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94-618: The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), colloquially referred to as Jeff's Shed , is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf , an inner-city suburb of Melbourne , Victoria, Australia . The venues are owned and operated by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust. Following the opening of its expansion in 2018, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre regained

188-410: A banquet room and a café and bar. The building design was a joint venture between architect firms: NH Architecture and Woods Bagot. The expansion is part of a larger South Wharf expansion project by Plenary Group that includes a new 347-room Novotel Melbourne South Wharf and a new 1,150-space multi-level car park – all fully connected and integrated with existing buildings. The building resembles

282-551: A cairn on Fourth Hill in the Warrandyte State Park . The river was drained and diverted in various areas throughout the gold rush to aid gold miners. An example of this is the tunnel at Pound Bend in Warrandyte . The river was partially dammed at Pound Bend near Normans Reserve at its eastern entrance and near Bob's wetlands at its western exit. Miners then blasted a 145m long tunnel through solid rock. The river

376-598: A corporation - Club Melbourne Ambassador Program. Premier's Sustainability Awards 2018 - Government category for Melbourne Energy Renewable Project. Australian Business Awards - Employer of Choice 2018 and 2017. The inaugural Melbourne Art Fair, a commercial art fair , was held in 1988 in the Royal Exhibition Building , started by a group of gallery-owners. It continued as a biennial event, exhibiting works from Australian and international galleries, with sales of A$ 8−10 million , from 2003 being run by

470-424: A cost of A$ 1 billion, the development consists of a 5541-seat Plenary Hall that can be divided into three separate theatres, a grand banquet room as well as a hotel , office, residential and retail space. It was developed by a consortium led by Multiplex and Plenary Group and designed by Larry Oltmanns. The centre uses a range of features in order to achieve a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating and to become

564-420: A facility for washing down cars and chemical containers illegally leaked toxic chemicals and herbicides into Yarra River, killing trees and endangering public safety. The facility was situated inside Warrandyte State Park, from where the spillover until June 2015 flowed into the river and downstream towards Melbourne. Between 2014 and 2017, 1.3 million cigarette butts and 179 tonnes of litter were pulled out from

658-582: A forest of smaller sticks. The verandah and the new riverside park make a major contribution to the public realm of the city. The former Convention Centre on the Flinders Street side of the Yarra River was opened in May 1990 and has hosted thousands of conventions and meetings. The current Melbourne Convention Centre, on land adjacent to the Exhibition Centre, was opened on 5 June 2009. At

752-428: A long shed with separated operable walls (each valued at $ 250,000). This allows the space to be split from a maximum of 39,000 square metres to a minimum of 3,000 square metre spaces. The single volume with a proportion of length to width of approximately 2.5:1 was chosen. Other than the exhibition space, the building also has a basement that is able to hold 1,000 cars. From the main entrance, visitors would be able to see

846-566: A major food source and meeting place for Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. Shortly after the arrival of European settlers , land clearing forced the remaining Wurundjeri people into neighbouring territories and away from the river. Originally called Birrarung by the Wurundjeri, the current name was mistranslated from another Wurundjeri term in the Boonwurrung language ; Yarro-yarro , meaning "ever-flowing". The river

940-471: A post victory celebration. On the southern side of the river near exists a number of university and private school rowing clubs who use the river for recreational sports. Around 2000, the river became a focus of major government projects. Projects were proposed to connect Flinders Street station with the river and early proposals were for the Melbourne Museum to be situated on the south bank of

1034-428: A project meets Green Star benchmarks within each credit. The assessment panel awards points, with a Green Star rating determined by comparing the overall score with the rating scale: Green Star rating tools for building, fitout and community design and construction reward projects that achieve best practice or above, which means ratings of 1, 2 or 3 are not awarded. Ongoing performance of a building can be rated at any of

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1128-502: A retractable 1,000-seat theatre and 39,000 square metres of pillarless exhibition space. In 2017/18, 1,124 events were held at MCEC. These events attracted 950,385 delegates, including 23 international conventions involving 28,750 delegates and 34 national conventions which attracted 38,626 delegates. In 2018/19, the MCEC contributed more than $ 1.10 billion in economic impact to the state of Victoria . The Melbourne Exhibition Centre Trust

