Station Pier - Visit Opportunity this Saturday 10th May

The Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network (MMHN) and Ports Victoria are hosting an event on Station Pier this Saturday 10th May, from 2-4 pm. This is an opportunity to hear about the technical and heritage underpinnings of this landmark. The event is part of the National Trust’s Australian Heritage Festival.

The event is free, but bookings are required (click/tap here to book).

The MMHN advocates for the urgent ‘Reimagining of Station Pier’ (click/tap here for details).

Our Newsletter is Out

Volunteers are delivering the latest newsletter to residences over the coming days. This issue includes news on:

• New plans for 1 and 7 Waterfront Place 
• The Barak Beacon public housing site in Port Melbourne
• Beacon Cove Foodstore redevelopment at 103 Beach Street
• Hoon driving and related noise.
• Air quality monitoring at Station Pier
• Port Victoria’s Cruise Shipping Strategy
• Joining the BCNA

BCNA thanks Nina Taylor, MP, State Member for Albert Park, for arranging printing and to Kosdown Press for folding the newsletter.

Click/tap here for an electronic version of the newsletter.

Ship Visit

Ports Victoria has notified us to say that an offshore tug / supply ship, the Seven Sisters, will be at Station Pier on Monday 21st April for several days. The ship was built in 2008.

Click/tap here for more information about the Seven Sisters.

Cruise Shipping Strategy being Developed

Ports Victoria recently initiated the development of a cruise shipping strategy for the Victorian Government. This was announced by the Victorian Government in July 2022 as explained here.

Representatives of the BCNA recently met consultants assisting Ports Victoria with the strategy. The task was to discuss the current state of cruise shipping, priority areas, pain points, and risks and opportunities for growth. Station Pier is considered the hub of cruise shipping which also includes Hastings, Portland and Phillip Island. Pleasingly, the task includes landside improvements around Station Pier.

The BCNA has long advocated for Government leadership of a project which would overcome the shortcomings of the area as explained here. The next step in the development of the strategy is the release of a discussion paper in March 2025.

Ship Visits in January

Ports Victoria expects 22 cruise ships to visit Station Pier in January. Click/tap here for details.

A highlight will be the visit of the Royal Australian Navy’s sail training ship, Young Endeavour, on 24 and 25 January. She will be berthed at Inner West, just opposite the West Finger Pier. Click/tap here for further details about the Young Endeavour.

BCNA AGM – Summary of Meeting

The BCNA held its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 14th November. For those who could not attend click/tap here for a summary of the meeting.

The Guest Speaker was Craig Walker, CEO of Ports Victoria. Craig spoke about the maintenance and improvements to Station Pier, the preparation of a Cruise Ship Strategy, and that Ports Vic may open the Pier to the public on occasions with special events on the Pier and precinct.

Ms. Nina Taylor, MP, State Member for Albert Park, spoke about the freight yard adjoining Station Pier may become a community area, hoon driving, and that she will investigate the installation of road humps to control hoon driving near Station Pier.

Port Melbourne Ward Councillor Heather Cunsolo spoke about collaborating with police on hoon driving, Fishermans Bend and public transport, E-scooters and 1 and 7 Waterfront Place.

Reminder of BCNA AGM - This Thursday

This year’s AGM of the BCNA will be held this Thursday, 14th November, at 7:15 pm. It will be held at the Trugo Club in Garden City Reserve. All financial members and supporters are invited to attend.

The President’s Report is now available, click here to read it.

Other papers for the AGM were emailed earlier.

The Guest Speaker will be Craig Walker, CEO, Ports Victoria. This will provide an unusual opportunity to hear about developments within Ports Victoria and how Station Pier and the surrounding Waterfront Place precinct fit into the Ports Victoria strategy. We will also have an update from Hon Nina Taylor, Member for Albert Park and have invited our outgoing councillors for Gateway Ward being Heather Cunsolo, Marcus Pearl, and Peter Martin, all of whom have served us well. This meeting represents a great opportunity to discuss local issues with your representatives.

