Yarra City Council

About

The City of Yarra is an inner metropolitan municipality which is home to a diverse community of about 79,500 people.

Story

Yarra's 19.5 square kilometres include the suburbs of Abbotsford, Burnley, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Cremorne, Fitzroy, North Carlton, North Fitzroy, Princes Hill and Richmond. Parts of Alphington and Fairfield - south of Heidelberg Road - are also included in Yarra.

Residents and businesses in Yarra are represented by nine councillors. The municipality is broken up into three geographic wards - Langridge Ward, Melba Ward and Nicholls Ward - each of which is represented by three councillors.

The traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people who originally inhabited the area that is now known as Fitzroy, Richmond and Collingwood. Yarra continues to be an important meeting place for Aboriginal people in Victoria.

Yarra's suburbs have a rich and varied history which is reflected in the city's built form, natural environment and diverse communtiy composition. In the early years, Yarra was more industrial and was home to many iconic Australian brands such as Fosters Brewery, Heinz and the Rosella Jam and Sauce factory. Over the years the industrial focus has shifted to a more residential and retail mix as the population and demand for inner city living has increased. As a result, many of the former factories have now been converted into highly sought after warehouse and studio apartments.

Today, Yarra boasts more than 230 hectares of open space. It is renowned for large historical gardens particularly Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy and Darling Gardens in Clifton Hill. The Merri Creek and Yarra River, which form two of Yarra's boundaries, have adjoining linear open space reserves which are highly valued by residents of Yarra and wider metropolitan Melbourne for their recreational and nature conservation values.