1222-492: A series of extensive harbour improvements of the river, engineered by Sir John Coode . The word yarra translates to flowing water, Wedge later learnt of this and admitted he had mistaken the Kulin name for the falls, for the river itself, but by then the name had stuck. On his first contact with local Wurunderi people in 1835, John Wedge wrote: On arriving in sight of the river, the two natives who were with me, pointing to

1316-626: A set of cascades which prevented both salt water and larger ships from going further upstream. This series of rocks, originally used to cross the river, and referred to as the "Yarra Falls" was removed using explosives and divers in 1883. The final section passes through the Port of Melbourne and under the Bolte Bridge and the West Gate Bridge . The current course dates back to 1886 when a canal devised by British engineer Sir John Coode

1410-723: Is a perennial river in south-central Victoria , Australia . The lower stretches of the Yarra are where Victoria's state capital Melbourne was established in 1835, and today metropolitan Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches. From its source in the Yarra Ranges , it flows 242 kilometres (150 mi) west through the Yarra Valley which opens out into plains as it winds its way through Greater Melbourne before emptying into Hobsons Bay in northernmost Port Phillip Bay . The river has been

1504-540: Is at risk due to litter, pollution, pets and urban development. The annual Moomba festival celebrates the Yarra River's increasing cultural significance to Melbourne. Melbourne Water is the lead agency for implementing the Yarra Strategic Plan (Burndap Birrarung Burndap Unmarkoo) 2022-32. The plan gives effect to the community's long-term vision for the Yarra and supports collaborative management of

1598-424: Is colloquially known as "the upside down river", for its golden hue. The muddy brown colour is caused by the easily eroded clay soils of its catchment area. The water was clear at the time of the first European settlements, but intensive land clearing and development since the mid-19th century has resulted in the presence of microscopic clay particles. The particles are kept suspended by the turbulence in some parts of

1692-800: Is roughly 50% its original flow prior to damming. It is the most westerly snow fed river in Australia. The total catchment area is approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi). The Yarra's major tributaries are the Maribyrnong River , Moonee Ponds Creek , Merri Creek , Darebin Creek , Plenty River , Mullum Mullum Creek and Olinda Creek . The river hosts many geographical features such as; bends, rapids , lakes, islands, floodplains , billabongs and wetlands . Most features have been named after translated Wurundjeri phrases or have European, particularly British, origins. Some of

1786-414: Is the concourse which is open to the public. Due to the brief that required the building to be constructed in a short amount of time and save cost, a repetitive system of identical trusses clad in aluminium sheet were used. On top of that, the trusses have to be solid in order to provide sound isolation from one hall to the next. At the same time, in order to reduce the span, and to stiffen them laterally,

1880-409: Is the furthest upstream point on the river visible to the general public (though the dam itself is closed off). The first settlement the still-young river passes through is the small town of Reefton, but most of the river is surrounded by hills covered temperate forest until the timber and resort town of Warburton . The Woods Point Road follows the river through this section. Downstream of Warburton,

1974-720: The Asia-Pacific region from 40 galleries. The next fair is scheduled for 17–20 February 2022. The fair is endorsed by the Art Galleries Association of Australia (AAGA) and is supported by the federal government via the Australia Council for the Arts and the Government of Victoria via Creative Victoria. The first international edition of gaming exhibition and festival Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)

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2068-601: The Big and Little Peninsula Tunnels above Warburton . Widening and dams, like the Upper Yarra Reservoir have helped protect Melbourne from major flooding. The catchment's upper reaches are also affected by logging . Industrialisation ultimately led to the destruction of the marshlands at the confluence of the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers in the area around Coode Island in West Melbourne . Today,

2162-498: The Capital City Trail . The river is used extensively for kayaking at Templestowe , and canoes can often be seen throughout the suburban section. Whilst the water is not particularly clear, its quality is sufficient for edible fish to swim within it. Some small hobby farms are located in the floodplain area of the river, surprisingly close to central Melbourne and almost completely surrounded by suburbs. Heidelberg formed

2256-461: The Kulin nation . The area has been occupied by various indigenous clans for at least 30,000 years. The river, known to the Wurundjeri people as Birrarung, was an important resource for the Wurundjeri people and several sites along the river and its tributaries were important meeting places where corroborees were held between Indigenous communities. The river's resources were utilised sustainably by

