Waterfront Place
The Age
Tuesday April 12, 2005
WATCHING cars climb the well-lit ramp into the hull of the Spirit of Tasmania is just one of the images that makes you feel you're in a surreal space as you stroll one of Port Melbourne's newest attractions.
The night sky blazes with hundreds of the ships multi-coloured lights and on any given night you can watch ocean liners arrive and depart the neat little pier.Everything here is purpose built - from Rex Hunt's fish and chippery where you can taste the catch of the day to the striking Waterfront restaurant, which dominates the seascape with its stunning decor. It sits comfortably next to the informal tapas treat Campari's Station Pier, an enormous hip cafe bursting with a vibrant, multi-cultural crowd sunk into red leather couches as they sip a variety of martini's and nibble everything from pizza to Portuguese chicken.You can gasp at the array of seriously upwardly mobile motorbikes that roar through the mini village at the end of Waterfront Place, as the small winding roads around the pier offer the ideal showground for these metallic beauties.It's as if you've reached the end of the world as people descend from the tram that stops near the heart of the village centre. Here you'll find the baker, the newsagent, the post office, even a local gym all with their own matching neon signs.Walk along the pier and watch the small boats putting their motors along the foreshore and gaze up at the multi-level apartments that are reminiscent of a Queensland suburb rather than a Victorian one.While it is without the history of the Brighton Beach architecture, Station pier provides visitors with a fresh approach to foreshore wining, dining and living, and is a great place to take a stroll on a hot summer night.
© 2005 The Age