The Greenline Project – A Geography Victoria Fieldtrip
February 2025
On Monday 24th February, the group of 30 Melburnians signed up for Geography Victoria's first field trip for the year met at the City of Melbourne’s Greenline Project Hub located at 13 Princes Walk, right on the banks of the Yarra River - Birrarung, below Federation Square. Most of the attendees knew little about the project, and by the end of the morning, they were very enthusiastic to have taken the exciting deep dive to learn more about this ambitious, reimagining of the north bank of the river from Birrarung Marr to the Docklands.
Luke Flanagan, the Principal Program Manager - Greenline Project, presented a detailed overview of the vision to transform the Yarra/Birrarung into a central focus of the city, catering for the diverse population who will work, live and visit our city in the future. A lively interactive Q&A session (and a delicious morning tea) followed, before we headed out on a guided walk through some of the Project’s key zones to see for ourselves the nature of the proposals.
One of the highlights was learning about the Birrarung Trial Floating Wetlands. The small islands that can be seen floating in the river have been designed to explore ways to restore the flora and fauna to a complex river ecosystem. We also were informed about the exciting upgrades about to start on a section of the Yarra overlapping with Birrarung Marr precinct aimed at improving biodiversity and enriching natural habitats along the river whilst making this quite extensive open area more accessible for the public.
An overview of the broader vision for the project is set out in the Greenline Project Master Plan, completed in December 2023. This plan has won a number of prestigious Australian and international awards, underscoring its significance and highlighting the City of Melbourne’s role in leadership for the future of the city and river.
As The Greenline Project unfolds over the next decade, it represents an ambitious and transformative opportunity for Melbourne. Given its scale and significance, the project requires strong collaboration across Federal, State departments and agencies, as well as key stakeholders from businesses, community groups, industry peak bodies, private landowners and developers.
A key focus of the project is inclusivity and respect for the Traditional Custodians of the land. The Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation members and elders have been a vital partner in the project since early 2021, ensuring that the voices of the traditional owners and their connection to the river is a part of every aspect of the Greenline Project Vision
For the latest project updates, subscribe to the Greenline Project Newsletter at www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenline-project. You can also visit the Greenline Project Hub every Wednesday and Thursday from 1 PM to 3 PM to chat with the experienced project team and discover how Melbourne is transforming the north bank of the Yarra River.
Geography Victoria would like to thank our hosts for this event, the City of Melbourne Greenline Project Team, as well as the attendees. The fieldtrip proved to be an invaluable opportunity to explore and provide valuable input into a very important forward-thinking initiative that will shape the future of our city.
Geography Victoria is planning similar events in the future. Please monitor our Geography Victoria website and newsletters for details.
Glenn Cockerton – Geography Victoria Interim Board member
