Sunset photography locations in Melbourne, season by season
Port Phillip Bay's eastern shore faces west, so Melbourne gets its sunsets over water. The trick is knowing where the sun will set in each season, and where to stand.
At Princes Pier on a still summer evening, the sun drops towards the water just to the right of the old timber piles. The bay goes from silver to copper, the piles turn black, and for about ten minutes every photographer on the deck stops talking. Then the sun is gone, the sky fills with pink, and the ones who pack up straight away miss the best of it.
Melbourne's east side of Port Phillip Bay faces west, which makes the city one of the best in Australia for sunsets over water. But the sun does not set in the same place all year. In midsummer it goes down roughly west-south-west; in midwinter, roughly west-north-west; around the equinoxes in March and September, close to due west. Where you stand should depend on the month.
Princes Pier, Port Melbourne
Princes Pier was built between 1912 and 1915 and renamed after the Prince of Wales visited Melbourne in 1920. It was closed to the public in the early 1990s because of the poor condition of its timber, and after restoration the first 196 metres of deck reopened in December 2011. Beyond the deck, the old piles were kept standing in rows running out into the water. They are the reason photographers come.
Where to stand: the end of the restored deck, looking out along the piles. The pier runs roughly south-south-west, so the sun always sets to the right of the piles. It comes closest to their line in summer; in midwinter it sets well to the right, towards the port and the West Gate Bridge. What to shoot: the rows of piles as leading lines, silhouettes against the sun, and long exposures that turn the water to mist around them. Settings: ISO 100, f/11, and a 6- or 10-stop ND filter for exposures of 30 seconds or more once the sun is down.
Route 109 trams end at Beacon Cove, near Station Pier, and Princes Pier is a short walk west along the foreshore. Our Princes Pier photography guide covers the pier in depth.
St Kilda Pier and breakwater
The rebuilt St Kilda Pier opened on 7 December 2024: 450 metres of walkway with a curve and views across the bay to the city. From the shore the pier runs out almost due west, so around the equinoxes the sun sets nearly in line with it. In summer it sets to the left of the pier, and in winter to the right, towards the city side of the bay.
Where to stand: the foreshore near the start of the pier, using its line as a lead-in, or out on the pier looking back north towards the city skyline, which catches the last warm light as the sun drops. What to shoot: the heritage kiosk, known as Parer's Pavilion, silhouetted against the sky; the curve of the walkway; and the skyline after sunset. Settings: ISO 100, f/8 to f/11, bracketing three frames two stops apart if the sun is in the frame.
The breakwater is home to a colony of little penguins that come ashore around dusk. Parks Victoria runs viewing sessions, and flash photography, bright lights and phone torches are not permitted because they startle the birds. Dogs are allowed on the pier on a lead but not on the breakwater. Route 96 trams run along The Esplanade in St Kilda.
Elwood and Point Ormond
South of St Kilda, Elwood's beaches face straight out across the bay to the west, and Point Ormond rises above them. The reserve here has paths up to a lookout with views across the bay, and it gives you something the flat beaches cannot: height.
Where to stand: the lookout at Point Ormond for the wide view, or the beach below for foreground. From the top, the bay and the sunset are to the west and the city skyline is to the north, beyond St Kilda. In winter, when the sun sets further north, a wide lens can hold both the sunset sky and the skyline in one frame. What to shoot: the curve of the shoreline, people on the sand in silhouette, and the skyline in the afterglow. Settings: a 70–200mm for the skyline compressed across the water; 16–35mm for the full sweep.
Brighton: Middle Brighton Pier and the bathing boxes
Brighton's beach faces west over the bay, and it offers two very different sunsets. Middle Brighton Pier gives you a long structure reaching out into the water and the boats around it. Further south at Dendy Street Beach, more than 80 colourful bathing boxes line the sand with the city skyline in the distance to the north.
Where to stand: for the boxes, the water's edge, working along the row so the warm late light rakes along the row of painted timber; for the pier, the beach beside it using the structure as a line into the sunset. Best time: the last hour before sunset for colour on the boxes, and the twenty minutes after for the sky. Settings: ISO 100, f/8, and a polariser in the late afternoon to deepen the colours.
The boxes are privately owned. Do not climb on them, lean tripods against them or block their doors. The beach is popular on warm evenings, so arrive early. Brighton Beach Station, on the Sandringham line, is about 29 minutes from Flinders Street according to the council.
Williamstown: the skyline at sunset
For a skyline sunset, turn your back on the sun. From Gem Pier and Commonwealth Reserve in Williamstown, the Melbourne skyline sits to the north-east across Hobsons Bay. As the sun sets behind you, the towers take the last warm light, and after sunset the sky behind them turns pink and violet.
Where to stand: the foreshore at Commonwealth Reserve, or along Gem Pier, where the Second World War minesweeper HMAS Castlemaine is permanently berthed as a museum ship. What to shoot: the skyline compressed across the water at 100–200mm, and the lights of the city coming on at blue hour. Settings: ISO 100, f/8, and a tripod once the light drops. Williamstown Station is about ten minutes' walk away, and ferries run from Southbank.
| Location | Which way to look | Best season |
|---|---|---|
| Princes Pier | Along the piles, south-south-west; sun sets to their right | Summer, when the sun sets closest to the piles |
| St Kilda Pier | West along the pier; skyline to the north | March and September for the sun in line |
| Point Ormond | West over the bay; skyline to the north | Winter to fit sunset and skyline in one frame |
| Brighton | West over the bay; skyline to the north | Year-round |
| Williamstown | North-east to the skyline, sun behind you | Year-round |
Camera settings for sunset over water
A sunset scene has a huge range of brightness, from the sun itself to the dark foreground. Meter from the bright sky beside the sun, not the sun, and check the histogram. Bracket three to five frames if you want detail in both sky and foreground. A graduated ND filter can hold the sky back in a single frame.
Then stay. The sky often puts on its best colour 10 to 20 minutes after the sun has gone. Exposures lengthen, the water smooths, and this is when an ND filter comes into its own. Our guide to ND filters for long exposure explains which strength to use. Our comparison of golden hour and blue hour covers how the light changes minute by minute.
The sky often puts on its best colour 10 to 20 minutes after the sun has gone.
Wind and tide matter at every one of these spots. Calm evenings give reflections; a breeze gives texture and spray. Check the forecast, watch your footing on wet rocks and decks, and keep bags clear of walkways.
For more spots around the city, see our guide to Melbourne photography locations. If you want to learn sunset and long exposure technique on location, the Princes Pier Sunset Workshop puts you among the piles as the light goes.
Practise this
- Use a sun-position app to find the sunset direction for your next free evening, then choose the location from this guide where the sun will line up with your subject.
- At one spot, shoot the same composition every five minutes from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after, and note when the colour peaks.
- At Williamstown or Point Ormond, photograph the skyline at 200mm with the sun behind you, and compare it with a frame shot facing the sunset.
Questions, answered.
Where is the best place to watch the sunset in Melbourne?
Which direction does the sun set in Melbourne?
Where can you photograph the Melbourne skyline at sunset?
What settings are best for sunset photos over water?
Published by CapturEDU, Melbourne photography education. Our educators are award-winning photographers with a Master of Arts in Photography (RMIT), AIPP and RPS membership.
