Yarraville is bordered on the east by the junction of the Maribyrnong and the Yarra Rivers, and its southern boundary is the West Gate Freeway.
In 2020, Yarraville was named Australia's best suburb and fifth in the world.[2] The suburb lies immediately north of the West Gate Bridge, and immediately west of its namesake, the Yarra River. Features of Yarraville include C.J. Cruickshank Park, Yarraville Oval, Beaton Reserve, Yarraville Gardens, and Stony Creek.
History
Yarraville was named due to its proximity to the Yarra River. It was subdivided in 1859, and the residential development of the area commenced.[3] In 1859 a railway line from Footscray to Williamstown was opened, which prompted land sales in the area. A large party to announce the subdivision was thrown, however the railway line operators declined to build a station at Yarraville.[4] During the decade of 1870, a railway stop and post office were opened, Methodists established the area's first church, and a new primary school commenced operating. By 1880, Yarraville was developing into a hub for factories due to the ease of movement of goods via the nearby rail and Yarra River. Yarraville is situated on basaltic land, and bluestone was extracted for ballast for boats on the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay.
Throughout the 1880s, the area attracted engineers, iron founders, and rope-makers. Roads linking Yarraville with greater Melbourne were poor, however as railway and water connections improved, Yarraville became an attractive industrial location.[5]
In the 1950s, a sustained period of migration to Yarraville assisted in rapid development of the area.[6] Many people of Greek origin were part of this migration trend. Commencing in the 1990s, the demographics of Yarraville started to change, resulting in what is now described as a "gentrified, trendy and hip area".[7]
Yarraville Village
Located near Yarraville railway station on Anderson and Ballarat Streets, Yarraville is renowned in Melbourne for its unique character, architecture and quality of village life. Anderson and Ballarat Streets, in the heart of the Yarraville Village, are lined with refurbished 19th century buildings and dotted with neighbourhood cafés, restaurants and boutique shops.
This village atmosphere is anchored by the restored Sun Theatre and the adjacent Sun Bookshop, a prominent landmark in the Yarraville community with its unique art deco architecture and its 6 cinemas. Notable examples of Edwardian and Victorian architecture can be found in Yarraville.
The Yarraville Village is home to many award winning restaurants and cafes. A reflection of Melbourne's multicultural nature, Yarraville offers an array of world cuisine styles including Greek, Italian, Modern Asian, Indian, Cambodian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese and Modern Australian.
Shops in the village include book stores, the work of a local artist, clothing and jewellery, wines, gourmet foods, chairs and a record shop.[8]
Administration
Local government
The administration of Yarraville is managed by the City of Maribyrnong. The suburb is spread across 3 Wards: Wattle, Sheoak, and Saltwater.
Transportation
Public transport
Yarraville railway station is a suburban railway station located in the centre of the village area, 20 minutes from the Melbourne CBD. The station is serviced by all trains on the Williamstown line, and Laverton bound trains on the Werribee line. The station is located near Anderson Street in Yarraville Village, access via Birmingham Street to the North (for trains heading towards the City), and Woods Street on the South (heading away from the City). Yarraville station is within the Zone 1 region of Melbourne's public transport ticketing system.[9]
Yarraville also houses the Victorian International Buddhist College and Greek Orthodox Language school.
Community
Arts and culture
The area possesses a few musical collectives including the Footscray – Yarraville City Band and the Yarraville Mouth Organ Band. The main film society in the area is the Sun Theatre, located in Yarraville Village. There is also the Yarraville Community Centre which provides a range of resources, classes, activities and services for all ages and abilities.
Yarraville Markets is held on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. The market is held in the Masonic Hall (Corner of Willis Street and Canterbury Street Yarraville) from 10 am till 3 pm. Everything sold at the market is handmade and/or Australian Made.
Festivals
The annual Yarraville Festival[11] is held in Yarraville Village and continues to be a major cultural event in the community. The festival caters for more than 25,000 people and is professionally operated by a team of dedicated volunteers that reside in Yarraville. Street performers, carnival amusements, art exhibitions, teddy bear picnics, fashion parades, poetry readings, market stalls and performances across many stages, provide an array of entertainment for all.
Since 2016 the annual Albanian Australian Community Festival has been held at Yarraville Gardens after relocating from Footscray park in 2015.
Parks
There are two public major parks in Yarraville, the Yarraville Gardens and Beaton Reserve. Both contain pristine flowerbeds with areas for leisure and relaxation.
Other parks include:
Angliss Reserve
Bellairs Park
Cruickshank Park
Fels Park
Frederick Street Reserve
Fyans Morven Reserve
Goods Yard
Hanmer Reserve
Hyde Street Reserve
Love Street Reserve
McIvor Reserve
McNish Reserve
Sandford Grove Reserve
Sinking Village
Stony Creek Reserve
Sport
Swimming facilities for Yarraville residents are at the Yarraville Swim Centre, 3 Roberts Street West Footscray and at the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, Maribyrnong, located next to Highpoint Shopping Centre. The aquatic centre also provides yoga, gym facilities and other recreational activities.
There are many sporting clubs located in Yarraville such as:
Yarraville Glory Football Club (soccer), established in 1966 and with a rich Greek and local heritage.
Footscray Angliss Cricket Club - formerly Footscray ANA CC
Cyclists in Yarraville are represented by MazzaBUG, the Maribyrnong Bicycle User Group.
Media
Yarraville was the backdrop of the 1999 feature film The Wog Boy, and was mentioned in the 1992 Australian film Spotswood. Yarraville was also the location for the Network Ten TV series 'The Wrong Girl'. It was chosen for its unique village and inner city location.
Two free, weekly suburban newspapers are distributed in Yarraville. The Maribyrnong Leader is part of the News Corporation-owned Leader Newspapers group and The Mail is part of the Fairfax Community Newspapers Victoria. Both are distributed every Wednesday.
Education
Primary schools in the immediate Yarraville area are:
An easy way for freight trucks to access Melbourne's city center and Port of Melbourne is to go through Yarraville's Somerville and Williamstown roads. As a consequence, these residential areas suffer from ultra fine particle pollution and community groups like Save Willy Road and Maribyrnong Trucking Action Group have been created to campaign against this issue.[16]
Dust pollution
Trucks on Francis Street, Yarraville heading to and from the city
In March 2023, several pollution reports were received by EPA Victoria for the former Bradmill site on Francis Street, Yarraville. The Winslow Group was preparing the site for future development and did some earthmoving activities which produced dust pollution and tracking dirt onto Francis Street. EPA issued several notices to improve dust controls, manage risks and create an air quality management plan.
The site was previously inspected for a similar dust problem in 2022.[17]
See also
City of Footscray – Yarraville was previously within this former local government area.
City of Maribyrnong – Yarraville is located within this local government area.
Gallery
The Sun Theatre cinema in Yarraville
Interlocking Railway Crossing Gates at Yarraville station
