The Mordialloc railway water tower is set to act as the visual centrepiece of the new Mordialloc Station precinct, harking back to a time when steam trains ruled Melbourne’s railways.
Constructed in 1910, the tower was officially listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 2023. It was designed to supply water to passing locomotives. Steam trains would refuel from its 20,000-gallon drum, pick up passengers from Mordialloc Station, and then depart along Melbourne’s rapidly expanding rail network.
The water tower’s red brick base is a striking example of Edwardian architecture, which was a popular design style in Australia in the early 1900s.
The concrete cone at the top is one of the earliest examples of reinforced concrete used in Victoria, demonstrating the new building techniques used by the Victorian Railway Department at the turn of the 20th century.
Today, the tower survives as one of the last remaining examples of steam power-related infrastructure in Victoria, with the suburban rail network transitioning to electric and diesel-powered locomotives in the 1920s.
The tower will stand proudly at the Albert Street entrance to the new station, representing more than a hundred years of Victorian railway ingenuity and development.
We will also celebrate Mordialloc’s rich rail history by incorporating the original (built 1882) into the design. Built over 140 years ago, the building provided shelter for locals who had to wait in Melbourne’s unpredictable weather for a train to the city.
Now, having sheltered Mordialloc’s commuters for over a century, elements of the original building will become part of the new station precinct, opening in 2026.
