Melbourne's Waterways Enhancement

The recognition of the exceptional value of Melbourne's waterways and their environs has increased noticeably in recent times. From being viewed solely as drainage courses and used as convenient rubbish dumps, the waterways and their surroundings are now seen as community assets, to be preserved and enhanced. The causes for this attitudinal change which has slowly evolved over the last fifteen years are many and the resultant initiatives which have been taken can offer a variety of environmental and recreational benefits and uses. Properly planned in an integrated way, with each other as well as with fundamental drainage and flood protection requirements, there are exciting opportunities for optimising the value of urban waterways. The approach adopted by the Board of Works in Melbourne demonstrates how success can be achieved. The principles covered in this paper, whilst based on the Melbourne experience and situation, can obviously be applied in all urban waterway situations.