Reflections on a Swimmable Birrarung
On World Bathing Day 2023, Charity reflects on 6 months in the role as a Lead Convenor, here to steward the long term goal of making the river swimmable again.
AI generated image of a swimmable Birrarung from Oliver Pelling
“First of all, I LOVE MY JOB!”
Last night, I was sitting by the Birrarung / Yarra River seeing and hearing from people who held different relationships to the river. Some of them are river swimmers and activists who engage with the Birrarung as a vital source of wellbeing. Others had never thought about their connection to the Birrarung before, but recognised it has played a part in their life, whether as an escape into nature or going on a first date. We came alive as we shared how the river has and continues to be a constant in shaping our lives.
Love Stories of the Birrarung: storytelling and reconnecting event
Today, June 22nd, we are celebrating World Bathing Day! People all around the world are invited to honour their connection to the water through the practice of bathing. In my role, that means thinking about and connecting up people, organisations and initiatives that can act in service to caring for the Birrarung, so that one day it can be swimmable for all.
As I’ve been learning over the last 6 months in this work 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. The Birrarung is a complex ecosystem that requires collective effort from actors across government, riverkeepers, business and creative sectors who together, can disrupt these patterns and reconfigure the system to serve a new purpose - regeneration. No simple task! And one that needs to be done together.
For me, reconnecting to the river as a life-force of the city has meant spending time with people who know, work and live by the river, and organisations that are already advocating for the river. It has meant intentionally holding meetings and events along the river - including bike rides of the lower reaches (27 kms!) - all the while being present with the river. It has been a time of actively listening and learning from the Traditional Owners as well as the community groups who have been active along the Birrarung for years like the Yarra RiverKeeper Association and the Yarra Yabbies, a small, dedicated group of local swimmers.
Having worked in water engineering for the last 17 years, I had come across the statistic that 70% of Melbourne’s water is from the Birrarung. Working alongside this waterway recently that’s taken on a new meaning. Granted most of this 70% is from upstream of the river, but it has made me wonder what honouring the river as such an important life source looks like - given how intimately we are connected with it for our health and livelihoods. How do we mobilise a community that is committed to seeing this life-giving entity thrive?
Currently, the idea of swimming in the downstream reaches of the river that flows through the city seems impossible to many. But each time I sit down with someone new and explain the potential, explain what “could be” I see them light up as they reimagine how our city could be oriented towards the river.
So while we have a journey ahead to collectively support the river's health, I invite you all to take a moment today, on world bathing day, to think about what a swimmable corridor between Dights Falls and Port Phillip Bay could look like … and then let’s dive into the work!
