While it may not be the prettiest body of water, we couldn't imagine Melbourne without the Yarra River. She may be muddy brown in colour, but we don't think that should detract from her worth as the centrepiece of our city. Soon, the north side of its CBD banks will be getting a nice facelift, so that the Yarra's edge can live up to its full potential of being a beloved waterfront area to enjoy.
The City of Melbourne will kick off construction on the transformation, called the Greenline Project, this year after the final master plan was endorsed by the council last December. It's a grand plan to spruce up the CBD part of the Yarra's banks, with the makeover consisting of 4km of interconnected promenades, parks, open spaces, native plants, cultural activations and environmental renewal between the section of the river's banks between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte Bridge.
The hope is to improve the health and well-being of the river water, somewhat restoring it to its former glory, as well as creating new and better public spaces. It's been a long time coming, with the project born all the way back in 2019. You might have seen what look like floating patches of grass on the Yarra towards the Docklands part of the river – these are floating wetlands, a trial of how native plants could be incorporated into the river's ecosystem as part of the plan.
The first part of the project is making changes to the eastern part of Birrarung Marr, with the construction of a new boardwalk, seating and shady trees to attract people for a nice riverside stroll. This is the easternmost section of the stretch to be renovated – with four more "precincts" running along the river also set to get big makeovers. Basically, the river's banks from Birrarung Marr running westward all the way to Victoria Harbour and North Wharf are getting a swanky revamp. But we're not just talking about some new walking paths, we're talking public parks, boardwalks, wetlands, gathering spaces and heaps more.
While we already enjoy a stroll along the Yarra, it seems like it's going to get a whole lot better, which we're absolutely on board with. The timeline for the full project is yet to be revealed, so watch this space.