Down the Yarra Podcast

BGM_The Kennett Era: Big Sheds, Big Egos and the Big Swing in the 90s

In this powered political episode of Down the Yarra, we dive headfirst into the controversial region of Jeff Kennett - Victoria’s most decisive premier. From Jeff’s Shed to Jeff’s Dick, Condon controversies, stony gargoyle protests at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Eastern Hill, and the unforgettable radio impression ad, we pack the biometric legacy of the 1990s Liberal era.
Was it actually progress or just a political wrecking ball? Visionary planning or just arrogance gone wild? We explore how Kennett reshaped Naarm - Melbourne and Victoria, and we ask the question why his shadow still looms large over the CBD’s skyline today.
Trigger Warning: This Episode contains references to political decisions that led to mass public sector cuts, school closures, and community upheaval, which maybe distressing for some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised
Plus: A Teaser for next week’s episode on Viotoria’s forgotten - and revived - Viticultural story.
Down the Yarra - whether you’re a local or just curious, this podcast is for you.

BGM_Very Best, Very Bitter: The Legacy of VB

Crack open a cold one - in this bitter brewed episode of Down the Yarra, we go deep into the legacy of Victoria Bitter or VB. From the gritty Victoria Brewery beginnings, the iconic neon sign lighting up Punt Hill, the live-in army of felines guarding its grain stores to CUB, VB was more than just beer - it was Naarm-Melbourne in bottle form. We trace its rise, its bitter fade from the skyline, and what it means or the working-class city in flux.
Trigger Warning: This Episode includes references to alcohol, urban decay, and pest - control measures including live-in animals. Listeners discretion is advised.
Plus, a teaser for next week’s is a deep dive into the Jeff Kennet era and the Liberal-led overhaul that reshaped Victoria.

BGM_Boom, Bust, & Back Again: Old Naarm-Melbourne’s Wild Economic Rule

In this shaky economic episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into Old Naarm-Melbourne’s forgotten economic collapse - from the dizzying highs of the 1880s land boom to the brutal crash of the 1890s and its long, yet uneven rocky road to recovery.
Explore this shady land deals, the fallout of the failed banks, mass unemployment, soup kitchens, and the slow rebirth of a battered and bruised city. Discover how this turbulent era still echoes in Naarm-Melbourne’s famous laneways, terrace houses, and the attitudes towards development today.
Trigger Warning: this Episode contains discussions on poverty, hardship, displacement, and class struggles. Listeners discretion is advised.
Next Up: We crack open a stubby of VB-Victoria Bitter - and take a bold look at its legacy, its role in working-class Naarm-Melbourne, and its stranger ears on rats in the brewery… with an army of Cats.

BGM_Bundoora Park: The Homestead, the Phantom Horse & Mt Cooper’s Forgotten Majesty

From the Ted Gum Plains to the haunted hoofbeats, today we explore the rolling mystery of Bundoora Park. Once a grand estate and racehorse stud, later a convalescent farm for returning soldiers for World War I and part of the Mont Park psychiatric complex, Bundoora is a place where history is still very much alive - sometimes quite literally.
We visit the Heritage-listed Bundoora Homestead, hear the tales of a ghostly racehorse galloping at night, and we climb to the peak of Mount Cooper - once thought to be the highest natural point of metropolitan Naarm - Melbourne. And we ask the question, what has this land has seen, what it remembers, and to what the future might hold.
Trigger Warning: This Episode contains references to colonisation, death, and psychologic institution. Which may be distressing to some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised.
Teaser: next time, we dive into Naarm-Melbourne’s first major financial collapse - the 1890s economic bust - where fortunes were made and lost in the blink of an eye.

BGM_From Suburban Grounds to the National Stage: The AFL Grand Final

Every year, on the last Saturday in September, Naarm - Melbourne transforms. The streets swell, the MGC roars, and the entire nation tunes in. But let’s first ask the questions when and where did this ritual provoke from - and what is it actually saying about us, in general?
In this special Grand Final episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the actual roots of Australian Rules Football, it’s likely connections with the First Nations games of Marngrook to its eventual evolution of suburban clubs that have and continue to shape Naarm - Melbourne’s identity. We explore the raw spectacle of the big dance, its controversies that shadow it, and the undeniable cultural weight the AFL Grand Final carries on today - warts and all.
Trigger Warning: This Episode includes references to colonial violence, racism in sport, and gambling, which maybe distressing to some listeners, listeners discretion is advised.
Plus - stick around for a teaser of our next episode, where we head northeast to Bundoora Park to uncover the secrets of. The Heritage homestead, the eerie tale of the phantom horse, and club to the very peek of Naarm - Melbourne’s highest natural point, Mount Cooper.