2350-613: The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre . The launch of the Green Star rating system was met with some scepticism by green groups, which argued that the rating system was funded by mostly development industry companies. There was controversy over a proposal to expand the forest certification of timber and composite timber products, but this issue was resolved with the release of the revised ‘Timber’ credit in 2010. There has also been concern over various aspects of

2444-706: The Patterson , Kororoit, Werribee , Little River , and drained directly through a narrow gap (what is now called the Rip ) into a bay of the Great Australian Bight on the west side of a prehistoric land bridge called the Bassian Plain (which later became submerged into the Bass Strait ). Between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, after the end of the most recent Ice Age , the rising sea level flooded

2538-714: The Port Phillip Association visited the area with two Kulin People, who pointed at the flowing water and said yarra yarra , recorded in Wedge's notebook as the phrase yarrow yarrow , in the mistaken belief that this was the name for the river in the Boonwurrung language. yarra yarra was instead what the Kulin people had referred to as the Yarra Yarra falls , which was later dynamited in 1883 as part of

2632-536: The Port of Melbourne . The project was controversial and strict regulations were enacted. It was feared that dredging would disturb heavy metals and other toxic sediments mostly deposited during Melbourne's industrial era. The project was completed in November 2009. The Yarra River was an important resource for the Wurundjeri people for around 40,000 years. The river's resources were utilised sustainably by

2726-413: The unsustainable use of the river and surrounding resources. The river is fed by a number of small unnamed creeks and streams in the Yarra Ranges as well as 49 named tributaries, most of which are creeks . The river's lower reaches travel through central Melbourne . It is approximately 242 kilometres (150 mi) in length, with a mean annual flow of 718 gigalitres (2.54 × 10  cu ft), which

2820-458: The 1950s it had been completely filled and land parcels were allocated including a site for the new Fish Markets. In 1957, the Upper Yarra Reservoir was constructed, primarily to alleviate flooding downstream. This reduced the river's flow to around 50%, where it sits today. Swanson Dock was constructed between 1966 and 1972 equipped for modern container shipping. Shipping activity at Victoria Dock during this time had gone into steep decline and it

2914-515: The 1960s there was a growing awareness of the neglect of the Yarra amongst some residents of Melbourne, spawning various community groups and "friends of..." organisations to protect the remnants of the river's ecology. Through the 1970s and 1980s, many desirable developments alongside the river began, such as the Victorian Arts Centre , as its lower courses progressively became gentrified. Growing high density residential development in

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3008-501: The 19th century and into the 20th. In 1891, the great flood caused the Yarra to swell to 305 metres (1,001 ft) in width. Initially known as "West Melbourne Dock", over 3 million cubic yards (2.3 × 10 ^  m ) of material was excavated and a new dock was eventually opened in 1892, the material that was removed was subsequently used to fill in part of the West Melbourne Swamp, it took 6 days for water from

3102-452: The 450 metres southward vista of the concourse as well as the mezzanine balconies. On the first floor of the entry pavilion and extending along the mezzanine platform, there are meeting and function rooms which separates the double-height hall and concourse. Some have large windows overlooking the exhibition. The site for the Exhibition Centre was previously the site for Daryl Jackson 's Museum of Victoria. The brief required DCM to work with

3196-513: The 6 star ratings. Buildings assessed using the Green Star – Performance rating tool will be able to achieve a Green Star rating from 1 – 6 Star Green Star. More than 1900 projects around Australia have achieved Green Star ratings. The first building to achieve a Green Star rating was 8 Brindabella Circuit at Canberra Airport , which achieved a 5 Star Green Star – Office Design v1 rating in 2004. In 2005, Council House 2 in Melbourne became

3290-689: The GBCA released The Value of Green Star , a report that analysed data from 428 Green Star-certified projects occupying 5,746,000 million square metres across Australia and compared it to the ‘average’ Australian building and minimum practice benchmarks. The research found that, on average, Green Star-certified buildings produce 62% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and use 66% less electricity than average Australian buildings. Green Star buildings use 51% less potable water than average buildings. Green Star-certified buildings also have been found to recycle 96 per cent of their construction and demolition waste, compared to

