BGM_The Birrarung1Past, Present and Future

Long before the city of Melbourne or any of its suburbs ever existed, the Birrarung also known as the Yarra River-flowed through a vastly different landscape. At one point, Port Phillip was dry land, a massive plain stretching to Tasmania, connected by a land bridge before rising sea levels cut it off. The river was once the lifeblood for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, a vital part of their culture and way of life. But with colonisation came destruction-the Yarra Falls were blasted away, wetlands drained, and pollution turned the river into a dumping ground. In this episode of Down the Yarra, we trace the Birrarung’s journey from ancient times to its industrialisation and the ongoing efforts to revive it. Can we really swim in it again by 2030? And what does the future hold for the sacred waterway? Plus, a teaser for our next episode on the historic bridges of Naarm and South Central Victoria-because the story of the river is also the story of the structures that cross it. Trigger Warning: This episode discusses the cultural and environmental impacts of colonisation on the Birrarung and surrounding landscapes, which may be distressing for some listeners.