Birrarung Marr – Site One

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Public RealmTourism

Client
City of Melbourne / WGA / Symal-Wamarra

Collaborators
City of Melbourne – Greenline Team
Diverse Land Architecture

Disciplines
Landscape Architecture
Town Planning

Location
Melbourne, VIC

Date
2025

Imagery
Tract

Our design for the Birrarung Marr – Site One of the Greenline seeks to rehabilitate Melbourne’s famous Yarra River by strengthening the ‘Ecological Edge’ and embracing connections with the water as a living entity.
Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one

Through a highly collaborative process, Tract has delivered a signature public open space along the northern bank for the City of Melbourne that allows people to reconnect with nature and culture; whilst supporting the staging of major international and national events.

This Capital City Park will create a linear open space that yields peace, quietness and a place to reconnect with indigenous vegetation and the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung culture. Together with amenity improvements and an enhanced pedestrian connectivity along both over-water boardwalks and a wide promenade, our design provides a delicately balanced, inclusive space for residents, works and tourists alike.

From a heavily degraded riparian edge, with little ecological or social value, Birrarung Marr – Site One will re-create a series of pre-colonial landscape typologies reminiscent of flooded wetland and marshlands to innovatively enhance habitat and biodiversity outcomes. Through a series of open lawns to encourage long-stay destination and a central meeting place, the design successfully captures prevailing views along the sweeping bend of the River, during both day and night-time events.

Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one

Our planning team delivered comprehensive early works advice and played a pivotal role in securing planning approvals to enable the development. By undertaking a rigorous review of planning controls and expertly navigating complex public land management frameworks, we provided strategic planning guidance through project delivery.

Our involvement included proactive engagement with statutory authorities and Crown land administrators, ensuring a streamlined approvals process and mitigating potential delays. This collaborative and forward-thinking approach, paired with our team’s deep understanding of the public land statutory landscape, helped the project progress seamlessly from inception to delivery.

Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one
Birrarung marr – site one

As part of the Design & Construct Consultant team and in collaboration with the City of Melbourne Greenline team, Tract undertook a thorough design and documentation process, based upon their reference design.

Our methodology and resource commitment ensured the extensive stakeholder input (from Council departments, Water Authorities, Rowing and Event teams) was successfully integrated into the design to produce a seamless, sustainable and safe outcome.