3384-867: The Melbourne Exhibition Centre and the Melbourne Convention Centre. On 28 August 2002, the trust was appointed the Committee of Management of the Yarra River Maritime Reserve. The reserve is inclusive of the land and historic sheds located on the south bank of the Yarra River between Grimes Bridge and the Melbourne Maritime Museum . This appointment was revoked in June 2006 as part of the land consolidation process necessary for

3478-593: The River. Due to damming and the lack of natural flooding, much of the surrounding vegetation is lacking in the silt and soil deposits that would otherwise be provided by the floods. The construction of the Upper Yarra Reservoir in 1957 reduced the river's flow by around 50%. This has ultimately led to a lack of healthy understory and saplings, or a lack of saplings completely, which contributes to problems such as reduced habitat, erosion and salinity , issues that ironically affect surrounding agriculture. The Yarra River

3572-537: The Riverkeeper Ian Penrose was awarded the 2010 Melbourne Award for contribution to the environment. The Yarra River has a detailed and complex geological history, see "Geology". It was utilised and managed sustainably by the Wurundjeri for around 40,000 years; however, since the European settlement and use of the river in the mid-19th century, its geography has changed substantially reflecting

3666-511: The Wurundjeri until European settlement in the early-mid-19th century. Early industry located along the river contributed great amounts of pollution such as dangerous chemicals, grease, oil and heavy metals. Through the mid-20th century, industry was slowly relocated away from the river and since then the major pollutants have come from storm water runoff, sewerage and lasting effects of previous pollution. Gold mining cleared small areas of land of vegetation and for periods of time, drained sections of

3760-423: The Wurundjeri until the arrival of European colonists in the early-mid-19th century. The first Europeans to sail up the river was a surveying party led by Charles Grimes , Acting Surveyor General of New South Wales , who in 1803 sailed upstream to Dights Falls , where they could no longer continue due to the nature of the terrain. European explorers would not enter the river for another 30 years until, in 1835,

3854-420: The Yarra mouth including Swanson and Appleton docks are used for container shipping by the Port of Melbourne , which is the busiest on the continent. The city reach which is inaccessible to larger watercrafts, has seen increased use for both transport and recreational boating (including kayaking , canoeing , rowing and swimming ). In March 2019, it was reported that the river's environmental health

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3948-432: The Yarra River to fill the dock. The dock was later renamed Victoria Dock. In 1910, the main channel was widened and deepened (81 to 131 m or 266 to 430 ft). In 1916, the central pier at Victoria Dock was completed which provided 6 additional shipping berths and cargo sheds and creating a distinctive landmark for Melbourne ports. By 1942, 650m of the old course of the Yarra River at Coode Island had been filled in, by

4042-412: The Yarra River, which by the 1850s had become quite polluted and the cause of an epidemic of typhoid fever , which hit the city resulting in many deaths. However, people continued to swim and drink the water until Melbourne's fresh water was sourced from elsewhere. The first permanent crossing over the river was Princes Bridge , which first opened as a wooden trestle bridge in 1844. The current bridge

4136-499: The Yarra Valley gradually opens out and farms begin to appear, including beef and dairy farms, and by the town of Woori Yallock and the river's turn north, increasingly large areas are covered by vineyards, forming the Yarra Valley wine region. At Healesville , the river turns west again and the stream bed becomes increasingly silty, reducing the clarity of the water, and by the commuter town of Yarra Glen it begins to take on

4230-407: The Yarra and environs. In 2007 it was fined A$ 5,000 for discharging paper pulp into the Yarra from its Alphington plant and in 2008 the company was convicted for releasing oil into the Yarra from its Alphington plant and fined A$ 80,000. Several programs are being implemented to minimise beach and river pollution, mostly organised by community groups, EPA Victoria and local councils. In 2015,

4324-413: The Yarra at Federation Wharf and a neighbouring park, Birrarung Marr was also built along the north bank, creating renewed interest in connecting city workers to the river. New ferry services and water taxis sprang up along the city reach, servicing as far up river as South Yarra and out to Hobsons Bay . In 2008, dredging began to deepen the mouth of the Yarra to enable large container ships to reach

