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Port Melbourne & St Kilda Railway Lines - Historic Area

Location Lines from Melbourne to Port Melbourne & St Kilda,, ST KILDA VIC 3182 - Property No B4794 File Number B4794 Level National

[1/1] B4794 South Melbourne Station

Statement of Significance

The significance of the Port Melbourne and St Kilda railways derives from their formative influences on Melbourne's economic growth and suburban form. Australia's first public steam train commenced services to Port Melbourne in 1854. Flinders Street was thus established as the foundation of Melbourne's rail network. The Port Melbourne railway was an essential component in the development of Melbourne as a commercial city in the nineteenth century, and remained as the main gateway for the city's international passenger traffic until the 1960s. Opened in 1857, the St Kilda line was the first of the purely suburban railways which would influence the shape and density of Melbourne. It stimulated St Kilda's development as an elite residential locality and major recreational resort.
Classified: 20/3/1986