Looking downstream under the Bolte Bridge, the Birrarung/Yarra flows into Nairm/Port Phillip Bay through the Coode Canal section of the river. The Coode Canal was a major waterways project commissioned by the Melbourne Harbour Trust to provide flood mitigation and a straightened, deepened, and shorter route for vessels between the lower reaches of the Birrarung/Yarra and the riverport of Melbourne.

The original watercourse was narrow and tortuous, often constricted by reefs, sandbars, and timber snags, with extensive areas of low-lying swamps either side. The navigational obstacles for larger vessels often necessitated the transhipment of cargoes up the river by barges or lighters, causing considerable delay and higher freight costs. The natural restrictions thus had a detrimental effect on global shipping trade links, and consequently Melbourne’s economic and physical growth. ‘Humbug Reach’ at Fishermans Bend, for example. Was once a notorious navigational problem area for shipping.

In 1873, a Royal Commission into the low lands adjacent to the … City of Melbourne (or intermittent swamp) resolved to construct ‘canals, docks, wharves, roads, tramways, and other works of public utility. Ultimately this audacious feat straightened and widened the Birrarung/Yarra, and created a port, the most significant part of which was Victoria Dock (now Victoria Harbour).

British engineering expert Sir John Coode prepared an exhaustive report on the river and Hobson’s Bay, and made recommendations on improving navigation and dock accommodation. He proposed realigning, widening, and dredging of the river to facilitate traffic flow, the removal of The Falls, and the cutting of a canal which would effectively shorten and change the course of the river near its intersection with the Mirrangbmum/Maribyrnong River. Coode’s design was modified by local Melbourne Harbour Trust engineer, Joseph Brady, who was largely responsible for the development of the Port of Melbourne.

Construction on the Coode Canal commenced in 1880 and was dug by hand and steam- driven machinery. It was opened in 1886 by Governor Henry Loch and the public was allowed access in 1887. Spoil from the earthworks was used to construct North Wharf and Coode Island. The Coode Canal was originally 2000 metres long, 130 metres wide and 6 metres deep. In 1919 the canal was widened and the depth increased. Coode Canal remains the downstream water course of the Birrarung/Yarra, providing access for bulk cargo vessels on Southbank and cargo on Swanson Dock and Appleton Dock. It is actively maintained by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.

The straightened river, seen from the former Shipping Control Tower, and the resultant ‘island’ formed when a major loop was removed, retains the name of Coode. These major works shortened the length of the river by two kilometres and enabled access upstream to vessels that had previously been unable to navigate it due to the narrow bends and shallow areas.

FURTHER READING

• Andrew C Ward and Associates, Docklands Heritage Study, September 1991
• Coode Island: From 1960, Coode Island was used as a bulk liquid terminal facility:
• https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/HRP.Coode%20Canal%20%26%20Victoria%20Dock.Nomination.V13.May%202016.pdf

IMAGE CREDIT
Steam driven machinery digging the Coode Canal, 1887, Public Record Office Victoria