Navy Ship Visiting Station Pier

If you heard gunfire from Station Pier on Friday afternoon, it was from HMAS Arunta (using blank rounds) in preparation for a ceremonial volley at 8 pm.

 

Ports Victoria notified BCNA late Thursday that HMAS Arunta was arriving at Station Pier on Friday morning, 20th September. It is staying for several days.

The RAN is holding a Ceremonial Sunset event on the ship on Friday evening which will include a gunfire volley of blank rounds. The ceremonial volley is scheduled for 8pm.

Guided Tour of Station Pier

The CEO of Ports Victoria has invited BCNA members to a guided tour of the Pier. Members will be sent details shortly.

If you are not a member of BCNA and would like to join the tour, please contact the treasurer about becoming a member. Click/tap here for a membership form.

New Cruise Ship Season

This year’s cruise ship season commences with the arrival of the Diamond Princess at Station Pier on Sunday 29th September.

Ports Victoria reports that there are bookings of around 100 ships in 2024/25, compared to 128 last year. Last year’s travel is thought to have been boosted by post COVID-19 travel.

Maintenance work on Station Pier has taken place in the off-season. This has included pile maintenance and building repairs, painting, corrosion protection, electrical and other works as explained here. Painting of the Gate House has been completed and the ramp in the freight yard has been demolished.

Station Pier Berth Sweeping

The Port of Melbourne is conducting maintenance dredging at Station Pier over the next few weeks. This will involve ‘sweeping’ of the berth pockets on either side of the pier and will be undertaken by a tug. The work will be intermittent because the vessel will be working across several locations in the port of Melbourne.

Queries or feedback should be directed to the Port of Melbourne on telephone 1300 857 662 or email port.dredge@portofmelbourne.com.

Resilient Lady at Station Pier

Community concern was received about the amount of noise emanating from the Virgin cruise ship at Station Pier on Sunday evening 10 December. The BCNA has raised the noise concerns with Ports Victoria.

The BCNA has been informed this was due to an evening function to mark the launch and first Melbourne-based cruise of the new Virgin ship, the Resilient Lady. The ship has now left Station Pier on a cruise to Hobart and will return to Melbourne on 16 December.

Whilst cruise ships are mostly welcomed by the community, we do receive occasional complaints about their associated logistics, notably noise and the ensuing congestion from arriving or departing passengers. We have recently received a letter from the Department of Transport in which they state that Yarra Trams has committed to place additional services during the weekends on Route 109, when cruise ships are scheduled to arrive at Beacon Cove.

Complaints or queries for cruise ships are best addressed to Ports Victoria who are responsible for Station Pier and collect relevant fees from the cruise lines. They can be reached by emailing cruise@ports.vic.gov.au.

New Air Quality Monitoring Program at Station Pier

The BCNA has been briefed by Ports Victoria on an air quality monitoring program that has been started at Station Pier this month.  Australian certified monitoring equipment has been set up beside the Gatehouse.

It will monitor for nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate emissions. The monitoring results will give a better understanding of the local air quality around Station Pier. The period will include cruise ship seasons, the time between cruise seasons as well as seasonal weather variations. Ports Victoria plan to share the results with the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) and the local community via monthly reports with the first report expected late January 2024. There is also a plan to develop an online dashboard that will enable real-time viewing of air quality at Station Pier.

BCNA welcomes the Ports Victoria project as air quality has been a concern to residents near Station Pier for a long time. For more details, click here.

Dredging Near Station Pier

The Port of Melbourne has contacted us to say they have organised dredging activity at Station Pier in late November. Station Pier accommodates cruise ship visits as well as navy and other vessels throughout the year. For navigational safety reasons, the water depth must be maintained to accommodate all these ships.

For a few days in the period from mid-November to the end of November, maintenance dredging will be conducted by the Port of Melbourne. At Station Pier, dredging will be scheduled around cruise ship visits between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm Monday to Saturday and managed in accordance with EPA Regulations. If you have any questions about the dredging, contact the Port of Melbourne here.

