Australia · State of Victoria · Melbourne
Docklands, Melbourne — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Glass towers ring the old harbour at Docklands, a waterfront district on the western edge of central Melbourne beneath The Southern Star wheel.
About Docklands
Where to stay in Docklands
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Docklands offers a modern waterfront stay at the western edge of central Melbourne. The district runs along the harbour in ranks of glass apartment towers, with marinas, promenades, and the O'Brien Icehouse rink among them. The Southern Star wheel turns above the water at its heart.
Trams cross straight into the city centre and to the markets. If you want rooms by the water and a short ride to the old town, this is your base. Quiet falls after the crowds go.
About Docklands
What are the main landmarks in Docklands?
Docklands draws its landmarks from the waterfront and the old port. The Southern Star wheel turns above the harbour, the tallest thing on the skyline here. The O'Brien Icehouse keeps an ice rink by the water, and the Fox Classic Car Collection fills a warehouse nearby.
Toward the city stand the Melbourne Aquarium and the Melbourne Maritime Museum, with the Immigration Museum and the Hellenic Museum in the streets beyond. Queen Victoria Market lies north of the quays. Steel and glass frame it.
What is the history of Docklands?
Docklands began as the working harbour of Melbourne, a stretch of wharves and sheds along the water. Ships and cargo once filled its quays. As the port moved on, the old docks were rebuilt block by block into a waterfront district of towers and marinas.
The Southern Star wheel rose over the reclaimed shore as the quarter took shape, and the O'Brien Icehouse opened its rink among the apartments. The name still carries the memory of the port. Its story is a short one.
Where is Docklands?
Docklands sits on the harbour at the western edge of central Melbourne, its quays curving beneath The Southern Star wheel.
Good for
More areas in Melbourne
Updated July 2026