The City of Melbourne has a draft masterplan for the transformation of the north bank of the Birrarung/Yarra River.
The Greenline project, by Aspect Studios and TCL, is set to create a four-kilometre stretch of interconnected promenades, parks and open spaces between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte Bridge in what will become Melbourne’s largest green space.
The section of the north bank will be conceived as five distinct precincts:
- The Birrarung Marr Precinct will be the gateway to the Greenline project, “boldly celebrating Aboriginal culture and the river’s unique ecology,” the draft masterplan states.
- The Falls Precinct will celebrate the site’s cultural significance to the the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and the broader Eastern Kulin nation as the location of a former waterfall and river crossing. It will also reflect the site’s historical links to the founding of Melbourne.
- The River Park Precinct will be an important open space next to the river, capable of hosting a range of activities.
- The Maritime Precinct will be a place to interpret Melbourne’s past seafaring endeavours.
- Finally, the Saltwater Wharf Precinct will have a new public park at the end of North Wharf where visitors can enjoy river and harbour experiences.
In April 2023, City of Melbourne released a series of design ideas for the Greenline project, which had been drawn from international waterfront transformation projects such as Brooklyn Bridge in New York, Parc des Docks in Paris, the Seattle waterfront in the United States and the Auckland waterfront in New Zealand.
The draft masterplan also outlines broad themes of ecology, culture, place and connection that will be explored throughout all five precincts.
City of Melbourne councillors will consider the masterplan at its Future Melbourne Committee meeting on 15 August.
If approved, the masterplan will be on exhibition for public feedback on 16 August.
