World Rivers Day: if the Yarra were a person, who would they be?
World Rivers Day is held on the fourth Sunday of September to remind us of the value of our waterways and their role as natural corridors for life and human activity.
As we conclude three weeks of Birrarung Riverfest events this Sunday, we ask some of the river’s custodians: if the Yarra Birrarung were a person, what would they be like?
“The Yarra Birrarung is a person who has had ups and downs in their life, and it has its moods,” said Yarra River Keeper Association President Janet Bolitho.
“We have a profound interconnection to our waterways, which we can’t take for granted, so we have to work unceasingly to promote the river’s health.”
Yarra River Keeper is a member organisation of the Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (Good for Yarra is good for all) Collaboration that sponsored this year’s Birrarung Riverfest activities from citizen science and streamside clean-ups to storytelling and talks.
“I think the Yarra Birrarung is an older person with a wise soul, who is responsive to modern-day concerns but can teach us so much about our past,” said Melbourne Water Head of Aboriginal Engagement & Community Connections Greg Bain.
“There’s been a lot of effort to revegetate and remove weeds which has improved biodiversity so much that platypuses and wallabies are now in its lower reaches.”
Native birds, frogs, and reptiles have also been making their home in the waters of the Yarra Birrarung in greater numbers with bats, gliders, and bandicoots throughout the surrounds.
Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo is also the name of a ten-year plan to protect and regenerate the river and its parklands, with 60,000 native trees and grasses planted from Abbotsford to Warrandyte since 2021.
Zena Cumpston is a member of the Birrarung Council and a Barkandji woman who learned how a waterway can change a community, especially when it’s gone.
“As a visitor to this Country and witness to the decline of our Barka or Darling River, on my Barkandji country, I feel obliged to do as much as I can to protect the Birrarung to ensure it’s not harmed in the same way as our Barka,” she said.
“The Birrarung as a person would be resilient and generous despite experiencing a lack of respect and care during its life.”
As an urban waterway in a growing city, the Yarra Birrarung faces challenges from development, pollution, and climate change. Organisations like Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Yarra River Keeper, local councils, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation lead the effort to protect it, but everyone has their part to play.
“I think of the Yarra Birrarung as a wise person who understands balance and the importance of reflection,” said Melbourne Water Executive General Manager Service Futures Chris Brace.
“For me, the river has a maternal quality and, like most children, it’s when they grow up that they realise how much their mum did for them.”
“Understanding that the Yarra Birrarung is a living entity and acting to protect it is part of taking that mature approach to our relationship with this important waterway.”
Find out more about the Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo, Yarra Strategic Plan.
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