Sorrento Pier

For early Melbourne, Sorrento was the most popular holiday destination on the Mornington Peninsula. People came by paddle steamer in the 1890s and took a steam tram across the narrow neck of the peninsula to the ocean beach.

Today, the Sorrento Pier is visited by many different types of recreational and commercial vessels. On any day during the summer months, people stroll along the pier or make it their departure point for a variety of water-based activities.

The Sorrento Pier was constructed in 1870 and became essential to the development of the township. Steamships brought visitors from Melbourne. From the pier a ramp provided access to a steam tram which ran to the backbeach. The steam tram was enormously popular in the early 1900's, carrying up to 20,000 people in a season. The tramway closed in 1921. As road transport became more competiitive, paddle steamer usage declined and the last steamer came to Sorrento in 1942.