Nelson Place and the Strand

The best known and most architecturally enriched streets in Williamstown are along the seafront, Nelson Place and The Strand.

 

 Nelson Place, named for British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, is a lively commercial centre with shops, hotels, and restaurants, as well as some magnificent public buildings. The Strand, the continuation of Nelson Place on the other side of Ferguson Street, overlooks Port Phillip Bay and with views to the CBD, provides the ideal location for some of the most stunning homes in Melbourne.

 

It is worth walking the length of Nelson Place. You will pass the Prince of Wales Hotel (the ‘last drink’ pub for departing sailors), Gem Pier, the Customs House (1873), a number of ornate bank buildings, the former Williamstown Post Office (1860; it is the oldest post office building still standing in Victoria), Commonwealth Reserve with the Tide Gauge House and the anchor of the ‘Nelson’, and Holy Trinity Church (1874) with its lychgate, a feature uncommon in Australian churches.