City floats $40m wetland plan to rewild the Yarra

Five floating wetlands will be created in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD as part of a $40 million plan to return the river to a more natural state.

The City of Melbourne’s 2021/22 draft budget, to be delivered on Tuesday, includes $40 million in the next year to deliver the floating wetlands and begin work along 600 metres of the river’s edge at Birrarung Marr and along the north bank of the Yarra as part of the council’s Greenline project.

An artist’s impression of the proposed floating wetlands in the Yarra River.

The floating wetlands, which will sit between Princess Bridge and Yarra Edge, are being designed for birds such as swans, cormorants and ducks, along with turtles and native water rats known as rakali.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the river was a priority for the council, which needed to explore measures to ensure the river could be enjoyed for generations to come.

“Floating wetlands will help to protect our river banks and support diverse flora and fauna communities along the Yarra River – Birrarung,” she said.

“It’s another way of drawing more people into the city to enjoy Melbourne’s most iconic waterway – the foundation around which the entire city was built.”

An artist’s impression of how Greenline might look near Flinders Street Station.

The investment will total $110 million over four years for Capp’s flagship Greenline project, a four-kilometre trail linking Birrarung Marr to the Bolte Bridge.

Capp campaigned on her vision for a linear park in the 2018 council byelection and the 2020 election. The “passion project” is inspired by New York’s High Line Park.

The draft budget sets out $254 million to be spent on infrastructure, including the $110 million for Greenline; $50 million for restoration of the heritage sheds and the revamped food hall at the Queen Victoria Market; $25 million for the Kensington Community Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment; $13.7 million to repair and maintain footpaths, roads and other infrastructure; and $8.2 million for the Munro Library and Community Hub at the Queen Victoria Market.

Capp said the Greenline project would change Melbourne’s landscape and deliver more than $1 billion in economic activity, transforming the north bank of the Yarra from the MCG to Docklands.

Melbourne Water’s most recent report card for Yarra water quality described it as “slightly off track”.

“Water quality in the Yarra River continues to meet statewide microbial benchmarks to support boating but not swimming,” it said.

Capp has been seeking $100 million in contributions from the state and federal governments for the Greenline project, which is forecast to cost $300 million.

This week, the federal opposition pledged $20 million to finalise planning work and begin construction on the project.

It has also promised $5 million for Moonee Ponds Creek to remove sections of concrete drain and create a healthier waterway.

Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said the creek was the most abused tributary of the Yarra River and arguably the most degraded waterway in Melbourne.

“Over 180 years, we have turned the creek into an industrial drain, a transport corridor for coal barges, and a general dumping ground,” he said.

Reece said the Moonee Ponds creek could once again be a 35-kilometre natural green corridor from the foothills near Tullamarine Airport to the Yarra River.

“Let’s get rid of the dumped shopping trolleys, the plastic bags and the concrete drain,” he said. “Let’s bring back the native grasses, the red gums and woodlands. Let’s bring back the pobblebonk frogs, the rufus night heron and other wildlife that once frequented this waterway.“

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