Yarra Scenic Drive

Yarra Scenic Drive is a tourist drive following the Yarra River, in Victoria, Australia. The route traverses approximately 60 km from Williamstown – where the Yarra empties into Port Phillip Bay – to Warrandyte – Melbourne's first goldfield site on the banks of the Yarra.

Yarra Scenic Drive

Yarra Scenic Drive is located in Melbourne
Southwest end
Southwest end
Northeast end
Northeast end
Coordinates
General information
TypeRoad
Length60.1 km (37 mi)[1]
Opened1989
Route number(s) Tourist Drive 2 (1989–present)
Former
route number
Metro Route 2 (1965–1989)
(Docklands–Eaglemont)
Major junctions
Southwest endBattery Road
Williamstown, Melbourne
 
Northeast end Ringwood–Warrandyte Road
Warrandyte, Melbourne
Location(s)
Major suburbsNewport, Yarraville, Melbourne, Southbank, South Yarra, Burnley, Kew, Ivanhoe, Bulleen, Templestowe

Route

Warrandyte to Bulleen

Through these outer north-eastern suburbs, the route winds near to the Yarra River, but rarely can the driver see the river itself. The roads do, however, pass by a number of Yarraside parks, including Pound Bend, Westerfolds Park, Finns Reserve, Birrarung Park and Banksia Park, which are all well-liked serene picnic locations with a view of the outer-suburban Yarra River, where it is still safe to swim and canoe.

Heidelberg to Alphington

There is little in the way of a Yarra view along this section of the drive. The best Yarra vantage point is found alongside the Boulevarde, but there are many stores and some industry through these middle-northern suburbs.

Yarra Boulevard, Kew

A winding but road on the edge of a hill which provides a marvellous view of both the Yarra and the inner suburbs. It also runs alongside several golf courses.

Burnley to Southbank

For most of this section, the road runs directly alongside the Yarra River after it widens past Dights Falls, with a clean view of the bridges and surroundings. Alexandra Avenue also provides access to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Birrarung Marr. Alexandra Avenue, however, is an important thoroughfare in inner-eastern Melbourne, and so traffic can often be unpleasant.

City

Route 2 briefly takes in the CBD, driving directly past Crown Casino and the Melbourne Aquarium.

West Gate Bridge

The famous West Gate Bridge spans the Yarra at its widest, and gives a panoramic view of the city, the docks, the industrial western suburbs, and Port Phillip Bay. Traffic is chaotic during peak hour.

Yarraville to Williamstown

This is a drive along the inner-western beachfront to the end of the mini-peninsula at Williamstown, finishing the route alongside a scenery of blue skies, yellow sand and marinas - a far cry from the leafy green beginnings of Warrandyte. This section coincides with the newer Bay West Trail, signed as Tourist Route 11.

History

Tourist Drive 2 route marker

The drive was originally signed as Metropolitan Route 2 in 1965, and was signed accordingly with the standard blue and white curved shield signs. When the route was extended from Ivanhoe East to Warrandyte, it was re-signed using the brown five-sided shield in 1989, usually shown in the centre of a small green and white sign bearing the words Yarra Scenic Drive.[2]