4418-428: The Yarra catchment storm water runoff every day, these serve as just a small representation of the rubbish and litter that are disposed of in storm water runoff areas that eventually make their way into the river and consequently, the sea. Some industrial companies continue to use the Yarra as a dumping ground. For example, in recent years paper company Amcor has been fined several times by EPA Victoria for polluting

4512-495: The Yarra during the early years of the gold rush. In the 1840s a weir was built at Dights Falls to power a flour mill and to give some control over the river downstream from there. From the earliest years of settlement, the mid and upper reaches of the Yarra began to be used for recreation. The river was selected as the site for the Royal Botanic Gardens in 1846 and the course of the river was modified slightly for

4606-430: The architects tapered them in cross section. The two rows of columns that are located in the verandah (the building’s long frontage facing the river) are intended to give a subtle separation of the interior and exterior of the building. The blades which are located along the concourse are coloured in a series of Francis-Bacon-inspired colours, with hall numbers stencilled on. This serves as a double purpose of punctuating

4700-404: The area that is now central and northern Melbourne was explored by John Batman , a leading member of the Port Phillip Association , who negotiated a transaction for 600,000 acres (2,400 km ) of land from eight Wurundjeri elders. He selected a site on the northern bank of the Yarra River, declaring that "this will be the place for a village". The document, commonly called Batman's Treaty ,

4794-417: The average 58% for new construction projects. Green Star benchmarks projects against the nine Green Star categories of: Management; Indoor Environment Quality; Energy; Transport; Water; Materials; Land Use & Ecology; Emissions and Innovation. Within each category are credits which address specific aspects of sustainable building design, construction or performance. Ratings for buildings are available at

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4888-544: The brownish colour that the lower reaches are known for. The river enters Melbourne's suburbs proper at Chirnside Park , but virtually all the river's length is surrounded by parkland, much retaining (or having been replanted with) extensive native vegetation. A bicycle and walking trail known as the Main Yarra Trail begins at Warrandyte and becomes the Yarra River Trail , and in the lower reaches,

4982-551: The building used as an exhibition centre. In 1998 a covered footbridge was erected between the Exhibition and Convention centres, parallel to the Spencer Street Bridge . The building has become an icon in Melbourne due to the main entrance marked by a prominent tilted metal blade supported by a pair of yellow sticks in combination with the 450 metre urban verandah, parallel to the internal concourse, supported by

5076-526: The course of the river in its lower reaches. The creation of new shipping channels to cope with the growing use of the Yarra by cargo ships was first tabled in the 1870s. The first major change came with the cutting of the Coode Canal between 1880 and 1886. This major infrastructure project created an island which was known as Coode Island , named after the British consultant engineer engaged to design

5170-510: The creation of a feature lake. Further upstream, the Cremorne Gardens were established in 1853. Sections of the river mouth and the area around the former West Melbourne Swamp were widened in the late 19th century, to make way for docks, harbours, bridges and other infrastructure. The increasing industrialisation of the river and the growth of the shipping industry saw the need for major infrastructure works which dramatically changed

5264-452: The design stage ('Design' ratings), at the post-construction phase (known as 'As Built' ratings) or for interior fitouts (‘Interiors’ ratings). Green Star - Communities rates projects at the community or precinct scale against the categories of: Liveability; Economic Prosperity; Environment; Design; Governance and Innovation. Green Star certification is a formal process in which an independent assessment panel reviews documentary evidence that

5358-527: The development of the Melbourne Convention Centre and associated works referred to below. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust is also responsible for managing and promoting the use of the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens . As a government-owned trust, The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust is responsible to the Minister for Tourism. The Melbourne Exhibition Centre

5452-673: The events being held online instead). In 2022, a reported 23,000 people attended the event. PAX has coincided with GCAP and Melbourne International Games Week since 2014, which is supported by the Government of Victoria via Creative Victoria. It is currently the only PAX outside of the US. Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River , ( Kulin languages : Berrern , Birr-arrung , Bay-ray-rung , Birarang , Birrarung , and Wongete )

5546-535: The first building to achieve a 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v1 rating. Flinders Medical Centre – New South Wing was the first healthcare facility in Australia to achieve a Green Star rating. Scarborough Beach Pool was the first aquatic facility to achieve a 6 star green rating. Bond University Mirvac School for Sustainability achieved the first Green Star rating for an educational facility. Other well-known Green Star projects include 1 Bligh Street in Sydney and

