8 December 2024
The new St Kilda Pier opened yesterday ! I quite like it. I was expecting lots of clunky concrete, and there is perhaps too much conc, but there’s lots of timber too, including seats, and the handrail is rather elegant. At the kiosk end it curves around, following the existing breakwater, and steps down to get you closer to the water, which is nice, also a bit sheltered, perfect weather yesterday. Interestingly hardly anybody sat there, think most people just like promenading. So the pier ends up on a different alignment to the previous one, but the one before that was a bit to the left (last pic c1915), and there’s a short piece on the old angle, and lower down for boats to moor. Looking back it still aims straight for the Esplanade Hotel. There’s a curious circular info kiosk/shade thing, and beyond that there’s a windy boardwalk for penguin viewing, but I was running out of puff by then (they were going to charge for that bit but too much backlash). Back on land, there’s a nice new grassy mound. The pier was designed by @jcbarchitects, who did the boardwalk 15 years ago, which also has timber, but is actually a different aesthetic, but I guess never mind, the foreshore is a jumble of periods. Last note, I still can’t understand how the old pier was at the end of its life, being concrete 1970s, I’m sure there are timber piers much older than that. The new one has steel piles, or rather steel tubes filled with concrete, and has a design life of 50 years. They havnt fully demolished the old pier yet, with its pseudo Victorian shelters, 2nd last pic.
12 January 2025
Say goodbye to the Victorian style shelters from the old St Kilda Pier ! Just happened to be on the spot. I’ve heard them described as ‘iconic’ (not by me), and they feature in some postcard type photos eg 2,3. They’re not that old, well I suppose 40 years old now, but not historic. They did however proved a sheltered place to rest if the walk down the pier was too hot or too windy, and I think the pier could have done with some shade somewhere. The beach too.
Most commenters on my Insta post were sad about them going.
19 January 2025
Is anyone as sentimental about this kiosk, at the shore end of St Kilda Pier, as the recently removed Victorian style ones that were on pier ? Id guess it’s also mid 1980s. It’s more interpretive than the pier ones, with characteristic 80s semi-circular shapes, but also channelling the Edwardian style- I think now looking closely I quite like it ! It’s been closed while the pier reconstruction was going on, and plans show it retained (I thought maybe it wasn’t going to be). There’s a second one further along, where I usually get my ice creams.
22 March 2025
The heritage-style kiosk on the St Kilda foreshore has sold ice creams for as long as I can remember, but suddenly it’s empty. Pics from two days ago, vs January. I’ve always sort of liked its jaunty character – there’s a fun curvy pointy roof, verandah all round, and the weatherboards are even done in a Victorian diagonal pattern. It’s possibly late 1980s. Not sure about the paint job. Always wondered if it wouldn’t have been better closer to the water, but must always have struggled in winter – and in fact it was @claw_and_tail oyster bar from the end of 2022, and they didn’t renew the lease due to family changes, so I guess it’s up for grabs ? I think I like this more than the other one, also empty while the foreshore part of the pier is rebuilt.
Storey of Melbourne 