Yarra River Discovery Walk (Central Melbourne)
Known by the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people as the Birrarung, ‘river of mists’, and long a cultural meeting place for the Eastern Kulin, Melbourne and its waterfront is a vibrant mix of hospitality, the arts and recreation.
Tour gold rush boom buildings, Gothic gargoyles and modernist art hubs on this 2.0km (1 hour) walk.
Yarra River Discovery Walk Map
Yarra River Discovery Walk
You can’t miss the striking visage of Deborah Halpern’s mosaic sculpture, Ophelia (1) (1992). Inspired by the character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is a cousin to Halpern’s two-headed Angel, now at Birrarung Marr.
Continue West on Southbank Promenade. On your left is Southgate (2), three levels of restaurants and boutique shopping.
Take Evan Walker Bridge (3) and cross over the river. It’s named after Professor Walker, Melbourne’s former planning minister and architect, who drove the transformation of the Southbank precinct. Keep your eyes peeled to your left for a gate, leading to a hidden stairway down to Ponyfish Island (4). This tiny floating bar offers fresh Asian-inspired dishes.
On the other side of the bridge is outdoor bar and restaurant Arbory (5). It spans the length of Flinders Street station, with uninterrupted riverfrontage. Sister venue Arbory Afloat is Melbourne’s largest seasonal outdoor floating cocktail bar.
Head west away from the station, past the Sandridge Bridge (6) on your left. The ten Travellers sculptures across the bridge represent the meeting of cultures in Melbourne over generations. Dating back to 1891–92, the Banana Alley Vaults (7) earned their enduring moniker from these early decades as a warehouse for wholesale fruit and produce.
Cross over Queens Bridge then bear left down the steps to Enterprise Wharf. Underneath Queen’s Bridge there was a basalt ridge, creating cascading Falls that separated the freshwater river from the saltwater bay. The Falls (8) were a crossing point near an Eastern Kulin meeting place, now known as Enterprise Park. ‘Yarra River’ derives from a local Aboriginal word used to describe the Falls, Yarro Yarro meaning ‘it flows’.
Enterprise Wharf, and the adjacent Enterprise Park (9), are named after the ship Enterprise. Led by John Pascoe Fawkner, his syndicate of Van Diemen’s Land sheep farmers first moored near here in 1835.
Constellation (10) (1996), the five stainless-steel, copper and Cyprus-pine figureheads on Enterprise Wharf depict a dragon, a woman, a bird, a man and a lion. Their forms reference the history of figurehead carving and suggest maritime sails and instruments.
Enterprise Park is home to Scar - A Stolen Vision (11) (2001), a collaborative artwork by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Made from wharf poles recycled from Queens Bridge, the sculptures evoke the Aboriginal cultural tradition of scarred or culturally modified trees.
Just below The Falls was the Yarra Turning Basin (12). During the gold rush, the shipping trade grew quickly, making this an increasingly busy port. Ships unloaded at Customs House and could then turn around. Customs House is now the Immigration Museum (13) where you can explore Australia’s migrant history. In 1879, the basin was widened and deepened by colonists, and The Falls destroyed.
Trains trundle overhead as you continue west past Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium (14). Inside are a myriad of up close encounters with underwater creatures.
Cross at Kings Way over to the shady eucalypts of Batman Park (15) and Rebecca Walk. It was established in 1982 and named after pioneer of Melbourne, John Batman.
