St Kilda Foreshore

There are palm-fringed promenades, a parkland strand and a long stretch of sand. Still, don’t expect Bondi or Noosa. St Kilda’s seaside appeal is more Brighton, England than Baywatch, despite 20-odd years of glitzy development. And that’s the way Melburnians like it; a certain depth of character and an all-weather charm, with wild days on the bay providing for spectacular cloudscapes and terse little waves, as well as the more predictable sparkling blue of summer.

Two popular St Kilda restaurants are superbly located in historic foreshore buildings: the stylish Donovans, once a bathing pavilion, and the Stokehouse, originally an Edwardian teahouse. The kiosk at the end of St Kilda Pier (an exact replica of the original, which burnt down in 2003, a year short of its centen­ary) is as much about the journey as the destination. Piers have always made good fodder for music videos (Elton John, Elvis Costello et al) and this one is no different. The clip for Paul Kelly’s melancholic ’80s hit ‘From St Kilda to Kings Cross’ was shot here. You can book a ferry to make the voyage across the bay to Williamstown but regular scheduled passenger services no longer run.

The breakwater near the pier was built in the ’50s as a safe harbour for boats competing in the Olympic Games. It’s now home to a colony of little penguins that have, incredibly, chosen the city’s most crowded suburb in which to reside. Penguin Waters offers a two-hour scenic tour, which passes the penguins. Tours depart every evening from Southbank and include a barbecue and beverage. During summer, the Port Phillip Eco Centre also runs family tours of the St Kilda coastal environment, which end up at the penguin colony. They can’t guarantee a sighting but will do their best, and all tour proceeds go towards keeping the local penguin outpost flourishing. On the foreshore south of the pier, the Moorish-style St Kilda Sea Baths is a spectacular public folly. The complex contains a health club, shops and food outlets, but is markedly lacking in atmosphere and visitors, a hard call in this location. There’s an indoor saltwater pool, but at $11 a dip, it’s really only attractive on frosty days.