World Rivers Day (September 24) is a global day of action dedicated to the health of rivers and the urgent need to protect and care for them. By raising awareness and encouraging collective action, a group of community organisations in Melbourne are joining the international movement to inspire people to become better stewards of their local rivers and waterways, fostering a sense of collective responsibility for the long-term health and wellbeing of the Birrarung/Yarra River.

We embarked on a journey at the end of last year to convene a diverse group of actors and develop a collaborative approach toward the ambitious goal of making the lower reaches of the Birrarung swimmable again by 2030. Now, we are actively pursuing a stream of work focused on storytelling and reconnection that will help our city navigate the systemic challenges that stand in our way. The Birrarung Riverfest is the first in a series of interventions we are piloting in partnership with Yarra Riverkeeper Association toward our vision of regenerating the Birrarung as the life-force of our city. 

This year, Regen Melbourne is proud to support the inaugural Birrarung Riverfest to celebrate, connect and care for our river. The festival takes place over one month, starting on World Rivers Day and ending on 22 October. Events include art exhibitions, storytelling, river clean-ups, and camping, to cultural walks, platypus monitoring, pollution patrols, and a book launch, as more than a dozen organisations join together to support the health of our main urban waterway. 

The aim of the Birrarung Riverfest is to connect people to the life-force of the Birrarung through ‘heart, head and hands’, so that she can be healthy, protected and loved. Yarra Riverkeeper, Charlotte Sterrett, said the Birrarung Riverfest marks a significant opportunity to reflect on our relationship with the Birrarung, Yarra River in Melbourne.

“For 242 kilometers the Yarra, Birrarung journeys from source to sea. She is beautiful and resilient, yet under threat. This festival will bring together Melburnians so they can connect to the river, celebrate her and commit to her care so she can return to full health.”

Our portfolio of wildly ambitious projects are designed to (re)organise the actors and resources with the potential to move us toward a thriving future for people and the planet, enabling our city to be bolder in what we can achieve together. Initiatives like the Birrarung Riverfest help to build momentum toward a chain of swimming places between Dights Falls and Port Phillip Bay. Lead Convenor for a Swimmable Birrarung, Charity Mosienyane, said stewarding this ambitious goal is about listening and learning from actors along the river in the lead up to and during Riverfest.

“The idea of a swimmable Birrarung is not new. There is a long and proud history of Traditional Owners, community groups, activists, and government initiatives who have progressively worked towards the regeneration of the river, and swimming activations.”

“However, reorienting the current systems to make the river swimmable is difficult because power, relationships and capital flows are often designed to reinforce our extractive ways of being with our waterways. We need to disrupt these patterns and reconfigure the system to serve a new purpose - regeneration.” 

On World Rivers Day, Regen Melbourne joined the opening event of the festival - a river cruise to share how Burndap Birrarung burndap umarko 'What's good for the Yarra is good for all’ - is restoring the river to full health. This was an opportunity to listen to stories from people intimately connected to the river, who are closely engaging with the project - including Birrarung Council member Erin O'Donnell, Yarra Riverkeeper Charlotte Sterrett, and Skye Haldane from the City of Melbourne's Greenline. 

“It’s a complete celebration of the Birrarung,” says Charity. “I’m excited about what this festival looks like this year. I think it’ll be such an incredible vehicle to help unlock the investment we need to start undertaking projects that can help us transform the entire river.” 

Plan your adventure at the Birrarung Riverfest.