Description

The beachside suburb of St Kilda has been a popular tourist destination for many generations. Visitors have promenaded along the Esplanade, swam in the baths, enjoyed ice-creams, frequented the many pubs and picnicked in the parks for over one hundred years.

In the 1890s, public transport on the Esplanade was upgraded with a new cable tramway replacing the old horse-drawn omnibus, managed by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company. The Upper Esplanade roadway needed to be widened to accommodate the new tram tracks. As part of the embankment works, provision was made for ten shops with arched ceilings facing onto the Lower Esplanade and built into the supporting wall—now known as the Esplanade Vaults.

What's On

Enjoy a rare opportunity to visit and explore the Esplanade Vaults fondly remembered by many as the kiosks, shops and cafes that served visitors to the St Kilda foreshore. But do the vaults have a darker side? Stories and eyewitness accounts abound, along with much speculation as to whether or not there are tunnels leading from the vaults to the Esplanade Hotel and the Palais Theatre. The visit includes an exhibition and projection of historic images of the area from the Port Phillip City Collection.