5640-620: The first convention centre in the world with that rating. The architects for the development were NH Architecture and Woods Bagot . On 5 May 2015, the Victorian State Government announced $ 205 million for the expansion of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the 2015/16 State Budget. This project commenced in May 2016 and opened on 1 July 2018. The 20,000-square-metre expansion includes 9,000 square metres of exhibition space plus additional flexible, multi-purpose event space, 1,000-seat theatre, multiple meeting rooms,

5734-506: The fish are contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic and not fit for human consumption. Dolphins have been known to venture upstream as far as South Yarra , and serve as an example of the increased salinity of the river's lower reaches. Platypus are rarely seen as far downstream as Fairfield. The river's source is a series of swamps in the upper reaches of the Yarra Ranges National Park , directly to

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5828-697: The global Waterkeeper Alliance movement and have been involved in forums and discussions pushing for policies to ensure that "the voice" of the river is heard. The Yarra Riverkeeper Association or YRKA for short view the Yarra River as Melbourne's greatest natural asset and educate that its preservation and restoration is vital in helping Melbourne become a sustainable city. Since its establishment in 2004, YRKA has delivered hundreds of presentations and lectures, been in over 200 media appearances and provide on-water inspection tours to over 200 community leaders, business leaders, and politicians. It has had successful campaigns in pushing for great environmental flows and in 2010

5922-582: The home of the Heidelberg School , widely considered the first European painters to accurately capture the Australian landscape and its distinctive features. The walking trail features placards displaying some of their paintings at the settings they were actually painted; some features depicted remain clearly recognisable today. Below Dights Falls at Yarra Bend Park in inner Melbourne, the river becomes increasingly estuarine as it passes along

6016-743: The linear volume and labelling the halls. The aerodynamic treatment of the colonnade canopy, which disperses wind, influenced another Melbourne architect, Peter Elliott, in the design of the Spencer Street Footbridge in 1999. The Melbourne Convention Centre was awarded the Australian Construction Achievement Award in 2010. The Melbourne Exhibition Centre was awarded the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture in 1996. 2018 Melbourne Award - contribution to profile by

6110-476: The lower basin forming the shallow Port Phillip Bay, moving the Yarra river mouth over 50 km (31 mi) inland. A dry period combined with sand bar formation may have dried out the Bay as recently as between 800 BC and 1000 AD, temporarily re-extending the Yarra south to Bass Strait during this period. The area surrounding the Yarra River was first inhabited by the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of

6204-472: The lower reaches in the early 1990s coincided with minor government programs such as the installation of litter traps . The riverside apartment complex Como Centre at South Yarra and the larger urban renewal of the formerly industrial Southbank precinct were both built during the late 1990s. During this era it was also commonplace for the winner of the Australian Open to bathe in the Yarra River as

6298-402: The lower reaches such as Merri Creek and Moonee Ponds Creek. Levels of bacteria, particularly E. coli and substances like grease, oils and heavy metals in the Yarra River and its tributaries are a major problem. High levels of E. coli, some up to 200 times the safe limit in its tributaries, are caused primarily by poorly maintained septic systems. Up to 350,000 cigarette butts enter

6392-437: The middle and lower sections of the river. When the river water combines with marine salts as it enters Port Phillip, the suspended particles clump together and sink. The presence of clay particles is not a major factor in the pollution of the river. The Yarra Riverkeeper Association is the largest of many advocacy groups dedicated to protecting the Yarra River and its environs for current and future generations. They are part of

6486-660: The new not-for-profit Melbourne Art Foundation. The fair was paused in 2016 owing to lack of interest from galleries, but relaunched in a smaller form in a temporary venue in Southbank . In 2020 it moved to its permanent new home at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the aim of showcasing both major galleries and "progressive young galleries". However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia , its scheduled run in June 2020 had to be instead changed into on online version, running 1–7 June and showing artworks from

6580-534: The partially built concrete structure. According to Melbourne architect and critic Norman Day , the column-free space could be associated to the Russian Constructivist of the 1920s such as the Vesnin brothers 's Kiev railway station scheme 1926. Another relation to the Russian Constructivist is the cantilevered structure supported by yellow steel props as well as the large metal letters arranged over

