Yarra River

Address

Yarra River, Melbourne

GPS

-37.7048654, 145.8195839

Address

Yarra River, Melbourne

GPS

-37.7048654, 145.8195839

The Yarra River has many picturesque settings to offer. A variety of barbecue and picnic facilities, fishing platforms and jetties are accessible on the river banks. However, there are parks and paths that are ideal for cyclists, walkers and joggers.

Quick facts

  • Name: Yarra River
  • Location: Melbourne, Australia
  • Type of attraction: Nature/River
  • Ticket price: Free

Melbourne, Victoria’s state capital, was founded on the lower parts of the Yarra in 1835, and now urban Greater Melbourne dominates and impacts the scenery of the river’s lower reaches.

Yarra River Christmas Cruise

It travels 242 kilometers (150 miles) west from its source in the Yarra Ranges, through the Yarra Valley, then widens up into plains as it winds through Greater Melbourne, finally emptying into Hobsons Bay in northernmost Port Phillip Bay.

For thousands of years, the river has served as a primary food source and gathering site for Indigenous Australians. Land clearing moved the last Wurundjeri people into nearby regions and away from the river soon after European immigrants arrived.

The Wurundjeri originally called it Birrarung, but the name was mistranslated from another Wurundjeri phrase in the Boonwurrung language, Yarro-yarro, which means “ever-flowing.”

Things to see and do alongside Yarra River

Herring Island

Located about 4 kilometres from the heart of Naarm, Herring Island is a tiny artificial island covering only 3.2 hectares in the Birrarung “Yarra River” in South Yarra.

Self Guided Scenic Yarra River Kayak Tour For 2

Weekends and public holidays from January through Easter, there is a free punt service that will take you to the island, or you can bring your own boat, canoe, kayak, or paddleboard and paddle over.

The island’s distinctive sculpture park is the main attraction. Any trip to the island should include a walk along the path that passes by these statues.

Herring Island serves as a vital ecological link for local fauna and flora. Communities native to the island’s forests and grasslands predominate there. River Red Gums line the borders, while other trees and shrubs you’ll find there include Southern Mahogany, Manna Gums, Silver Wattles, Drooping Sheaoke, Wallaby and Spear Grass, Chocolate and Bulbine Lilies and native Everlasting Daisies.

Honeyeaters, Willie Wagtails, Cormorants, Darters, Kookaburras, Magpies, Wattlebirds, and Herons are just few of the bird species that call this area home. In the reeds, waterbirds like the Pacific Black Duck, Maned Duck, and Dusky Moorhen can find protection from the elements and food. The island is also home to possums, lizards, and snakes.

Yarra Bend Park

The Yarra Bend Park is the largest natural bushland park in Melbourne. Take a stroll or ride your bike along one of the many pathways while taking in the park’s lush foliage and slew of species. Have a picnic, go for a walk, or hit the links. Rent a boat from the Studley Park Boathouse, where you may go on a historical expedition in search of flying foxes.

Yarra River Walking Tours Through Scenic WarburtonYarra Bend Park is a large urban park with a variety of landscapes, including natural river cliffs, open forests, formal parklands, and sports fields.

Explore the area around Dights Falls, including the site of a former asylum, the river red gum–dominated landscape of Galatea Point, Deep Rock, site of the Deep Rock Swimming Club, and Dights Falls itself, on the Dights Falls Walk.

The artificial weir is arguably the most famous landmark in the park; it was constructed in the 1840s to supply water to the pioneering Ceres Flour Mill. The mill’s original proprietors, the Dight family, inspired the falls’ eventual name, Dights Falls.

Canoeing, kayaking and rafting

White-Water Kayaking on the Yarra RiverTaking to the water in a canoe or kayak opens up a world of possibilities for recreation, exercise, sightseeing, and photography. Vacationers have the option of spending a few hours on the weekend or an entire week out on the sea. Canoeing is at its peak from September to April. Visitors looking to get their hearts pumping can experience the full range of adventure with white water rafting, which includes a thrilling, wide-eyed trek down furious rapids.

Yarra River valley is world known winery region and day tours from Melbourne for wine testing are very popular.

Interesting facts about Yarra River

Watertube Experience in Yarra RiverHere are some interesting facts about this amazing river:
  • The name is pronounced wrongly, original name was Yarro-Yarro, meaning ‘ever-flowing’.
  • There i a history of flooding in Yarra valley.
  • There is a raising concern about quality of Yarra River water due to pollution.

Read more: Interesting facts about Yarra River

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