Westgate wander
Beginning from Town Hall, we'll catch the 109 tram on Collins down to the bay...
Port Melbourne railway line
Opened in 1854, the first in Australia to operate with steam locomotives (previously horse-drawn, incline)
Sydney got its first steam line the following year between the city and Granville
Port Melbourne railway line
Opened in 1854, the first in Australia to operate with steam locomotives (previously horse-drawn, incline)
Sydney got its first steam line the following year between the city and Granville
From there we'll walk west along the promenade, passing Pluto and onwards beyond the Solar System to the Life Saving Victoria headquarters... (which has a cafe if a snack/coffee is needed)
The last shack of Fishermans Bend
Fishermen began settling 'Humbug Reach' and 'Fishermen's Bend' along the lower Yarra River in the 1850s.
Thirty families lived on the 'Bend', frequently finding additional work in the docks and cargo ships and loading ballast for ships returning to Europe.
The last shack of Fishermans Bend
Fishermen began settling 'Humbug Reach' and 'Fishermen's Bend' along the lower Yarra River in the 1850s.
Thirty families lived on the 'Bend', frequently finding additional work in the docks and cargo ships and loading ballast for ships returning to Europe.
Habitation was in rough shacks along the Bend, made from corrugated iron, flattened kerosene tins or wood. There were no roads, shops, or sewerage. Water was collected from hanging out sail canvases, and stored in iron tanks or casks. Milk came from a nearby farm.
The last remaining shack on the Bend was demolished in 1970, as Webb Dock expanded; the Life Saving Victoria headquarters stand on the site today.
...and south to Sandridge Lookout, where we can watch cargo ships come in and unload at the container terminal.
Ships and cranes
Consult the MarineTraffic app.
Get to know the types of ships:
Ships and cranes
Consult the MarineTraffic app.
Get to know the types of ships:
(RIP Infrastructure Observatory, who published The Container Guide.)
The container unloading is highly automated:
The 7 Ship-to-Shore cranes are operated remotely, 1.2 kilometres from the wharf via fiber optic cable.
The cranes can withstand winds up to 25m/s or 90kph and can lift loads up to 65 tons.
There are 26 Automatic Stacking Cranes, 100 percent automated.
Then back north to the park...
Keeping on along the Bay Trail, looping around the industrial area.
Just north, on the opposite bank of the Yarra, there used to be a swamp...
The swamp and its inhabitants
Then, a highlight: we'll take the Westgate punt, which costs $5 and runs on demand on the weekends. This will take us under the bridge itself.
Walk to Yarraville for lunch via Maribyrnong River Trail, Stony Creek and Ballarat St (2.3 km)