Yarra finalist for international river award
The Yarra is a diverse waterway. Its upper reaches support a range of native plant and animals species.
The lower sections of the Yarra are the backdrop for recreation and relaxation.
The Yarra was one of just three rivers shortlisted for the 2011 International RiverPrize, one of the world’s most prestigious environmental awards. The RiverPrize was won by the Charles River in Massachusetts, with the Mattole River in California the other finalist.
The Yarra was shortlisted from a field of more than 50 submissions from 20 countries, vying for the International River Foundation award that recognises innovative river management.
Melbourne Water, which manages the health of 8400km of rivers and creeks across the greater metropolitan area including the Yarra, was shortlisted alongside two US entrants, the managers of the Charles River in Massachusetts and the Mattole River in California.
Past winners include the Thames River in Great Britain, the Danube in Europe and Mekong in South-East Asia. Securing a place in the final three shows how far the Yarra has come in the past 40 years. The Yarra’s health has improved significantly since the 1970s thanks to stronger environmental laws and the diversion of waste to the sewerage system.
Since the 1990s there has been a focus on restoring the Yarra’s banks to a more natural state. At the same time, local councils and the building industry have become more involved in helping Melbourne Water reduce stormwater pollution. The community has also become heavily involved in looking after the Yarra, with more than 40 volunteer groups that give up their time to support our work.
Yarra facts
Geography
- Flows 242 kilometres from its source on the flanks of Mt Baw Baw, through the Yarra Valley and greater Melbourne into Port Phillip Bay.
- Average annual rainfall in the catchment ranges from 615mm at Burnley, near Melbourne, to 1080mm at Upper Yarra Reservoir.
- The Yarra catchment includes 40 rivers and creeks of high or very high significance. The stretch of the river between Warburton and Warrandyte has been classified a Victorian Heritage River.
- Seawater from Port Phillip Bay travels 10km upstream into the Yarra.
Plants and animals
- 25 unique vegetation communities.
- Animal species including:
- 22 fish
- 190 birds
- 10 frogs
- 16 reptiles
- 38 mammals
History
- The Wurundjeri people 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 John Batman was the first white man to lay claim to the river.
- In 1851, gold was discovered on a tributary of the Yarra. Within 10 years, the discovery had pushed the region’s population to more than 500,000.
- In 1890, city planners locked up 100,000 hectares of land around the headwaters of the Yarra to protect the source.
- The Western Treatment Plant began treating Melbourne’s sewage in 1897, resulting in considerable improvement to the Yarra’s water quality.