Yarra Birrarung: Artists, Writers and the River is an illustrated history of life on the Yarra. Through the lens of artists and writers, the book explores how life has flourished on the river, including recreation, industry and land use, as well as infrastructure, natural history and social history.

Despite much despoiling, our river remains the vital artery of the city and beyond to the Yarra Ranges. Just as it was the fulcrum of Wurundjeri life, it continues to inspire and fulfil our lives. From the Heidelberg School to the MCG, the river has been a centre of Australian arts and culture for decades.

At this event we will be launching both the exhibition and Judith’s latest book, Yarra Birrarung: Artists, Writers and the River, which is the first comprehensive illustrated history of the Yarra Birrarung from before European settlement to the present day, a 200 year story, examined through the lives of its creatives.

Dr Judith Buckrich was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1950 and emigrated to Melbourne in 1958. She has several entries in the Encyclopedia of Melbourne and Remembering Melbourne 1850–1960. Her book The Village of Ripponlea won a Victorian Community History Award in 2016 and Acland Street: the Grand Lady of St Kilda won the 2018 Fellowship of Australian Writers (VIC) Award for non-fiction. She has also published with Melbourne Books before, releasing The Long and Perilous Journey: A History of Port Melbourne in 2002. At present, she is working on an illustrated history of Fitzroy North.

Judith has written her own one-woman shows, short stories, feature articles and essays and worked as a curator, editor and translator. She was Chair of the PEN International Women Writers’ Committee from 2003 to 2009 and President of the Melbourne PEN Centre from 1993 to 2005. She is a past President of the Prahran Mechanics Institute Victorian History Library.

Janet Bolitho is the President of the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. She is also a long standing and devoted member of the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society. She is a former Councillor and Mayor of the City of Port Phillip.

Janet curates the Port Places project, documenting, observing and exploring Port Places – where the Yarra River meets Port Phillip Bay.  She enjoys introducing students, local history enthusiasts and visitors to the places shaped by the Yarra Birrarung and the Port. 

Holding a Master of Social Science in Policy and Planning, she has a passionate interest in people centred urban planning.  She was a member of the Fishermans Bend Development Board until 2023. She is also a Board member of Westgate Biodiversity: Bili Nursery and Landcare, the group caring for Westgate Park on the banks of the Birrarung. 

Housekeeping

This event is in-person only – it will not be recorded nor available via Zoom.

As with most RHSV events refreshments will be served.

You will be sent an automatically-generated confirmation email of your booking – if it doesn’t appear in your in-box please check your Spam or Junk Mail folder.