tourist route encircling the Melbourne CBD with a tail out to Docklands with GPS triggered pre-corded, audio commentary. The City Circle operates daily (except Christmas Day and Good Friday) from 10am and runs both clockwise and counter-clockwise services every 20 minutes, with the commentary differing with the direction.
By 1983, when the Victorian Government took over operation under the name, The Met, Melbourne had 684 trams, 220 kilometres of tram track and around 5000 tram drivers and conductors. Today, the entire tram network is owned and operated by Yarra Trams. It is the largest operational tram network in the world with 250 kilometres of double track, 1700 stops and more than 1,200 drivers. From 9 depots, more than 5000 services per day safely transport over 2 million passengers per year.
Trams are such an integral part of life for Melburnians that we don’t often think about the various rules and laws that are in place to ensure trams move swiftly and safely around our city. The most notable of these though, is the Hook Turn which was invented to keep tramlines clear of cars.
Hook turns officially became a part of Victorian traffic regulations in 1954 but were in use long before, at least from the 1930s but probably earlier. Baffling to many locals as well as tourists, when used correctly hook turns are a timesaver for more than just trams. The manoeuvre is utilised when turning right across tram lines in Melbourne’s central business district, where there is rarely room for a dedicated right-turn lane.
The rules are found in many guide books and there is even a video you can find online with instructions on how to complete a hook turn. To save you the trouble of looking these up, we also compiled some instructions.
Step 1: Keep in the left lane at the intersection where you wish to turn right.
Step 2: When the traffic light turns green, you may enter the intersection and wait on the left. Be sure to keep as far left as possible WITHOUT entering into any lines marked for pedestrian use.
Step 3: Your vehicle is now at the head of the queue of traffic waiting to cross the road you are presently on. As such, you must now wait for that traffic light to turn green.
Step 4: When the red light of the road you are entering turns green, you finish your right turn and continue straight.
Tips you won’t find in other guides include: Keep an eye on your mirrors as the light changes from amber to red as any vehicles, especially trams and cyclists, will run a red light and you don’t want to t-bone them; A look to your right as you’re turning will also help avoid a collision. By keeping an eye on the traffic all around you, you are much less likely to collide with another vehicle as you finish your turn.
Westgate Bridge
The West Gate Bridge is a steel box girder, cable-stayed bridge which was opened in November 1978. It has 10 lanes which transport over 200,000 vehicles per day, making it one of the busiest roads in the country.
Two years into its construction, on 15 October 1970, a 112-metre section fell to the ground and water below. 35 construction workers were killed and a further 18 were injured in the collapse. To this day, the event remains as Australia’s worst industrial accident. A Royal Commission into the collapse concluded on 14 July 1971 and attributed the catastrophe to two main causes; the design by the designers and the unusual construction method used.
Monash University (named for the engineer who designed Sandridge Bridge mentioned above) obtained six of the twisted girders retrieved from the collapse site. The girders sit outside their Engineering Building as a constant reminder for their engineering students about the consequences of errors, which in this case were tragic.
The West Gate Bridge is the main thoroughfare to the states second largest city, Geelong, and for nearly all residents living in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The current demands on the bridge greatly outweigh the expectations of its construction.
At present, a new tunnel is being built under the Yarra River to alleviate pressure on the bridge. The plan is for this new tunnel to be tolled. The West Gate Bridge was tolled from opening until 1985 when realisation dawned that most drivers were ‘going the long way round’ to avoid paying the toll. When the Burnley Tunnel and Bolte Bridge were built (both toll roads) the residents of the west kicked up a major stink when the government tried to toll the already existing stretch of freeway which connected the two. Given the demographic of the west, and their constant refusal to pay tolls, this writer feels that it is unlikely they will pay to use the tunnel either.
Show Me Melbourne run a range of tours in Melbourne including Sports, History, Local Culture and Wine, Gin & Cocktail tours. They also run bespoke tours on request on any facet of Melbourne. Visit www.showmemelbourne.com.au