The early commercial success of the riverport in a sense led to its re-location. Enabling and growing maritime trade was of paramount importance to maintaining Melbourne’s prosperity. Early public works enabled faster and more efficient ship access to the riverport. Melbourne Harbour Trust delivered a massive expansion of port infrastructure into Victoria Harbour and Central Pier. Vessels were becoming larger and in pursuit of greater commercial profits, vessel turn-arounds ever faster. Innovations to create efficiencies and speed of cargo handling on the wharves was continuous.

In the late nineteenth century, the critical importance of the maritime port infrastructure along the banks of the Birrarung/Yarra close to the CBD diminished. One key factor for this was the extraordinarily rapid burgeoning maritime trade and demand for wharf efficiencies. Demand for wharfs and associated infrastructure exceeded supply. This resulted in continued port expansion downstream away from the CBD.

Another contributing factor was the rapid population growth of Melbourne. The city rapidly expanded south to Port Phillip Bay accompanied by a rapid expansion of the road network and public pressure to construct bridges across the river. Punts and ferries were no longer enough for people or goods. Such factors coalesced to make the riverport close to the CBD untenable. Pressure built to for civic infrastructure including investment in new, but generally very low, bridges which were designed to primarily align with rail tracks or roadways on each side of the river. Vessels were unable to deliver cargo or reach the existing ship maintenance works upstream. Maritime trade along the upper reaches of the river gradually diminished and ultimately ceased.

IMAGE CREDITS
Image 1: Low bridges across the river have impeded port activities, photographer Jeff Malley 2022
Image 2: River Yarra, Melbourne, c.1911, State Library Victoria