For further information on the project visit: imaginetheyarra.com.au

FACT SHEET

The Yarra River is recognised as one living and integrated natural entity of State significance. The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring the Yarra River’s protection through an open and collaborative process, partnering with responsible public entities, Traditional Owners, and the community.

The Yarra Strategic Plan will seek to improve the management and protection of the Yarra River with respect to these complexities through the following themes:

• Environmental health of the waterway and riparian lands

• Community use, access and amenity of the river and its parklands

• The landscape setting and interface of the river corridor with adjacent land uses

• Cultural and heritage values in the riverscape

These themes are described in more detail on the following pages.

Understanding the Yarra

For further information on the project visit: imaginetheyarra.com.au

FACT SHEET

Environmental health of the waterway and riparian landsMaintaining the long-term health of the Yarra River’s land and water is integral to all of the life and activities that the river supports.

The Yarra River water provides 70% of Melbourne’s drinking water, supports agricultural activities across the fertile Yarra Valley, and is the link between the extensive network of parklands that line its banks from Warrandyte to inner Melbourne.

The waterway itself and the riparian environment of the river’s banks are highly sensitive and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. It provides habitat linkages for numerous birds and animals along the river corridor, and significantly contributes to the biodiversirty of the region. Protecting the river’s water quality and environment is essential.

There are 14 agencies (directly and indirectly) that have a role in monitoring and improving the environmental health of the waterway and riparian lands. The Yarra Strategic Plan will provide a means of coordinating these different agencies to ensure integrated outcomes for the river.

Do you have a story about the environmental health of the waterway and riparin lands?

Is it about the health of the river? Is it about connecting with nature or the water itself? Is it about the river in 50 years’ time?

Healthy Waterways Strategy 2018-2028As well as the Yarra Strategic Plan, Melbourne Water is currently developing the Healthy Waterways Strategy 2018-2028.

The Healthy Waterways Strategy has a ‘whole of catchment’ view of our waterways (including wetlands, estuaries, rivers and creeks). Five catchments are considered in the Healthy Waterways Strategy, the Yarra Catchment being one of them. It ensures our regions’ waterways can support priority environmental, social, cultural and economic values which will guide management and investment into the future.

The Yarra Strategic Plan focuses on a more specific geographical area to the Healthy Waterways Strategy, concentrating on the Yarra River Corridor (rather than the whole of the Yarra catchment).

Melbourne Water are currently collaborating with the community and stakeholders to develop the next Healthy Waterways Strategy, which will replace the current one when it expires in 2018. Community input into the Yarra Strategic Plan process will feed into the engagement process for the Yarra catchment of the Healthy Waterways Strategy, which commenced in mid-October 2017.

For more information on the Healthy Waterways Strategy, visit: yoursay.melbournewater.com.au/healthy-waterways

For further information on the project visit: imaginetheyarra.com.au

FACT SHEET

Community use, access and amenity of the river and its parklandsThe Yarra River provides Melbourne with numerous opportunities for access to different types of open space. These spaces range from landscaped parklands to sporting fields or wilderness areas, offering a sense of escape and remoteness.

As Melbourne’s population continues to grow, access to the open spaces - for all ages and abilities - will become increasingly important.

People access the river in different ways, such as cycling, walking, and watercraft, for a variety of reasons, including recreation, community or commercial operations.

The Yarra Strategic Plan will consider where new or improved open spaces need to be provided, and the types of spaces required to meet the community’s needs, now and into the future. Access to the river and its network of open spaces is a key consideration for the Yarra Strategic Plan. The Plan will need to consider access to the river by road and the provision of adequate car parking in places that provide a focal point for community or commercial activity.

The river corridor’s landscape and its interface with surrounding land useThe Yarra River begins its journey in the forested upper reaches of the Baw Baw plateau east of Melbourne, and flows approximately 240 kilometres to its mouth at Port Phillip Bay.

Along the way, it flows through a great diversity of landscapes which transition from forests and farmland, through leafy suburbs to reach the central city and Docklands.

The river’s immediate environment supports many different land uses, including residential, commercial and industrial precincts, extensive open space networks, agricultural land and rural townships. The river also plays a vital role in the economy of Melbourne, providing for a range of business activities and tourism. In some places, buildings are developed close to its edge; in other locations, the river has a highly natural character.

With Melbourne’s growing population will come increased pressure for more development and greater density along the river corridor.

The Yarra Strategic Plan will document the character of the river in each location, and the ways in which it is valued by the community. It will also map important views and vistas along the river and within the broader landscape. A key part of the Plan is to consider how and where development can occur within the river’s complex environment, while protecting its valued character and significant landscapes.

Do you have a story about the landscape around the Yarra?

In your story, what does the river and its surrounds look like? Where does you story happen? Is it a ‘secret’ or special place to you?

Do you have a story about how you use or access the river?

Does it involve activities like playing, cycling or exploring? Is it about family and friends?

For further information on the project visit: imaginetheyarra.com.au

FACT SHEET

Cultural and heritage values in the riverscapeFor tens of thousands of years, the Yarra River has been a special place for Wurundjeri people. Today, the river’s Traditional Owners maintain a deep spiritual connection to its waters and land. Many places along the river hold cultural significance for Traditional Owners.

Since European settlement of Melbourne in 1835, the Yarra River has been instrumental in shaping Melbourne’s success as a city. There are many sites of significance along the Yarra that illustrate the integral role of the river in Melbourne’s history and growth.

The Yarra Strategic Plan provides an opportunity for people to share their knowledge of the river’s history; both indigenous and post-settlement . The Plan will explore the long history of peoples’ interactions with the river, and look at ways in which the stories from the past can be represented in the river’s environment today. It will document the places of significance and how they can be protected.

“we have rowed on it, drunk it, dammed it, washed in it, ignored it, sewered into it, gazed at it, drowned in it, swum it, built factories and cities because of it”

- Kristin Otto, Yarra

Do you have a story about the culture and heritage of the Yarra River?

Is it about the Yarra’s rich culture and heritage? Does it reflect the significance of the river to Aboriginal people? Is it about the past, present and future?