On the Waterfront - Free Self-Guided Walking Tour
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Walking tours in Melbourne aren't just for visitors who want to see the sights. Yes residents might have passed by many of the attractions, but have you really been aware of all the history and culture that lies under the surface?
The
City of Melbourne has created a series of walks that show off many sides of the city, and although you collect the maps at the Visitor Centre (or follow
online copies ), it's very clear when you do them that they're worth a look even if you live here.
The On the Waterfront tour is one I did recently and is exactly what it sounds like; a tour around the edges of the Yarra River and across many of its bridges. Revealed along the way are facts like when the bridges were created, why they got their names, and what used to be on the sites.
I'd say most of the history covered is quite accessible, regardless of where you come from.
Another side to the walk is the public art that is passed. Sculptures include the $500,000 'Dervish' near Princes Bridge, and 'Constellation', a series of mastheads on Enterprize Wharf.
The 4.75 kilometre On the Waterfront route goes as far along the river as Charles Grimes Bridge and Webb Bridge, including attractions like South Wharf and Polly Woodside. I didn't do all of these, because although the route is technically a round trip and goes back to Federation Square and the Visitors Centre, it doesn't really incorporate any new points of interest on the way back (so I didn't want to walk all the way up to those bridges, only to turn back and redo everything I'd just done).
The section I did was great though and it's probably one of the easiest of the seven City of Melbourne walking tours to do because it's hard to get lost when you're by the water at all times and can see Flinders Street Station in the distance, sitting right next to
Federation Square and marking the site where you started and to which you need to return.
All of the walking tours by the City of Melbourne start at the Visitor Centre in Federation Square. They are all themed too, and some of the other focuses include separate walks around parks to the
north and south of the river, and a look at Melbourne's famous laneways.
Another self-guided walking tour around the Yarra River is the
Yarra River Precinct Arts Walk , which focuses on the public art and cultural institutions in the area. It provides more information on some of the sculptures visited throughout the On the Waterfront walk.
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183253 - 2023-06-16 02:08:32