Yarra River, Melbourne

The Yarra River, historically known as the Yarra Yarra River, has its origins in east-central Victoria, Australia. It stretches for 242 kilometers (150 miles) from the Yarra Ranges in the east to its endpoint in Hobsons Bay, northernmost Port Phillip. The river played a vital role for indigenous Australians in terms of food and gathering, but with the arrival of European settlers, land clearing pushed the Wurundjeri people away from the river.

Originally known as Birrarung to the Wurundjeri people, the Yarra River got its current name, Yarra, from a mistranslation of the Boonwurrung term Yarro-yarro, which means "ever-flowing." Early European settlers used the river mainly for agriculture, resulting in changes to its course and widening of certain sections. Infrastructure like Princes Bridge and mining during the Victorian gold rush, which led to tunnels like Pound Bend Tunnel and the Big and Little Peninsula Tunnels, have had a significant impact on the river.

To protect Melbourne from flooding, widening and dam construction, such as the Upper Yarra Reservoir, were undertaken. However, logging in the catchment's upper reaches and industrialization resulted in the destruction of marshlands at the confluence of the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers near Coode Island in West Melbourne.

Today, the Yarra River mouth, including Swanson and Appleton Docks, serves as a busy container shipping hub for the Port of Melbourne, the continent's busiest port. The city reach is now popular for transportation and recreational activities like kayaking, canoeing, rowing, and swimming. However, pollution in the lower river sections poses a threat to recreational use, while the upper reaches remain relatively unpolluted.

The annual Moomba festival is held to celebrate the growing cultural significance of the Yarra River to Melbourne.