St Kilda Beach Club Pontoon Is Being Reborn with a Fresh Look and New Name

When the sunny season descends on the beachside stretch of St Kilda, things will be looking a little different — or at least they will at 30 Jacka Boulevard. Pontoon, the downstairs beach club component of the Stokehouse precinct, is set to score a whole new lease on life, complete with a makeover, a new name and an entirely fresh direction.

Already closed for renovations and slated to reopen during summer, the site's new incarnation is being steered by Hugh and Pete van Haandel, sons of Stokehouse precinct owner Frank van Haandel. It'll mark a return to the venue's roots and a nod to some of its previous lives, plating up fuss-free Euro flavours with a healthy dose of Aussie flair.

While the specifics are being kept under wraps for now, we're told to expect a similar commitment to top-notch seasonal ingredients as Stokehouse above, yet with a simpler, more casual bent.

Pontoon, by Simon Shiff

Meanwhile, the space itself is aiming for a laidback aesthetic, while continuing to honour the precinct's strong sustainability focus — earlier this year, it achieved a covetable 5-Star Australian Excellence Green Star Design and As Built Rating.

Pontoon is just the latest in a string of long-standing coastal venues to be revamped at the hands of new owners this year. Further south, you've got Mornington's newly reopened Bay Hotel, while Sorrento is home to both the reincarnated Stringers and the multiple venues of the Scott Pickett-led Continental Sorrento makeover.

Pontoon's next incarnation will reopen at 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, this summer. We'll share more details as they drop.