Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is positioned on the shore of Hobsons Bay, on the east bank of the mouth of the Yarra River. The area to the north of the Westgate Freeway is in the City of Melbourne. The area to the south is in the City of Port Phillip.

The area known as Port Melbourne was first settled in 1839 by Wilbraham Liardet, who established a hotel, jetty, and mail service. It was initially known as Liardets Beach, though soon took on the official name of Sandridge, and finally Port Melbourne in 1884. The area came into prominence during the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s. With an increasing amount of ships looking to berth, Sandridge became a thriving transport hub. To alleviate the high costs of shipping goods via small vessels up the Yarra River to Melbourne, Australia's first railway line was built in 1854, connecting Sandridge to Melbourne. This became known as the Port Melbourne Line, and was eventually converted to tram route #109. The disused Sandridge Bridge takes its name from this historic railway line.

As a transport hub, Port Melbourne had numerous hotels. Early industries included a sugar refinery, soap and candle works, chemical works, rice and flour mills, gasworks, a distillery and a boot factory.

Today, Port Melbourne still serves as a transport hub for passenger and cargo vessels. The area where Port Melbourne originally developed, around Station Pier and Princes Pier(condemned), has now been redeveloped into apartment complexes and goes by the name of Beacon Cove. Many luxury liners naval vessels and ferries arrive at Station Pier including the daily ferry service to Tasmania. Cargo traffic takes place further west, near the mouth of the Yarra River, principally at Webb Dock. The main shopping strip is along Bay Street, which features numerous cafes, bars and restaurants. Port Melbourne is also home to one end of the Westgate Bridge, the main gateway between east and west Melbourne over the Yarra River. The Port Colts and the Boroughs are the local Australian rules football sides.

External links

• Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pmhps/)