The Birrarung Riverfest is back this September, and Melbourne’s most famous waterway is ready for a month-long party in its honour.
From 6–28 September 2025, more than 60 free events will stretch from the Yarra’s headwaters to its mouth, all aimed at restoring habitats, tackling stormwater impacts, and getting hands-on with caring for the river we call Birrarung.
“Melbourne Water is proud to join Birrarung Riverfest 2025 as a major festival partner, in collaboration with Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (the Yarra Strategic Plan) which aims to protect and enhance the Birrarung and its parklands as one living and integrated natural entity,” said Melbourne Water Managing Director Dr Nerina Di Lorenzo.
“Through partnering with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association, we’re deepening community connection and inspiring lasting stewardship of the Birrarung for generations to come.”
The program’s a mix of gentle nature walks, cultural deep-dives and citizen science. On 7 September, the Breakfast with the Platypus River Walk offers a chance to see the shy, threatened platypus in the wild.
The Billabong Walk and Talk (14 Sept) will take visitors through ecologically and culturally significant wetlands at Yering with Melbourne Water and Narrap Rangers.
And on 20 September, the Walk and Talk at Yarra Flats Park shares the history and conservation efforts of one of the city’s most important green spaces.
Dr Di Lorenzo reminds us the Birrarung is “the first river in Australia to be officially declared a living entity” — and that its health is “at a tipping point” under climate and urban pressures. Riverfest offers locals simple, accessible ways to help, from planting seeds on floodplains to collecting data for citizen science projects.
“What is good for the Yarra is good for all,” she says. And for September, the city’s proving it. All events are free – see the full program via the Riverfest website.
