Detailed design and early investigative works on Melbourne’s Greenline Project are set to commence later this year.
Symal Infrastructure has been awarded the contract to complete site one of the Birrarung Marr precinct of the Greenline Project, which will see the delivery of a four-kilometre riverfront promenade along the Yarra (Birrarung) River, designed by Aspect Studios and TCL.
Five interconnected precincts will be established between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte Bridge, providing access to riverfront spaces for events and community gatherings.
Site one will form part of the Birrarung Marr Precinct, which will be the gateway to the Greenline. “Boldly celebrating Aboriginal culture and the river’s unique ecology,” the precinct will span from Batman Avenue to the eastern edge of Federation Square, featuring 450 metres of new boardwalks, viewpoints and green spaces for outdoor recreation.
River Edge render.
Image: Chris Erskine Visualisation
Three contemporary spaces will be created during the initial stage of Birrarung Marr works: the River Edge, the Lookout and the Fig Tree Boardwalk.
The River Edge will feature walkways, new habitat for wildlife and green areas for play, the Lookout will face the river, providing an important destination for Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung cultural celebrations with First Nations design details and seating areas, while the Fig Tree Boardwalk will offer a shaded space for art, storytelling and observing of nature with a suspended tree-lined platform and seating.
Following that, two additional sites will complete the Birrarung Marr Precinct.
In the ensuing stages of the project, the Falls Precinct will be established to celebrate the site’s cultural significance to the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and the broader Eastern Kulin nation as the location of a former waterfall and river crossing, the River Park Precinct will involve the creation of an open space next to the river, the Maritime Precinct will be a place that reflects on Melbourne’s seafaring history, and the Saltwater Wharf Precinct will provide a new public park at the end of North Wharf.
In early 2023, City of Melbourne released a series of design ideas for the Greenline project, which had been inspired by international waterfront 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.
Major construction on the project is expected to begin in 2024.