Update on the Future of Station Pier

Recently, the BCNA met senior staff from Ports Victoria to hear an update about plans for Station Pier. This was to hear about progress concerning the Victorian Government’s announcement that it would

“...determine the most suitable option for continuing cruise shipping at Station Pier. This must balance local precinct and visitor experience outcomes with the complexity and cost of maintaining the aged heritage pier. The work will be complemented by a statewide cruise shipping strategy developed with stakeholders to maximise the economic and social benefits of cruise shipping services across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne." (Page 29, summary)

At the meeting the BCNA was told that the Victorian Government had confirmed Station Pier would continue to be the hub for cruise shipping. Regional ports, such as Hastings, Portland and Phillip Island are to be included in the development of a Victorian Cruise Shipping Industry Strategy. A precinct plan (for the Waterfront Place precinct) is part of this strategy.

Preparing Station Pier for a Busy Cruise Season

A busy cruise season is scheduled for 2023-24. The Grand Princess, arriving on 23 October, is the first of 126 scheduled visits compared with 110 visits last season.

Ports Victoria is currently carrying out its annual routine maintenance works on the pier to protect the structure’s heritage and maintain it as a safe shipping and cruise facility. The $10 million works include the ongoing pile rehabilitation program; upgrading the pier deck; maintenance of fire services; refurbishment of the outside of the Gatehouse and testing the mooring bollards.

West Finger Pier is undergoing decking refurbishment. When completed, members of the public will be able to enjoy greater access to this pier.

Station Pier Maintenance

Ports Victoria have advised us that they will be starting maintenance works at Station Pier later this month.  The annual pile rehabilitation program as well as routine works will be undertaken, including repainting the Gate House.

Works will be carried out from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 7am and 5pm. They expect the program to be completed by late October.

Port of Melbourne Boat Tours

The Port of Melbourne have organised community boat tours on the 22 April, 7 May, 27 and 28 May. The tours are family-friendly events and are a safe way to see Australia’s busiest port, right on the city’s doorstep. The Port of Melbourne is Australia’s largest container and general cargo port and a vital trade gateway – whether sending Australian grain to Guangzhou or bringing us coffee from Colombia. 

There is guided commentary from port staff. The ticket fee is donated to Mission to Seafarers Victoria and Stella Maris Seafarer Centre who support the thousands of seafarers who spend months at sea bringing goods to us every day of the year. To book, click here.

Port of Melbourne Public Boat Tours

The Port of Melbourne (PoM) is again running some boat tours of the port in the coming month. These are a good way to see the workings of the port and include guided commentary from port staff and have been popular with BCNA members in the past.

Tours are currently scheduled for the 27 November (at 10am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm) and the PoM advises us that they will soon be releasing tickets for 4 December.

The tours run for approximately 90 minutes in groups of 200 people and bookings are required.

For further details and/or to book, go to Port of Melbourne Public Boat Tours.

The Future of Station Pier

Transport Victoria has released a strategy to improve the efficiency of Victoria’s ports (summary version here). The purpose of the strategy is to protect and enhance the commercial ports’ land and seaside connections; reserve and plan for the land and seaside connections for a second container port; and ensure long term policy settings are in place. 

Of particular interest to Beacon Cove residents is the discussion on Station Pier. The summary states

"..the Government will lead further work to determine the most suitable option for continuing cruise shipping at Station Pier. This must balance local precinct and visitor experience outcomes with the complexity and cost of maintaining the aged heritage pier. The work will be complemented by a statewide cruise shipping strategy developed with stakeholders to maximise the economic and social benefits of cruise shipping services across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne." (Page 29, summary)

The BCNA welcomes the announcement regarding Station Pier. We have long advocated for Victorian Government leadership of a project which would overcome the shortcomings of the area which we have explained in discussions with candidates standing for Council, Victorian Government and Federal elections.