About Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is bordered by the shore of Hobsons Bay and the lower reaches 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.

Historically it was known as Sandridge and developed as the city's second port, linked to the nearby Melbourne CBD. The area has been subject to intense urban renewal over the past decade. As a result, Port Melbourne is a diverse and historic area, featuring industrial and port areas along the Yarra to open parklands, bayside beaches, exclusive apartments and Beach Road's restaurants and cafes. The suburb is also forms a major transport link from east to west, home to one end of the West Gate Bridge.

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 Melbourne 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.