Down the Yarra Podcast

Skybbound but yet Still Grounded: Naarm - Melbourne’s Long -Awaited Airport Rail

Why doesn’t Naarm - Melbourne - one of the world’s most so - called liveable cities - have a train to the International Airport? In this episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the multitude decades long saga of Naarm - Melbourne’s Airport Rail Lin, from its 1970s beginnings, countless false starts, broken promises, and a whole lot of political tug - of -war, all the way to its uncertain future. What happened to the long - awaited Airport Rail Link? And can it get back on track?
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses political delays, transport inequality, and infrastructure dysfunction. Listeners discretion is advised.
Recommend Viewing:
Watch City Mouse’s (YouTube) video - “What Happened to Melbourne’s Airport Rail Link”?
Next Time on the Pod:
We head to Scienceworks in Spotswood - where industry, imagination, and innovation collide.

BGM_The Night The Fell on Lilydale

On the night of April 10, 1910, a fiery explosion shattered the quiet stillness of Lilydale - a meteorite had struck the heart of the Cave Hill Quarry. In this special episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the dramatic story of the space rock that fell from the heavens and left its mark on what was then Rural Victoria. What exactly happened that night? What was discovered in the creator? And why has the cosmic collision faded from the collective memory?
With a Trigger Warning for a sudden and explosive events, we explore how the earth and sky collided in a moment that still echoes through Lilydale’s limestone legacy. Plus, we recommend the Melbourne Marvels episode on the Cranbourne Meteorite, another extraordinary story from Victoria’s interstellar past.
And next time: a teaser for one of sport’s great mysteries - was the Ashes cricket rivalry really born on the grounds of Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury, or is this story too good to be true?

BGM_Sibling Rivalry Down Under

From the coffee wars and footy feuds to the capital city clashes and state vs state banter - Australia’s sibling rivalry runs deep. In this playful yet revealing episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the deep long - standing grudge matches between Naarm - Melbourne vs Gadial -Sydney, Victoria vs New South Wales, and every other state and capital in between. Is it just a cheeky competition or maybe something more to it? And does Naarm - Melbourne and the state of Victoria finally come out on top after all?
Trigger Warning: This episode includes a light- hearted jabs and generalisation about Australia’s states and capitals that may stir up some strong patriotic feelings.
Up Next: Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria’s Ghostly tales… haunted Gail’s, spectral sightings, and the eerie echoes through our oldest arcades.

BGM_Smell-Bourne: The Stench Beneath The City

Before the Carlton Gardens became one of Naarm - Melbourne’s most iconic and treasured green spaces, they were something else entirely - a dumping ground for city’s human waste. In this eye - watering as well as smelly episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the filthy history of early Naarm - Melbourne, when overflowing dunny cans, outhouses, nightsoil men and disease outbreaks are plaguing a city with no working sewage system. From the putrid days of Smell-Bourne to the rise of the Royal Exhibition Building and the Carlton Gardens, we trace the transformation of a literal wasteland into a modern global landmark.
Plus, we revisit two key Down the Yarra episodes:
*Season 2: Royal Exhibition Building and the Carlton Gardens.
*Season 3: The Long-Lost Jobs of Naarm - Melbourne.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains descriptions of human waste disposal, poor sanitation, and a public health crisis issues that some listeners may find disturbing. Listeners discretion is advised.
And stick around for a fiery teaser of our next episode: when a meteorite crashes into Lilydale’s Cave Hill on the night of April 10, 1910 - an explosion that it lit up the night sky and shocked the little town to its very core.

Pipe Dream and the Flooded Gardens: The Yan Yean Reservoir, Plenty River Flume & The Pipe Walk

Before Naarm - Melbourne was known for its coffee and its culture, it was a city on the brink - plagued by disease, thirst, and sewage in the streets. In this watery episode of Down the Yarra, we trace the story of the Yan Yean Reservoir, the remarkable Plenty River Flume, and the epic Pipe Walk that brought clean water to the growing con the 1850s. From bushland pipelines to the hilarious moment that the first tap was turned on - flooding The Carlton Gardens - we explore the engineering, chaos, and the legacy of Naarm - Melbourne’s earliest water supply.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to colonial infrastructure projects that impacted Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country and waterways. Listeners discretion is advised.
Watch: Phillip Mallis’ (YouTube) video “The Pipe Walk”
Listen: Down the Yarra Season 2 episode - Royal Exhibition Building and the Carlton Gardens.
Next Episode Teaser: Don’t miss our deep dive into the saga that is Naarm - Melbourne’s long - awaited and frankly overdue Airport Rail Link.

