Yarra River Melbourne: Travel Guide For Australia

The Yarra River Melbourne starts its majestic journey from the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and twists through the heavily forested valleys of the Yarra ranges – passing along the picturesque towns towards its final journey, the muddy flats of Port Philip Bay. The Australia Time has put together this guide for travellers who want to explore the river area and have a knack for good eateries, bars and the Yarra River Cruise options. 

Yarra River Melbourne

Elementally important to Melbourne’s identity, the river is among Victoria’s most scenic and iconic waterways. The river holds spiritual and cultural significance for the Aboriginal communities. For the Wurundjeri people, the river, also known as Birrarung, has remained the life source and an important meeting point. For many locals, the river is the place of memories of peaceful summers, personal pilgrimages, and days of exploring. 

What is the river used for today?

By the turn of the century, the river passing through Melbourne became a focus for many gigantic government projects. The river bustles with various activities; many boat hires, bars, cruises, and restaurants line up the area, and the river is a hub for rowing clubs, parks and many recreational boating experiences. 

Let’s find out a bit about the best restaurants on the river. 

Restaurants

Restaurants on the river offers not only scenic water views and boat hire options but also scrumptious food. Below is a list; 

While some of these restaurants offer boat hires, the Australia time has prepared a complete list for your reference. 

Boat Hire

Consult the map for quickly finding out the closest Yarra River Melbourne boat hire, or refer to the table below for locations, timings, contact numbers and more: 

As we have covered the restaurants and boat hires, we can talk a bit about the Yarra River Cruise for a complete heavenly day out experience. 

Yarra River Cruise

Consult the Yarra River map for quickly the best river cruise, or consult the table below: 

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Interesting things you must know about the river

The rowing River is known as My Brown Yarra by the locals, and there is much more than meets the eye. Despite being the iconic and the city’s most recognizable natural landmark, the locals know very little about the river. 

Below are some interesting facts about the river; 

The Upside-down River

The river is often referred to as the upside down river due to its brown colour. The muddy and strong brown colour of the river is due to the present clay soil. The clay soil in the region gets broken up into tiny particles and gets dissipated into the entire river. The Yarra used to have clear water before the European settlement; however, through the industrial revolution of the 19th century, higher levels of land clearings and subsequent developments – led these microscopic clay particles to enter the water – making it unique brown colour. 

Yarra’s Health

The locals are quite concerned regarding the health of Yarra; due to the stormwater runoff, up to 350,000 cigarette buds enter the river every day; that in itself is a minor representation of the garbage that makes its way to the river water. 

A newly commissioned by the ocean protect illustrates that the Victorian residents are extremely worried about the waterway and marine health proportional to the population growth. Half of the population lists the marine health of the river as their top concern from a list of 12 common problems – the problems which include housing density, higher traffic, job competition and reduced water supply. 

The same study also concludes that 70% of the population does not know that stormwater is the main perpetrator of water pollution in the Yarra. 

Naming It Correctly 

The river’s name is translated incorrectly; the real name of the river is Yarro-Yarro, a Wurundjeri term in the Boonwurrung language, which means ever-flowing. Ever-flowing is the perfect and accurate description of the river as a perennial waterway – meaning the river has an unceasing flow the entire year owing to the normal rainfall every year. 

Food Source 

The Yarra has remained a food source for the Indigenous Australian in pre-European history. The river played a key role for the Wurundjeri people, often regarded as the epicentre for the food supply, camping and meeting. Wurundjeri people fished for eels in the swamps and lagoons of the river and also fished with the help of funnel-shaped fish pots. 

Flooding

The river has a history of flooding; the first recorded flood in the river dates back to 1839 – while the largest flood took place in 1891, which saw the water rose to 14 meters high. The flood destroyed more than 200 houses, and 3000 people were left homeless. The last time Yarra flooded was in 1934, when the area experienced constant 48 hours of heavy rains – destroying 400 buildings and leaving 6,000 people without a home. After this, the river was widened to protect the city of Melbourne from future flooding. 

Yarra’s Wildlife

 The Yarra is home to multiple endangered species of fish, including the Australian Grayling and the Macquarie Perch. Macquarie Perch’s population is completely dependent on the Yarra, considering the major decline in the Murray-Darling Macquarie Perch population. The river is also home to various other creatures, including the 18 species of frogs, 113 species of streamside birds, 57 species of wetland birds, platypus and water bugs.