[4] It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself.

In 1877, Victoria's government resolved to make the Yarra more navigable and engaged English engineer John Coode to devise a solution.

Over time the docks moved progressively downstream as ships became larger and road bridges were built across the Yarra.

The barque Polly Woodside lying in the old Duke and Orr drydock, the warehouses of South Wharf and the Mission to Seafarers building are now the only reminders of the maritime history of this area.

In 1991 a large fire at the Coode Island bulk liquid handling facility blanketed much of Melbourne in toxic fumes.

[8] The Port of Melbourne was also the scene of a watershed industrial battle in 1998 between Patrick and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

It involved removing more than 22 million cubic metres of sand and silt to provide a minimum 14-metre draught at all times.

Footscray Road is planned to be raised so that port users will have improved access to the rail facilities at South Dynon.

[13] Railway goods sidings serve both Swanson Dock East and West, permitting the transfer of shipping containers between sea and rail transport.