Melbourne along the Yarra

Today I took advantage of a sunny winter’s day to take a walk along the Yarra River in Melbourne. I started off in Richmond, walking from the Railway Station across Gosch’s Paddock to the river. Then I walked west along the north bank of the river until there was nowhere left to walk. There were a lot of other people (and a few dogs) out too – walking, jogging, cycling and on scooters.

The weather was absolutely glorious – although a bit windy down near Docklands.

There are quite a few nice spots along there, but it is also quite empty. Some places felt like a ghost town, there was just no-one there, which for a sunny Sunday in the centre of the city seemed really bizarre. There is obviously something going seriously wrong with the planning of these areas. Where there were things like playgrounds and sports equipment people were out using it, but a lot of spots looked like they were designed for businesses, and the people (who you need to be there first so that there is someone to support those businesses) were an afterthought.