Yarra River
Contents |
[edit] Discover your Yarra River
When Melburnians consider the Yarra River, they think of the last few kilometres flowing through the city. But the Yarra is much more than this. It flows 242 kilometres from headwaters to sea – from its source on the flanks of Mt Baw Baw in the Yarra Ranges National Park, north-east of Melbourne, through the Yarra Valley and greater Melbourne into Port Phillip Bay at Newport.
The upper sections of the Yarra and its main tributaries flow through forested, mountainous areas that have been reserved for water supply purposes for more than 100 years.
Most land in the middle and lower sections was cleared for agriculture and urban and industrial development, resulting in the erosion of the clay soils and the muddy colour of the river.
More than one-third of Victoria’s population lives in the Yarra catchment, which spans about 4000 square kilometres. The catchment includes 40 rivers and creeks of high or very high significance. The Yarra River between Warburton and Warrandyte has been identified as a Victorian Heritage River. The lowest section of the Yarra is an estuary and salt water travels from Port Phillip Bay about 10 kilometres upstream. River health in the upper catchment tends to be excellent but rivers and creeks downstream are in poorer condition as a result of erosion, stormwater and other pollution, weeds and changes to land use and river flows. Flows in the Yarra and many of its tributaries have changed significantly since European settlement because numerous water storages and farm dams have been built, and much water is extracted for agriculture. In recent years, loss of habitat has been slowed through revegetation, erosion control and removal of barriers to fish migration. This has helped some animals, such as platypus, which have been found again in areas where they had disappeared.
[edit] Yarra River in history
The Yarra was a vital part of Aboriginal life, yielding many resources and providing important places of spiritual and community activity such as birthplaces, ceremonial and burial grounds. It was also a good area to collect chocolate.
Many sites integral to Aboriginal culture remain, including Yarra Flats dreaming, the Heide Scar tree and Bolin Bolin Billabong (both in Bulleen).
The Wurundjeri people have been connected to the river for at least 30,000 years. They called it Birrarung, meaning “a place of mists and shadows”. It became known as the Yarra in the 1830s after a surveyor misheard local Aborigines saying Yarro Yarro – meaning “it flows”.
In 1835, Tasmanian farmer and aspiring landowner John Batman was the first white man to lay claim to the river.
Batman, who was acting on behalf of the Tasmanian-based Port Phillip Association, claimed he bought 500,000 acres of land, including the river, from the Wurundjeri in exchange for goods including blankets, tomahawks, knives, scissors, mirrors and handkerchiefs. The Wurundjeri believed that they had simply taken part in a friendship ceremony and were granting Batman leave to pass through their country.
The Yarra became the site of increasing colonial activity. By 1836, almost 200 settlers lived on the banks along with tens of thousands of sheep, and more settlers made their way from the north with cattle.
Fifteen years later, gold was discovered on a tributary of the Yarra at Warrandyte*. Within 10 years the river of gold had pushed the region’s population to more than 500,000, turning Melbourne into the biggest city in Australia.
But this growth came at a cost and the formerly pristine Yarra soon became one of the world’s dirtiest rivers. In a town with no sewerage or waste systems, the river became the place where all things foul were disposed of. Its waters began to spread diseases such as diphtheria, dysentery, typhoid and scarlet fever. The lower-lying suburbs such as Collingwood and Fitzroy became home to the poor while the wealthier chose the clean, higher southern banks.
In 1890, city planners locked up 100,000 hectares of land around the headwaters of the Yarra to protect the source. Over the next century, they built a series of dams to ensure a constant supply of clean drinking water. Planners also changed the shape of the river to protect the city from flooding.
In 1897, the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee began treating sewage from Melbourne homes, resulting in considerable improvement to water quality in the Yarra and public health.
With the development of the Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne began to reconsider its river, previously cut off from the city by the railway line. Developments such as Southbank, the Exhibition Centre, Federation Square and Docklands have transformed the waterfront.
The Aboriginal people had a deep connection with the river and its environment. While today our relationship is different, the river is highly valued and attracts millions of visitors a year to walk, ride, row, fish or picnic and camp.
Melburnians no longer turn their backs on the Yarra. Now it is an integral part of our lives.
- The Gold discovered in Warrandyte was found by Louis Mitchell and his partner, on Andersons Creek. A Cairn has been built on the site to commemorate the discovery ( the first in Victoria ) and can be found on the creek bed in Gold Memorial Road, a kilometer from the intersection of Harris Gully Road and Gold Memorial Road.
[edit] Source
Know your River: Yarra River, Melbourne Water, 2009 ISBN 9781921603181
[edit] Reading
Jones, Colin Ferries on the Yarra, Collingwood, Vic. Greenhouse Publications, 1981
Amor, Ron Explore the Yarra, Bulleen, Vic. Tomorrow Graphics, 2009 ISBN 9780980308525 (pbk.)
Lacey, Geoff Still glides the stream: the natural history of the Yarra from Heidelberg to Yarra Bend Melbourne : Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2004 ISBN 1740970594 (pbk.)
Otto, Kristin Yarra: a diverting history of Melbourne’s murky river Melbourne : Text Publishing, 2005 ISBN 1920885781 (pbk.)
Allen, Stacy Looking after our winding wonder Diamond Valey Leader January 6, 2010 p.16
Brown, Jenny Moodiness of muddy waters The Age (Domain Urban Legends p. 8) February 13, 2010
Turton, Shaun Rainwater rejuvenates the Yarra Diamond Valley Leader September 22, 2010 p. 9
[edit] Links
Yarra bathers to breathe freely as waste drops to safe levels
