THE historic Dromana Pier is set for a major rebuild this year, but community members continue to express concern that the project lacks plans for a much-needed extension into deeper water.
Originally constructed in the 1860s and extended in the 1870s before being rebuilt with current infrastructure in the 1950s, the pier remains a significant feature to the community. But over the past 15 years, the 180-metre pier has progressively been under attack from rusting steel reinforcement causing the concrete to split. As it reaches the end of its lifespan, Parks Victoria will begin work on the pier by the middle of this year.
The pier is open except for a 40-metre section of the pier head which has deteriorated and is closed for safety. While replacement of the pier is generally supported among community members, the proposal at this stage does not include an extension of the pier in what the Dromana Association’s president Simon Brooks said was a “missed opportunity”.
“While supportive of the replacement pier, the association is disappointed that the longer option was not considered or financially modelled. The association and many in the community who have been pushing for the replacement over the past decade or so feel it is an opportunity missed,” he said. “Innovative options are available to build shared opportunities including revenue streams from activities planned into the asset. These weren’t considered. Given the financial constraints of the government, the association fears this will be it, and an extended pier is unlikely in coming decades.”
The Dromana Association and community members have also held meetings with Parks Victoria including in February, but “no consideration or investigation was given to taking the pier into deeper water,” with “budget constraints and cost increases were the key justification given,” Brooks said. The Parks Victoria speaker, according to Brooks, said “the majority of piers was for public access for sightseeing/tourism and fishing; not for boating,” noting the pier could always be extended later.
However, some residents felt that they don’t want to see more activity in Dromana.
Brooks, the former mayor of Mornington Peninsula Shire, said a longer pier would once again welcome tourists by sea and provide new infrastructure that could deliver an economic boost to the seaside town. Other benefits included allowing bigger vessels and ferries to dock, as well as recreational use and fishing, with aquaculture also flagged as “point of sale on the pier,” he said.
There were also ideas for a cafe, a local interpretation centre and even an underwater observatory with artificial reef for tourists which would be a first for Port Phillip Bay, but this appeared to have been left out of the proposal. “Given the numbers of visitors are large anyway, capturing more of the economic potential and managing this is definitely a benefit and overdue,” Brooks said. However, he noted if a larger pier was considered, it would need to be designed as part of an integrated traffic plan and a visionary broader township urban design framework, linking the surrounding hinterland including the Arthurs Seat escarpment.
The News asked Parks Victoria this month whether an extension of the pier was being considered, instead Parks Victoria’s southern and maritime regional director Jodi Heath, said, “Parks Victoria is delivering a new pier for the Dromana community with works expected to start in mid-2025.’’ “Designs will ensure the new pier is fit-for-purpose so it can continue to cater for boating, fishing and recreation,” she said. “The new pier head will include a multi-level landing, tiered seating and stairs to access the water, making it easier to enjoy the bay and views of Arthurs Seat and surrounds.”
The pier’s new design includes the community’s feedback to “enhance recreational activities and deliver an asset that will contribute to the foreshore’s local identity and existing landscape,” Parks Victoria said. The pier is on track for completion in 2026 with the state government committing more than $10m to rebuild the pier.
Dromana and District Historical Society president Jean Rotherham also supported the idea of extending the pier, highlighting its potential to boost tourism and maritime access. “Currently, the water is not deep enough to have vessels come into it, there’s just no landing spot there,” she told The News. “Historically, the pier was the second longest in the state after St Kilda or around Port Phillip Bay, and what they’re proposing to do is an opportunity lost. “The proposal was to have a canteen and encourage people to spend time at the end; it’s certainly still a popular place for kids and that’s not going to go away either.”
Rotherham also expressed concern that the rebuild featuring a T-shape at the pier’s head, saying she was “dubious about whether the engineering for that will be sufficient,” in withstanding storms that have caused damage in the past.
According to Parks Victoria, the pier’s design would ensure the pier was “fit-for-purpose for the maritime environment” including “consideration of sea level rise, storm events and the wave climate”. “It would also continue to offer a local visitor experience that connects to the surrounding foreshore precinct.”
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 14 May 2025