BGM_The March to the ’G’: The Story of the AFL Grand Final Parade

Before the siren sounds and the legends are made at the ‘G’, there’s one Melbourne tradition that kicks off the AFL Grand Final Weekend: the Parade. In this sport fuelled episode of Down the Yarra, we take you deep into the history, culture, controversy, and the colourful chaos of the AFL Grand Final Parade - from its humble 1977 beginnings to riverboat misfires, and the modern day fanfare.
We unpack how the parade became a civic ritual, the moments that made headlines, and the shifting identity of of the CBD behind it all. Plus: what the parade truly says about Naarm - Melbourne multiculturalism, and the tension between tradition and spectacle.
Trigger Warning: This Episode contains discussions of cultural identity, commercialisation of traditional, and indigenous representation in AFL events.
And don’t miss our next episode: a full deep dive into this AFL Grand Final itself - every siren, scandal, and slice of meat pie history.

BGM_Showbags, Sheepdogs & Showdowns: The Royal Melbourne Show

For over 170 years, the Royal Melbourne Show has been where Country Victoria meets Naarm - Melbourne’s CBD slickers - in a wild mash-up of livestock, laughter, lolly-fuelled rides, and a whole lot of noise.
In this this fun-filled episode of Down the Yarra, we take you behind the fairy floss to explore the Show’s humble Agricultural origins, its wild ride through history, and its ongoing evolution in modern day Naarm - Melbourne. From the champion Bulls to the ever popular classic Bertie Beatles showcase, sheepdog trails to the sideshow trills - this is the story of one of Victoria’s most beloved events
Trigger Warning: The Episode contains references to animals, agriculture, fireworks, and past amusement ride incidents. Listeners discretion is advised.
Next U0: We’re gearing up for footy fever as we head to the AFL Grand Final Parade - the colour, chaos, and chants down and through the City’s streets.

BGM_Puffing Billy: The Little Engine That Couldn’t Be Stopped

All aboard for a steam-powered journey through time! In this ‘little engine that’ episode of Down the Yarra, we wind our way through the misty blue Dandenong Ranges aboard Victoria’s most beloved Hertiage trains Puffing Billy. From its origins as a rugged timber-hauling narrow-gauged railway to its near-collapse and miraculous rebirth as one of the world’s finest historical railways, Puffing Billy is more than just a train - it’s a symbol of resilience.
But behind the calm lies a much darker chapter, including a tragic abuse scandal that forced the organisation to confront its past and rebuild for a safe future.
We cover, the past, present, and future of this iconic railway - trestle bridges, fern gullies, whistle echoes and all - and why it remains a powerful part of Victoria’s cultural and emotional landscape.
Trigger warning: This Episode contains references to child sexual abuse.
Plus, stay tuned for a teaser of our next episode, the story of the Royal Melbourne Show - where the farm meets the city in the most chaotic and colourful way possible.

BGM_Whelan the Wrecker: Demolitions, Memories & the Birth of Hertiage in Victoria.

In this rubble bound episode of Down the Yarra, we meet the man whose name became shorthand for demolition in Naarm - Melbourne - Frank Whelan of the infamous Whelan the Wreckers fame. From the 1930s through to the 1970s, Whelan’s crew knocked down some of Naarm - Melbourne’s grandest buildings - hotels, markets, theatres, mansions - all in the name of progress. But, yet in their wake, something stirred: a growing awareness that we are losing our past.
Join us as we uncover how Whelan’s wrecking ball unintentionally helped spark the Victorian Hertiage movement, leading to the birth of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Hertiage Victoria and public fights to save the soul of the CBD. With podcast and book recommendations - Stranger Melbourne’s Whelan the Wrecker and Robyn Annear’s k brilliant biography - this is a story of loss, resistance and revival.
Trigger Warning: This Episode contains references to destruction of culturally significant buildings, displacement, and the loss of First Nations Heritage due to demolition and development. Listeners discretion is advised.
Plus, stay tuned for a stream - filled teaser on our next episode as we head into the Dandenong Ranges to explore the history and heart of the beloved Puffing Billy railway.

BGM_Behind the Bluestone: The Story of HMAS Pentridge Prison

Once the beating heart of colonial punishment in Victoria, HMAS Pentridge Prison loomed over Coburg with its towering bluestone walls, gallows, and silent cells. From housing notorious bushrangers like that of Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly to executing Ronald Ryan - the last person legally executed in Australia - Pentridge was both feared and infamous in its presence.
In this shocking haunting episode of Down the Yarra, we crack open the prison gates to explore its brutal legacy, the slow collapse of its reputation, and how it partial demolition helped fuel the birth of Victoria’s modern heritage movement.
Trigger Warning: This Episode discusses incarceration, capital punishment, and the mistreatment of prisoners, which may be distressing to some listeners. Listeners discretion is advised.
Plus, we teaser our next episode on how the infamous Whelan the Wrecker and the lead - up to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics sparked a rebellion to save the soul of Naarm - Melbourne - ushering in the rise of the Hertiage and National Trust of Victoria.
Recommended listening & viewing:
Down the Yarra S2 - Jean Lee.
Look, History in the Eye, Melbourne - Silent Prison
LikeALook (YouTube) - Colonial PrisonMelbourne - Pentridge Prison