Ponyfish Island: The Yarra River bar under Melbourne’s Southbank Pedestrian Bridge

Ponyfish Island under the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge in Melbourne serves up dumplings, steamed buns and cocktails on a Yarra River island.

Melbourne is well-known for its cool bars tucked away down laneways. You can discover a few of these on a laneways tour or street art tour. But perhaps the strangest Melbourne bar is Ponyfish Island on a tiny island in the middle of the Yarra River.

Ponyfish Island was an audacious project when it opened in 2010. It huddled around a support pillar of the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge (which is also known as the Yarra Pedestrian Footbridge and Evan Walker Bridge).

Yarra River bar under the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge

Tens of thousands of people walk across or kayak under this bridge between Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank neighbourhood every day. Only a few of them will notice that there’s a bar clinging on to a man-made island underneath.

Ponyfish Island was a major hit when it opened, and this Yarra River bar carried off a vaguely nautical theme. At time of writing in February 2021, Ponyfish Island was undergoing a revamp to give it more of a Palm Springs vibe and expand the capacity.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

Food and drink at Ponyfish Island

The food and drink will still be good at Melbourne’s bar under a bridge, though. The Ponyfish Island food menu is designed with sharing and snacking in mind. Dishes include steamed buns – try the beef brisket rendang option – and dumplings. The steamed prawn and ginger dumplings with green nam jim is a winner here.

With the drinks, the emphasis is firmly on spritzes and cocktails. The Ponyfish Island menu isn’t massive (there are logistical issues with running a bar under a bridge, believe it or not), but there are some fun choices on it.

These include the Berry-Alajara margarita, with tequila, Cointreau, lime, sugar, mixed berries and salt. There’s also the Caribbean Flick, which contains gin, vermouth, pineapple juice, grenadine and egg white.

Other good spots to eat in Melbourne include laneway Peruvian restaurant Pastuso and the vegetarian restaurants of the Fitzroy neighbourhood.