Could a swimmable city start in Docklands?

Imagine plunging into Victoria Harbour on a hot summer’s day – water clean, safe and inviting – with the city skyline rising in the distance and the ghosts of Docklands’ maritime past reflected in the stillness. 

For a growing network of advocates, this vision isn’t far-fetched. In fact, they say the time is now for Melbourne to join a global wave of cities transforming their urban waterways into places to swim, connect and thrive.

Leading the charge is local changemaker Matt Sykes from Regeneration Projects, a key figure in the “Swimmable Birrarung” movement that aims to restore public swimming to Melbourne’s Yarra River and surrounding waterways.

This June, Mr Sykes will travel to Rotterdam to represent Melbourne at the inaugural Swimmable Cities Summit – a global gathering of experts, decision-makers and activists working to redefine the relationship between cities and water.

The summit is more than symbolic. It takes place in a revitalised section of Rotterdam’s former port – an industrial zone once off-limits to swimmers but now buzzing with life, complete with floating parks and designated swimming areas.

In many ways, Mr Sykes said that it mirrored the urban renewal story of Melbourne’s Docklands – a precinct still struggling to find its identity despite decades of development and promise.

For Mr Sykes and other local advocates, Docklands represents perhaps Melbourne’s greatest untapped opportunity to become a truly swimmable city.

“Cities like Rotterdam aren’t waiting until everything is perfect,” Mr Sykes told Docklands News. “They’re starting small, learning as they go, and letting the community lead. There’s no reason why Melbourne can’t do the same.”

Momentum is growing. In Paris, a €1.6 billion clean-up of the River Seine has made it safe to swim again for the first time in a century. The river was centre stage for the 2024 Olympic Games, with marathon swimmers and triathletes taking to its waters as part of a global legacy project. After the Games, the city will open more than 30 public swimming spots along the Seine and in Greater Paris.

London is working to make parts of the Thames swimmable by 2034. New York is preparing to roll out floating pools in all five boroughs as part of its “Let’s Swim NYC” program. Sydney’s Parramatta River is undergoing a similar transformation through the Urban Plunge initiative. And in Copenhagen – often seen as the gold standard – public harbour baths are central to the city’s summer culture.

Here in Melbourne, the idea of a swimmable Yarra River is not new. Community-led efforts, like Yarra Pools and the Yarra Riverkeeper Association, have long advocated for safe access to the river in central Melbourne.

Regen Melbourne, a cross-sectoral alliance, has hosted forums and community design labs focused on reconnecting Melburnians with the Birrarung, the river’s traditional name in Woi Wurrung language.

In 2022, a Yarra Pools proposal to establish a floating pool at Enterprize Park as part of the City of Melbourne’s Greenline project was ultimately shelved. But in doing so, the council left the door open to alternative locations – and Docklands emerged as the most promising candidate.

Internal feasibility studies at the time reportedly ranked two Docklands sites – Bolte West (Yarra’s Edge) and land near Ron Barassi Snr Park – higher than Enterprize Park due to calmer water conditions and better community integration.

Since then, advocates like Mr Sykes have turned their attention towards highlighting Victoria Harbour as an ideal location to kickstart Melbourne’s swimmable future.

“It’s interesting when we think about places like Docklands where there is potential for small pop-up interventions of floating saunas or water-related connections that starts to promote swimmable waterways,” he said.

Mr Sykes is now calling on the City of Melbourne to sign the Swimmable Cities Charter, following the lead of the City of Yarra, which became Australia’s first signatory last year. The charter sets out a framework for cities to work towards safe, healthy and accessible urban swimming – addressing water quality, stormwater management, governance reform and cultural reconnection.

He said while swimming in the Yarra might seem improbable to some, Melbourne should draw inspiration from cities like Paris, Rotterdam and New York, which have overcome similar challenges with political will, investment and community support.

“Melbourne prides itself on being a design city,” Mr Sykes said. “We have a history of world-class public infrastructure. We do collaboration well – just look at sport. So why not apply that same ambition to our waterways?”

In recent years, swimming in the Yarra has become increasingly common just kilometres upriver from the CBD. Groups like the Yarra Yabbies meet most mornings near Deep Rock in Abbotsford, and events like Riverfest have drawn thousands of people to celebrate and care for the river.

The broader vision includes a “swimmable corridor” stretching from Dights Falls through the CBD, Docklands, and out to Port Phillip Bay – including the Maribyrnong River, which faces similar water quality and access issues.

But despite the energy at the grassroots, Mr Sykes said the movement needed clearer leadership from state and local government.

“If we want to give younger generations hope for a future where cities and nature coexist, then ideas like this matter,” he said. “They’re not just about recreation – they’re about climate resilience, biodiversity, mental health and equity.”

With the City of Melbourne recently launching its 2050 vision process, advocates say now is the time to act. And as Mr Sykes prepares to represent Melbourne on the global stage in Rotterdam, he hopes his hometown will soon join the ranks of cities diving headfirst into a swimmable future. •