Melburnians, when they’re off work, have many places to play. One such is the beach suburb of St. Kilda. We knew something was odd about the place when we looked at the tram schedule posted on a street corner in Richmond (where we are staying). The direct tram to St. Kilda didn’t begin running until 6:00 PM and stopped at 2:00 AM. What kind of schedule is that?

We pieced together our journey using transfers. On alighting from the last tram, we were greeted by this face.

Urban beaches seem to be good locations for amusement parks. I think back to when I was a teenager at Coney Island or the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz, California. St. Kilda is famous for its amusement park, Luna Park. An old fashioned wooden roller coaster is the main attraction here. Luna Park was closed when we visited so we didn’t get to ride it. I love the lurch and sway of the old coasters.

A row of elegant old houses overlooks Port Phillip Bay. Homes like this are fast disappearing. Developers scrape them off the valuable land they sit on in order to replace them with ugly high rises.

A sign on a building not far from the community organic garden proposes reducing a planned St. Kilda Triangle development project by two thirds. Apparently, someone has big plans for the area. Good luck to those who are trying to stop them.

We’re grateful we’re visiting this place while it still retains some of its charm. From the St. Kilda Pier, we spotted a couple of black swans. Their neck bands attest that they’re important enough to be tracked.

Cockatoos roost in hollowed-out spaces in palm trees. Their characteristic jarring screeches somehow blend into the scene.

But St. Kilda really comes into its own after dark. We watch the sun set behind the tea house on the pier, and head out for café-lined Acland Street, with its hundreds of sidewalk tables.

There, we discover the reason for the odd tram schedule. Few people bother to come during the day. There’s no need to run many trams out here until after dark.

Shop owners push the limits of propriety in their attempts to attract nighttime visitors.

Giant figures of partygoers perch on rooftops.

Acland Street is famous for its continental bakeries. We snacked twice at the Monarch Bakery, reputed to be the best in St. Kilda. But the Le Bon Cake Shop has the most photogenic window.

We dined with friends at Clay Pots, a seafood restaurant that specializes in simple preparation of whole fish, in large dishes intended for sharing. We ordered platters heaped with blue crab, mussels, giant prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, whole squid, stingray and more. Shellfish and crustaceans came in their shells, making for messy eating. We had to eat everything with our hands. Our meal seemed like an orgy—appropriate in earthy St. Kilda.