Paul Kelly once sang that St Kilda’s beach needed reconstruction, but this is no longer true for its beloved pier.
Sunbathers, swimmers and skylarkers warmly endorsed the $54 million pier redevelopment when The Age visited on Friday.
Swimmers Olivia, Leyla and Amelie jumping off the revamped St Kilda Pier.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
“It’s gorgeous. It’s all nice and clean. And it’s just really fun,” said Leyla, a 14-year-old from Ivanhoe. Moments later, she and her friends Olive, 15, and Amelie, 14, jumped off the pier into the water.
Olive, from Fairfield, chimed in: “I love the little circle bit. There’s so many people there, and you can just hang out.”
Since the pier reopened in December, social media users have already crowned their favourite spot: the sweeping curved deck end, near the historic kiosk, that cascades down to the water’s edge and offers a view of the city skyline.
It has, however, created an awkward situation for site manager Parks Victoria. The official position – according to the signs – is that jumping off the pier is banned.
But with sheltered waters glimmering metres away, how could you not?
On Friday, swimmers said they had seen Parks Victoria officials encouraging people to climb down ladders to swim in a roped-off zone. Several lifebuoy rings were close by too.
But Port Phillip councillor Serge Thomann, who represents the St Kilda ward and loves the redevelopment, still sees a problem as tourists flock to the new hotspot.
“There are so many people swimming, and I know that St Kilda Lifesaving Club hasn’t got enough people to police it,” he said.
Councillor Serge Thomann loves the new pier, but has concerns about water safety as tourists flock to it.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
“I was scared something was going to happen. And that night, someone drowned.”
On the evening of January 29, Sajeevan Selvaraj, a 23-year-old Indian student, was pulled from waters near St Kilda Pier.
His former boss, Rajamithran Venkatapathy, said Selvaraj grew up in Tamil Nadu in southern India. He moved to Australia to study a master’s degree in artificial intelligence at RMIT, graduating in November.
“He was a very hardworking, gentle man with lots of dreams,” Venkatapathy said.
Sajeevan Selvaraj, a 23-year-old Indian national, drowned near St Kilda Pier at the end of January.
Friend Yazhini Murthy said Selvaraj – who entered the water via the nearby beach, not the pier – was not a strong swimmer.
“The first beach that he visited when he came to Melbourne [was] the St Kilda beach,” she said. “We never knew it would be his last visit.”
Thomann said it highlighted the risks for inexperienced swimmers at the beach and the new pier.
St Kilda Lifesaving Club president Tim Norman also has concerns, but noted many Victorian beaches are not patrolled.
He said the volunteer club’s focus remained on the shoreline – where Selvaraj drowned – and they did not have capacity to patrol the pier.
“Should Parks [Victoria] invest in dedicated lifeguards? Given the popularity, that is certainly something that should be considered,” Norman said.
A spokesperson for Life Saving Victoria said it had conducted a risk assessment for the pier redevelopment in 2021.
“While the recent drowning tragedy has been found not to be directly connected to the pier, we recognise the increased safety risks associated with people jumping from the structure, particularly with growing visitor numbers,” the spokesperson said.
Sunbathers at St Kilda’s redeveloped pier on Friday.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
“Now that the pier has been operational for three months, it is an appropriate time to consider a new risk assessment, and look at how we can work together to maximise public safety.”
Port Phillip council Mayor Louise Crawford said the state government and Parks Victoria had “done a great job in delivering a more welcoming, accessible and improved public space”.
But she added that it would be useful to look at “where there could be some improvements”.
“We are aware some concerns have been flagged about safety and amenity, and our council is keen to work with Parks Victoria, Life Saving Victoria and foreshore traders on this,” she said.
When asked if the safety measures were adequate, Parks Victoria said in a statement: “When enjoying any of Victoria’s piers and jetties it’s important to abide by the safety signage and never assume it is safe to jump or dive as water depths and obstacles can fluctuate.”
Jackson Clements Burrows, the architecture firm that led the pier redesign, alongside Site Office and AW Maritime, is pleased with the finished product.
“It’s gone gangbusters,” director Graham Burrows said.
“I think everyone involved in the project realised that this is a special project, and it’s a project that is probably befitting of St Kilda, and its history [as] Melbourne’s seaside pleasure playground.”
The pier boasts new timber benches featuring recycled wood that bears some burn marks from the 2003 fire that destroyed the pier’s heritage kiosk.
Still, that rebuilt kiosk remains closed, despite expressions of interest to operate it being opened in October 2023.
The new penguin viewing platform is still shut after dusk too as authorities want to give the colony time to adjust to the crowds.
Parks Victoria had sought to impose a $24 viewing fee, but it was dumped in December after a backlash from Earthcare, which had long helped voluntarily. However, Phillip Island Nature Parks has now been tapped to run the new St Kilda site.
Alex Wensing from Canberra having a swim off the pier at St Kilda.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
Further towards the shore, a maze of construction hoardings remain as removal of the old pier continues.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the $54 million redevelopment was a hit with locals and tourists.
“More than 53,000 people took a stroll along the pier in the first two weeks of 2025,” the spokesperson said.
“The health, wellbeing and happiness of St Kilda’s iconic penguins is our top priority and we want to ensure they have enough time to adjust after a long break from visitors, before the free experience opens to all Victorians.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.