The Birrarung Agenda: The heartline of Melbourne – why the river matters

Birrarung – the traditional name for the Yarra – has always been more than a river.

For tens of thousands of years, it has been a place of gathering, sustenance, and connection for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. Today, it still flows through the heart of Melbourne, shaping the way we live, create, and celebrate.

Walk along Southbank on any given day and you’ll see it: joggers weaving past cafes, tourists pausing for a photo, families strolling the promenade, and office workers catching a quick lunch by the water. The Yarra is the stage on which Melbourne life plays out. And yet, too often, it has been dismissed as little more than a muddy river.

Sydney has its glittering harbour. Brisbane has a subtropical riverfront framed by palm trees and year-round sunshine. These cities are celebrated for their natural beauty.

Melbourne, by contrast, has long been told our river isn’t as pretty – that it doesn’t photograph as well, that it’s not a drawcard. For decades, that narrative has weighed us down. But if we continue to see the Yarra only through that critical lens, we miss its real strength.

Because here’s the truth: our city doesn’t need to compete on beaches or postcard-perfect views. What makes Melbourne remarkable is what the Birrarung carries along its banks.

The Yarra is not the sideshow – it is the spine. It connects the National Gallery of Victoria, the Arts Centre, Federation Square, and ACMI. It runs past the Melbourne Recital Centre and Hamer Hall. It links our great sporting arenas – the MCG and Melbourne Park – and it’s the backdrop to Moomba, fireworks, and festivals that draw millions.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre brings global conferences to South Wharf, and the area’s restaurants, laneway bars, and hotels make the precinct a living room for locals and visitors alike.

In other words: Melbourne’s culture, sport, events, food, and creativity don’t just sit beside the river – they depend on it. The Birrarung is the spine of our city’s identity.

As someone who has spent more than 25 years working in main street economic development, I’ve seen how places thrive when their defining asset is celebrated rather than overlooked. And as the daughter of small business owners – my parents ran an Eastern European restaurant on Gertrude St in Fitzroy – I know how deeply livelihoods depend on the life of a street or precinct. When people are drawn to a place, when they feel proud to spend time there, everything flows: stronger trade, deeper community, and greater wellbeing.

That’s why we need to stop apologising for the Yarra. Instead, we should embrace it, love it, and position it at the centre of our story. Melbourne is a city built on culture, innovation, and resilience – and our river is the canvas where all of that unfolds.

Of course, this doesn’t mean ignoring the challenges. Some stretches of the river still feel underutilised or unwelcoming. The water itself needs ongoing care and vision to be cleaner. But none of this is beyond us.

Around the world, cities have proven what’s possible when they choose to love their rivers. Paris is investing billions to make the Seine swimmable. Chicago transformed its once-industrial riverfront into a celebrated promenade. Seoul turned a polluted waterway into a thriving green corridor. If they can do it, so can we.

The Yarra River Business Association (YRBA) believes the time has come to step up our love for the Birrarung. We must treat it as civic infrastructure every bit as important as roads and parks – a place that generates jobs, supports culture, brings joy, and anchors Melbourne’s identity. To do that, we need coordinated investment in public spaces, bold activation that celebrates our creativity, and policy that puts the riverfront at the heart of Melbourne’s future.

If we see the Birrarung as central to Melbourne and who we are, we’ll invest in it, and that investment will repay itself many times over. A loved river makes for a stronger economy, a more liveable city, and a prouder community.

Call to action

This is the first in The Birrarung Agenda, a quarterly series on the future of our river and our precinct. I’d love to hear from you: what do you value most about the Yarra, and what would make you love it even more? •

Together, let’s choose to see the Birrarung not just as it is today, but as the heartline of Melbourne’s tomorrow.