St Kilda railway station

St Kilda railway station is a former railway station located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, Australia and was the terminus of the St Kilda railway line of the Melbourne suburban rail system. It is the oldest surviving railway station building in Victoria, and one of only three to have a 19th century train shed (with Geelong and Ballarat). The building is currently used as retail premises.

History

The line to St Kilda was built by the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company to serve tourists to the seaside resort, with tenders were called for earthworks and buildings at St Kilda on 3 November 1856 and the line opened on 13 May 1857 with a banquet in the station.

The building was of restrained Italianate design, with face brickwork and stucco mouldings, and originally featured a semicircular portico on the south-western face of the station building. The station had a single platform, with the train shed supported by iron columns trimmed with a timber valence, and a bluestone retaining wall ran along Canterbury Road. An engine depot and carriage shed were built later in 1856.

In 1859, MHBRC paid St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company £5,000 to build a loop line from St Kilda to Windsor, the line being extended to Brighton Beach by 1861 on what is now the Sandringham line. However a more direct route from Windsor to the city was built in 11 months later, and the loop line was dismantled in 1867. In 1878...
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