How to do Melbourne’s beaches by tram

By Tim Richards

December 28, 2023 — 2.11pm

This article is part of Traveller’s comprehensive Melbourne Destination Guide.See all stories.

A patch of sand with your name on it is just a short tram ride away.Credit: iStock

When most people think of Melbourne, they don’t think of beaches. However, several sandy playgrounds on Port Phillip Bay can be easily accessed from the CBD – by the city’s iconic transport option, the tram. And each beach is close to great cafes, bars and restaurants, producing a two-for-one bayside treat.

Tram 109 to Port Melbourne Beach, Tram 1 from South Melbourne Beach

I’m catching the number 109 tram to the beaches of Port Melbourne, but first I’m following a cafe tip (this is Melbourne, after all). Alighting at the second-last stop at Graham Street, I walk to Vertue Coffee Roasters. It’s an archetypal third-wave cafe, with a concrete floor offset by bright blue tabletops – and five choices of coffee including an excellent single-origin from Rwanda, which I enjoy as a long black.

Port Melbourne boardwalk.Credit: Visit Victoria

Then I head on foot to Station Pier, once the destination of postwar migrant ships and now used by cruise liners. There’s a hint of Gold Coast about this area, with its modern high-rise apartment buildings, waterside restaurants, and plentiful palm trees.

East of the pier is Port Melbourne Beach, a broad stretch of golden sand where people are sunbathing. The footpath above it is flanked by historical memorials and street art, making for a pleasant walk. At some point the sands become South Melbourne Beach, and I reach my goal: the Bleakhouse Hotel, a renovated 19th century pub whose name comes from a Dickens novel. It’s next to the terminus of tram number 1, so I’ll head back to the city from here.

The pub’s dining room has a bay view, and a menu ranging from pub classics to fancier dishes. A starter of hummus with toasted walnuts, olives, and sumac yoghurt, is followed by fish and chips accompanied by “posh peas”; and a pint of Stomping Ground lager. Perfect beachside food.

Port Melbourne’s palm tree-lined foreshore.Credit: Visit Victoria

Tram 12 to St Kilda West Beach and Middle Park Beach

Another afternoon I jump aboard the number 12 tram, which winds through South Melbourne and Middle Park. Alighting at the Cowderoy Street stop, I grab a takeaway coffee from Frankie’s, a popular local cafe, before walking to St Kilda West Beach.

It’s an interesting space – between road and sand is native vegetation, threaded by a boardwalk which loops around to West Beach Bathers Pavilion. This attractive tiled structure dates from the 1920s, and houses a busy café with a view of the bay.

Past a stretch of scrubby bushland is Middle Park Beach, full of people sunbathing and taking to the water. From here I turn inland along Mills Street, back to the tramway, for dinner at Ragazzi. This Italian restaurant is a local hangout, a cosy old-fashioned space with timber panelling and circular windows. Dinner is the soup of the day (lentil and vegetable), followed by a perfect veal saltimbocca that takes me back to my first visit to Italy.

Tram 96 to St Kilda Beach

As its surrounding suburb has long been an entertainment hub, St Kilda Beach is ringed by restaurants, pubs and live music venues. I take advantage of this proximity to lunch at Stokehouse Pasta and Bar, a local icon.

It’s a bright airy space with windows showing off the adjacent beach, off which people are swimming. My waiter tells me the crab and chilli spaghetti is popular, so I go for that; along with a fennel, rocket and hazelnut salad, and a glass of pinot grigio. An unconventional dessert of manchego cheese and honeycomb seals the deal.

After lunch I walk along the boardwalk, past the former St Kilda Sea Baths building which is now a dining complex; then up the slope to the fabled Esplanade Hotel (affectionately known as the Espy). Ordering a beer, I take a seat with a view over the bay, and relax.