6674-489: The river and its lands. The river was called Birrarung by the Kulin people who occupied the Yarra Valley and much of Central Victoria prior to European colonisation. The name Birrarung is derived from a Wurundjeri word meaning 'river of mists', as the area around the waterfall tended to get misty before nightfall. At European arrival in 1835, Surveyor-General of the Colony of New South Wales John Helder Wedge of

6768-427: The river and tributaries such as Merri Creek as landfill and for harmful chemical dumps for substances like grease and oils. The disposal of sewerage in Melbourne was very basic in the early days. The majority of waste from homes and industries flowed into street channels and on to local rivers and creeks which became open sewers. The first City Baths were opened in 1860. The objective was to stop people bathing in

6862-513: The river's more prominent features include; Coode Island and Fishermans Bend, Victoria Harbour , Herring Island , Yarra Bend , Dights Falls, Upper Yarra Dam and Reservoir and many river flats and billabongs. The river is home to several species of fish. In the lower reaches of the Yarra mainly southern black bream and jellyfish and in the upper reaches smaller quantities of European perch (redfin), Macquarie perch , brown trout , Murray cod and freshwater catfish . However almost all of

6956-422: The river, called out, Yarra Yarra , which at the time I imagined to be its name; but I afterwards learnt that the words were what they used to designate a waterfall, as they afterwards gave the same designation to a small fall in the river Werribee, as we crossed it on our way back to Indented Head . Before 8000 BC, the Yarra River probably joined course with other present-day Port Phillip Bay tributaries such as

7050-447: The river, train their rowing crews on it. The lower reaches feature a number of boat cruises, using especially low-roof boats to go under the many bridges across this section of the Yarra. Herring Island is a small island at South Yarra which has a punt which takes people on to the park. The area in front of old Customs House is a former turning basin for ships. It is the point which was once known as "Freshwater Place" and once had

7144-511: The river, yet depriving the river banks of soil and silt deposits and causing other problems such as erosion and salinity . Gold was first discovered in Victoria near the Yarra River in Warrandyte . The find was made by Louis Michel in 1851 at a tributary of the river, Andersons Creek and marked the start of the Victorian gold rush . The approximate location of the site is marked by

7238-480: The river; however the Crown Melbourne and Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre were built in its place. The Melbourne Docklands urban renewal project began in 2000, comprising mixed use residential and commercial land and recreational boating moors along the river at the disused Victoria Dock and on the south bank of the Yarra. Federation Square was proposed to connect the spine of Melbourne to

7332-561: The river; however, when compared to land clearing and industrial pollutants, the effects of gold mining on the river were quite low. Heavy metals deposited into the river throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries settled to the bottom of the river bed, particularly in the lower reaches through the city and Port Melbourne, and due to the increased artificial depth of the river through here, heavy metals have not been carried further, although some have been deposited out into Port Phillip . Oils and grease remain today in several tributaries in

7426-555: The southern side of the central business district. This area forms the venue for the annual " Moomba " festival, which notably features an annual water skiing competition which attracts a huge crowd. The lower stretch of the river from Docklands to the Melbourne Cricket Ground was part of the final path of the Queen's Baton Relay of the 2006 Commonwealth Games . Many of Melbourne's private schools, located close to

7520-558: The status as being the largest convention and exhibition venue in Australia and one of the largest spaces in the Southern Hemisphere . The total size of the MCEC is 70,000 square metres. The venue consists of 63 meeting rooms, outdoor courtyard spaces, a Plenary that can be divided into three self-contained acoustically separate theatres, the Goldfields Theatre a 9,000 square metre multi-purpose event space with

7614-608: The sustainability of projects at all stages of the built environment life cycle. Ratings can be achieved at the planning phase for communities, during the design, construction or fit out phase of buildings, or during the ongoing operational phase. The system considers assesses and rates buildings, fitouts and communities against a range of environmental impact categories, and aims to encourage leadership in environmentally sustainable design and construction, showcase innovation in sustainable building practices, and consider occupant health, productivity and operational cost savings. In 2013,

7708-402: The top of the entrance. The building consists of two different roof designs which are angled at different directions. This was due to the intention to create two different successful spaces which is the exhibition space and the public space (concourse of the building). By this method, the architects manage to create two different environments, one which is an enclosed exhibition space and another

