Visiting St. Kilda's

St. Kilda is a bayside suburb in Melbourne that is just a short ride from the city. It has a beach, an interesting pier and shops that lure in tourists and visitors.

Kuya Neo, my brother-in-law, took me on a motorcycle ride and we visited St. Kilda. My sister, Larisa, had to stay at home to take a rest. It's an hour ride from the city and the place was abuzz with people out to have a fun time. And since I'm a tourist, I went trigger happy with my DSLR 'Nori' and took a lot of pictures of the place.

On sundays, St. Kilda hosts a art and craft market along the Esplanade showcasing goods of all kinds. From bright creative paintings, handmade jewelry, scultpures, and photographs.


The main attraction would be St. Kilda's beach and pier. The beach, with its gentle waves, is popular with swimmers and sunbathers during the summer months. The sand is a bit colored sienna, totally different from what I have seen at the beaches back in the Philippines. It's really clean too. No one was swimming at that day since it was already winter and so cold!

And from the beach, you cold see some of the yachts and boats that sails on the bay.

And dogs are free to run around the beach all day.

The St. Kilda Pier is a local landmark and a major tourist attraction. The pier had been built in the 1850's and has been a center of activity ever since. Here's a short excerpt about the history of the pier from www.onlymelbourne.com.au

St Kilda Pier has been the centre of recreational activity in St Kilda since the 1850s. Both the old shed at the pier entrance and the pavilion at the end are part of Victoria's heritage.

St Kilda Pier's History dates back to 1853 when the St Kilda Pier and Jetty Company constructed a wooden jetty to assist the early settlers in unloading timber, building materials and firewood to St Kilda. Not long after its construction the small jetty fell victim to a stormy Port Phillip Bay and was washed away. Various forms of piers were constructed at St Kilda in the 1800s as the demand for a larger pier grew with the ever increasing trade to and from the area. Since then the St Kilda Pier has grown to its present size, with the most recent concrete section constructed in the 1970s.

St. Kilda Pier Sign

Boats and yachts seen upclose

The historic St Kilda Pier Kiosk was built in 1904 and has undergone several renovations in its time. Tragically, the Kiosk was devastated by fire on September 11, 2003. Original drawings from 1904 were used as the basis for the kiosk’s reconstruction in 2005 and now a new era has begun for the kiosk. The St Kilda Kiosk has become a symbol of St Kilda, a place of seaside fun, relaxation and romance. In many ways it offers the same simple pleasures. So take your time to look around and reflect.

There are really interesting things to see at the pier. From swans and seagulls who just swim and hang around the docks to starfishes on the rocks. And of course, the occassional humans who like to take pictures on the pier.


The St. Kilda Pier is even more stunning during sunset. The view took my breath away. So beautiful.

After taking a long walk at the pier. Me and Kuya Neo went back to the shops to find a good restaurant so we could eat dinner. St. Kilda is pretty upbeat at night too.

Some of their shops have really nice displays on the roof! It keeps things interesting and really made me curious of what they were selling in the stores.
There were also cake shops that sold mouth watering cakes and pastries. Mmmm! I kinda regret that I didn't even buy that really big eclair. Everything looks so good and yummy!
The place we ate at was the Abbey Road. Quite an interesting name which made me remember one of the Beatle's popular album covers. The place was decked with different music pharaphernalia from concert posters, album covers, actual records, and pictures of different musicians. The food was good too and worth the almost 30 minute wait. I ordered the Sunday Lamb Roast with potatoes, carrots, english pudding and gravy while Kuya Neo ordered some Angus Rib Eye with chips and roasted mushrooms. Mmm! It was so good! Definitely made the night wonderful.

It was a fun day. A bit tiring but worth it. We also visited the Luna Park, a small amusement park near the beach but I'll save that story for another post.