BGM_Before the Southern Cross Rose: The Road To Eureka

What actually drove thousands of miners on the Ballarat goldfields to rise up against the colossal government in 1854? In this glittering episode of Down the Yarra, we trace the path to Australia’s most famous rebellion - the Eureka Uprising. From the gold licensee crackdowns and the corrupt officials to the death of the Scottish miner, James Scobbie and the fiery destruction of the Eureka Hotel in Ballarat, we unpack the events, key players, and the courtroom drama that followed the uprising. We examine the legacy of Eureka today - its complicated symbolism and its contested place in Australia’s national identity today.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to state violence, executions, and colonial injustice, which may be distressing for some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised.
Want more?
Watch Tony Robinson’s’s Time Travels/Down Under - Marathon episode.
Listen to Australian Histories Podcast - multi part series of Eureka.
Next Time: We follow the flume from Yan Yean Reservoir down the Plenty River and along the Pipe Track Walk - a story of engineering, water and Naarm -!Melbourne’s thirst for growth.

BGM_A Match To Remember: The Birthplace of the Ashes - Rupertswood, or Myth Made?

In this episode of Down the Yarra, we journey to Sunbury’s grand Rupertswood Mansion - long hailed as the birthplace of cricket’s most legendary rivalry: The Ashes. But was it truly? Or is it just another myth stitched into Australia’s sporting soul?
We uncover its actual origins, behind Ivo Blight’s 1882-83 visit, the tiny urn gifted by Lady Janet Clarke, and the line between social match and sacred legend. Along the way, we bust a few myths, raise a few eyebrows, and we’ll explore how folklore can become fact over time.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of colonisation and settler mythology. Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander listeners are advised that this episode may mention names of decreased people.
Recommendations:
*Untold Stories of Australia (YouTube) - The Ashes Origin Story
*Dead & Buried’s Episode - Myth Busted
Teaser: Next time, we dig into the explosive Eureka Uprising of 1854 - the battle for rights, rebellion, and democracy on not just the Goldfields of Ballarat, Bendigo and beyond.

BGM_Scienceworks - The Museum of Wonder and What Else

In this wondrous episode of Down the Yarra, we take you inside Naarm - Melbourne’s beloved temple of science, sparks, and sewage: Scienceworks. From the rumbling engines of the 1890s Spotswood Pumping Station to the high - voltage lighting shows and the space - aged planetarium, we explore how this interactive museum became one of Naarm - Melbourne’s most cherish landmarks- and why is so much more than just a simple school excursion destination.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to industrial accidents, and early medical examinations, that may be distressing to some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised.
We also share two big updates: Down the Yarra is taking a short break before Season 4 launches on Tuesday, June 24. And when we do return, we’ll be making two massive - and permanent - changes.
*New episodes will be released once a week still on Tuesdays, and not 8+ episodes per fortnight.
*each episode will run around 15 minutes, give or take, anyway.
Plus, do have one final and surprise (YouTube) video recommendation:
*Museum Victoria - Curious Case of Spotswoood Pumping Station.
Until then - stay curious. Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria.

BGM_Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria’s Urban Legends

From the Phantom Tram and haunted laneways to the beastly shadows of the Otways, this eerie episode of Down the Yarra, dives into the spine - tingling urban legends that haunt the streets and forests of Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria. We unpack tales of mysterious disappearances, ghostly figures, and the unexplained phenomena lurking beneath Parliament and beyond.
Trigger Warning: This episode includes stories of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and supernatural themes, which maybe distressing for some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised.
Listen now… if you dare.
Next Time On Down the Yarra: We sniff out the truth behind the nickname of Smell - Bourne - and we uncover why Naarm - Melbourne once stank to high heaven.

BGM_Ghostly Tales of Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria

Is something watching you from the shadows? In this spine - tingling episode of Down the Yarra, we uncover the ghostly tales that haunt Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria. From the restless dead beneath the Queen Victoria Market, to the spot -light loving spirit of the Princess Theatre, and the chilling echoes of the Old Melbourne Gaol - we take you on a journey through the city’s haunted past.
We also head beyond the CBD to explore ghost stories of Ballarat, Point Hicks, and Port Fairy - revealing the strange and yet unsettling truths that still linger across the whole State.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to deaths, hauntings, and supernatural events that some listeners may find distressing. Listeners discretion is advised.
Podcast Recommendations;
*Down the Yarra Season 2 episodes - Queen Victoria Marke, East End Theatre District, and the Old Melbourne Gaol.
*things That Go Bump In The Night - The Princess Theatre
*Dead & Buried - Myth Busted!
Next Episode Teaser:
Tune in next time as we explore Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria’s Urban Legends - featuring Buniyips, Mysterious Tunnels, Lost Buildings, and the actual truth behind Naarm - Melbourne’s strangest myths.