7802-480: The town and a convenient sewer. In the city's early days the Yarra was one of two major ports, the other being Sandridge (now Port Melbourne ), but the Yarra was preferred due to the direct access to the town's main streets and was the location of Customs House (now the Immigration Museum ). Early industries grew along the banks of the river, rapidly degrading the water quality. Industries then began using

7896-536: The west of the Mount Baw Baw plateau, a thickly forested subalpine park, which is entirely closed-off to all except the employees of Melbourne Water . The park features extensive stands of mountain ash , a very tall eucalypt , tree ferns , as well as patches of remnant rainforest. The Upper Yarra Dam , one of a number of dams in the Yarra Catchment that supply a large part of Melbourne 's water,

7990-420: The works, Sir John Coode . This also included widening and deepening, and in some cases, vast areas of land were excavated, such as Victoria Dock , in order to give ease of access for cargo and later container ships. Abattoirs , smelters and even mortuaries were to use the river as a means of waste disposal in its lower reaches. This industrialisation also led to a steady deterioration in water quality during

8084-454: Was almost disused by the mid-1970s. In February 1972, the CBD was flooded as the natural watercourse of Elizabeth Street became a raging torrent. This was due mostly to previous storm water drainage works which utilised Elizabeth street as a watercourse during times of intense rain creating flash floods. Prior to settlements, the area now occupied by Elizabeth street was a gully off the river. By

8178-416: Was constructed in 1888. In the early days, the river would frequently flood. While this was not considered a problem in the floodplains near Yarra Glen and Coldstream , the floodings caused much trouble further downstream in settlements such as Warrandyte , Templestowe , Bulleen , Heidelberg and Ivanhoe . The Upper Yarra Dam was later constructed to alleviate the flooding, protecting settlements along

8272-584: Was created in August 1994 with the responsibility of overseeing the construction and development of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. In February 1997, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust began, replacing the previous trust with the added scope of the Melbourne Convention Centre, formerly called the World Congress Centre Melbourne. In August 1997, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust became owner and venue manager of both

8366-572: Was cut from west of Flinders Street to below its junction with the Maribyrnong. The resulting island between the new and old courses of the river was named Coode Island , and is now part of the mainland with the former course to the north filled in. The river flows into Port Phillip , the site being extensively altered as part of the Port of Melbourne, Australia's busiest seaport . Green Star (Australia) The Green Star rating system assesses

8460-499: Was declared void by the Governor of New South Wales , Richard Bourke . The Port Phillip settlement, that would become Melbourne , was established along the lower banks of the Yarra in 1835. The new settlement's main port was sited just downstream of Yarra Falls west of modern-day Queen's Bridge, the place where saltwater met freshwater . Ships would use one side of the falls while the other side provided fresh drinking water for

8554-553: Was held in 2013 at the Melbourne Showgrounds . Shortly following the hugely successful inaugural event, it was announced that the 2014 edition would be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The MCEC has since become the permanent home of PAX Australia, with the event held annually in either October or November (with the exception of the scheduled 2020 and 2021 shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with

8648-464: Was opened on 14 February 1996 and is known colloquially as "Jeff's Shed" after the then Victorian Premier , Jeff Kennett . The building was designed by Denton Corker Marshall , an architectural firm responsible for many of Melbourne's larger buildings through the early 1990s, and features their characteristic "blade" entrance. The building was originally intended to be used by the Melbourne Museum but Jeff Kennett intervened during construction to have

8742-588: Was then fully dammed at the entrance and exit to the tunnel and water was diverted through 145m and out the other side leaving a 3.85 km of riverbed around Pound Bend exposed to the sun and the miners picks. Other diversions include The Island cutting in Warrandyte and the Little Peninsula Tunnel and Big Peninsula Tunnel near McMahons Creek . The Gold Rush saw increased development in Melbourne and "tent cities" of new migrants lined

8836-566: Was utilised primarily for agriculture by early European settlers. The landscape of the river has changed dramatically since 1835. The course has been progressively disrupted and the river widened in places. The first of many crossings of the Yarra River to facilitate transport was built in Princes Bridge . Beginning with the Victorian gold rush it was extensively mined, creating the Pound Bend Tunnel in Warrandyte , and

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