Boathouse Row is situated on the south bank of the Yarra River or “Birrarung” as the Wirundjerri, the traditional custodians of the land know it. Initially marshy ground near the present day Prince’s Bridge, the founding of Melbourne saw boat builders’ sheds occupy this river bank site from around 1850. Over time, Rowing Club Boatsheds replaced these, with the oldest rowing club Melbourne University Boat Club founded in 1859.Rowing has had a prominent, popular, continuing history and tradition in Melbourne, as the City’s own history and some of the images here show. The first regattas were held on the lower Yarra on January 21, 1841, and in Geelong in 1847. On March 10, 1857, the first regatta was held on the upper Yarra. It began a successful sporting tradition, as Melbourne’s Boathouse Row clubs have nurtured Australian, Commonwealth, World and Olympic champions.
Yarra River - Birrarung - 'River of mists and shadows'
The original Wurundjeri people camped on both banks of the river, especially near present day Government House (behind Boathouse Row) and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (across the river). They caught eels in the swamps and lagoons of the river and fished using funnel-shaped fish pots. The name 'Yarra' is attributed to surveyor John Wedge, who in the 'Rebecca' accompanied John Batman on the 1835 party of exploration on behalf of the Launceston-based Port Phillip Association. Wedge asked local aborigines what they called the cascading waters on the lower section of the river. They replied 'Yarro Yarro', meaning 'it flows'. Wedge's mishearing of the word determined its enduring name. George Evans in the 'Enterprize' made landfall on the Yarra on 30 August, 1835, near the site of the present day Immigration Museum in Flinders Street. He constructed huts on the south bank. Source - yarrariver.melbourne/history
Ferries, punts and bridges
Before bridges spanned the Yarra, ferries and punts carried people and their animals from bank to bank. The first bridge at the main Swanston St-St Kilda Road crossing was a timber structure built in 1845. The current Princes Bridge, resembling London's Blackfriars Bridge, opened in 1888. Source - yarrariver.melbourne/history

The Boathouses

There are 7 Boathouses clustered together near Princes Bridge. Together, they form Melbourne's Boathouse Row of amateur rowing clubs. From the Bridge, they are - Richmond RC (formed 1863), Melbourne RC (1862), Mercantile RC (1880), Melbourne Grammar School Boatshed (first race 1868), Banks RC (1866), Yarra Yarra RC (1871), Melbourne University Boat Club (1859). Earlier History of this Boathouse precinct - When occupation licenses were first issued by the Board of Land and Works in 1883, there were only three licenses for the land east of Princes Bridge, R. S. Fuller (80 feet frontage), J. Edwards (160 feet frontage) and Melbourne Rowing Club (80 feet frontage). In the early 1900's occupation licenses were held by J. W. Jerram Boatbuilder (later to be Richmond RC Boatshed site), J. Edwards and Son (boatbuilders), Melbourne Rowing Club, Mercantile Rowing Club, W. T. Greenlands Boatbuilder (later to be MGS Boatshed site), Banks Rowing Club, and Messrs. Norris, Outhwaite & Beilby on behalf of Yarra Yarra Rowing Club and Melbourne University Boat Club. In 1917 the Melbourne City Council took over the management of the area from the Board. Source - Andrew Guerin: Australian Rowing History

Seasons of rowing

Rowing from Boathouse Row continues all year round, with Yarra based regattas on many Saturdays of the year. Boathouse Row marks the finish line for the popular Melbourne Head Regatta (November) and "The Australian Boat Race" (Melbourne Uni vs Sydney Uni, biennial, in October). Many rowing crews train most of the year, with a break at Christmas. Most training is done early morning or late afternoon, avoiding both the midday sun and business hours!
Henley-on-Yarra regattas
Melbourne's high points of colour and activity from 1904 until after World War 2 were the annual Henley-on-Yarra regattas. They were held each year during spring, between the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. Melburnians flocked to the Yarra for one day and night to celebrate their river. Attendances peaked at over 300,000 in 1925. (Other recorded attendance estimates were 200,000 in 1933 and 100,000 in both 1934 and 1946.) Lining the banks were the so called 'houseboats'; temporary structures elaborately decorated with flowers, flags and pennants. They were built on pontoons to accommodate spectators. Henley-on-Yarra became as much about fashion as it did rowing. After the races the river would become a sea of slowly drifting, beautifully festooned craft: motor launches, ferries, pleasure boats and canoes. Canada canoes quickly became synonymous with Henley. Their brightly coloured fabrics and cushions usually encapsulated a 'canoe girl'. The celebrations continued into the night, when each 'houseboat' would have a band for dancing, and the river was illuminated by fireworks, tree and garden lights. The regatta is still held on the river and celebrated the 100th Henley-on-Yarra regatta in 2012. Source - yarrariver.melbourne/history
Henley-on-Yarra's Sunshine Regatta 1933
Glamorous Henley-on-Yarra 1946
100th Australian Henley on the Yarra 2014, courtesy film-maker Michael Nicholson
Henley on the Yarra 1990, courtesy film-maker Michael Nicholson
This Website and the Users and Visitors to Boathouse Row acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which Boathouse Row is built, the Wurundjeri tribe of the Kulin nation, and pays respect to their elders, past and future.
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