Major intersections

LGALocation[1]km[1]miDestinationsNotes
Hobsons BayWilliamstown0.00.0Battery Road  WilliamstownSouthwestern terminus of tourist route, Battery Road continues west
1.40.87Ferguson Street, to Kororoit Creek Road (Metro Route 35)  Altona North, Laverton NorthNorthern end of Nelson Place, southern end of The Strand
Newport3.22.0The Strand  NewportEastern end of North Road, road continues north as The Strand
3.52.2North Road (west)  Newport
Douglas Parade (Metro Route 35 south)  Williamstown
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 35
Hobsons BayMaribyrnong borderSpotswoodYarraville border6.13.8 Francis Street (Metro Route 35 east)  Footscray, Pascoe Vale
Hyde Street (north)  Footscray
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 35
MaribyrnongYarraville6.84.2Werribee railway line
7.34.5 Williamstown Road (Metro Route 37 north)  Footscray, Essendon
Francis Street (west)  Brooklyn
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 37
MaribyrnongHobsons Bay borderYarravilleSpotswood border7.94.9 Melbourne Road (Metro Route 37 south)  Newport, Williamstown
West Gate Freeway (M1 west)  Laverton North
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 35
Western terminus of concurrency with route M1
Hobsons BaySpotswood8.45.2Werribee railway line
Yarra River8.5–
11.0
5.3–
6.8
West Gate Bridge
MelbournePort Melbourne11.57.1Todd Road/Cook Street  Fishermans BendWestbound exit part of local lanes containing exit to Citylink
12.67.8 CityLink (M2)   Tullamarine, Melbourne AirportTrumpet interchange with local-express lanes; westbound exit on local lanes
Docklands14.18.8 West Gate Freeway (M1 east)  Kooyong, Narre Warren, Pakenham
Montague Street (Metro Route 30 south)  South Melbourne
Eastern terminus of concurrency with route M1
Western terminus of concurrency with Metro Routes 30/55
Southern end of Wurundjeri Way
Yarra River14.38.9Charles Grimes Bridge
MelbourneDocklands14.48.9Harbour Esplanade  DocklandsNorthbound exit only
14.89.2 Wurundjeri Way (Metro Route 55 north)  Brunswick, CoburgEastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 55
Western end of Flinders Street
DocklandsMelbourne CBD border15.19.4 Spencer Street (Metro Route 50 north)  North Melbourne
Flinders Street (Metro Route 30 east)  Richmond, Camberwell
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 30
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 50
Yarra River15.39.5Spencer Street Bridge
MelbourneSouthbank15.99.9Clarendon Street (south)  South Melbourne
City Road (Metro Route 20 west)  Port Melbourne
Eastern terminus of Metro Route 50
Western terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 20
16.110.0Queensbridge Street – City
16.510.3Power Street, to West Gate Freeway (M1)  Laverton North, Werribee
Melbourne17.911.1 Olympic Boulevard (Metro Route 20)  Richmond, CamberwellNo right turn northbound into Olympic Boulevard
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 20
StonningtonSouth Yarra20.012.4 Punt Road (Metro Route 29)  Clifton Hill, St Kilda, Elwood
20.612.8Sandringham, Frankston and Pakenham railway lines
South YarraToorak border21.813.5 Williams Road (Metro Route 25 south)  Prahran, Elsternwick, BrightonSouthern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 25
22.213.8Alexandra Avenue (west)  South YarraNorthern end of Williams Road
Toorak23.014.3 Grange Road (Metro Route 21 south)  Toorak
St Georges Road (east)  Toorak
Eastern terminus of Metro Route 25
Eastern end of Alexandra Avenue
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 21
Yarra River23.114.4MacRobertson Bridge
YarraBurnley23.214.4Twickenham Cresent (west)  Burnley
Loyola Grove (Metro Route 21 north)  Kew, Reservoir
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 21
Western end of Yarra Boulevard
23.314.5 CityLink (M1)  Narre Warren, PakenhamEastbound entrance and westbound exit only
24.014.9Glen Waverley railway line
25.816.0Yarra Boulevard Link, to Swan Street (Metro Routes 20/21)  Richmond, Kew, Camberwell
26.216.3Lilydale and Belgrave railway lines
Richmond26.916.7 Bridge Road (Metro Route 30 west) – City, Port MelbourneWestern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 30
Yarra River27.016.8Hawthorn Bridge
BoroondaraHawthorn27.116.8 Burwood Road (Metro Route 30 east)  CamberwellEastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 30
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 36
Eastern end of Bridge Road, southern end of Church Street
HawthornKew border28.017.4 Barkers Road (Metro Route 32)  Docklands, Forest Hill, MontroseSouthern end of Church Street, northern end of High Street
Kew28.817.9 High Street (Metro Routes 34/36 northeast)  Box Hill, Ringwood, Boronia
Princess Street (Metro Route 21 north)  Reservoir
Denmark Street (Metro Route 21 south)  Burnley
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 36
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 34
Eastern end of Studley Park Road
30.519.0 Studley Park Road (Metro Route 34)  CarltonWestern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 34
Northern end of Walmer Street
30.819.1Walmer Street (south)  Kew
McEvoy Street (east)  Kew
Southern end of Yarra Boulevard
37.423.2 Chandler Highway (Metro Route 21 south)  BurnleySouthern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 21
Northern end of Yarra Boulevard
Yarra River37.523.3Chandler Bridge
YarraDarebin borderAlphington38.123.7 Grange Road (Metro Route 21 north)  Reservoir
Heidelberg Road (Metro Route 46 west)  Carlton
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 21
Western terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 46
BanyuleIvanhoe40.725.3 Heidelberg Road (Metro Route 46 east)  Greensborough, Diamond CreekEastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 46
Western end of The Boulevard
Ivanhoe East42.526.4 Burke Road (Metro Route 17 south)  Camberwell, Caulfield EastSouthern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 17
Eastern end of The Boulevard
Ivanhoe EastEaglemont border43.527.0 Lower Heidelberg Road (Metro Route 44 southwest)  Carlton
Maltravers Road (west)  Eaglemont
Northern terminus of Metro Route 17
Southern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 44
EaglemontHeidelberg border44.827.8 Lower Heidelberg Road (Metro Route 44 north)  Eltham, Kangaroo Ground
Banksia Street (Metro Route 40 west)  Preston, Coburg
Northern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 44
Western terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 40
Yarra River45.528.3Banksia Street Bridge
ManninghamBulleen45.928.5 Manningham Road (Metro Route 40 east)  Doncaster, Glen Waverley, EdithvaleEastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 40
Western end of Bridge Street
46.128.6 Bulleen Road (Metro Route 52 south)  Balwyn NorthWestern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 52
Eastern end of Bridge Street, western end of Templestowe Road
Templestowe Lower48.930.4 Thompsons Road (Metro Route 42 south)  Balwyn North
Foote Street (Metro Routes 42/52 east)  Warrandyte, Donvale
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 52
Eastern end of Templestowe Road, southern end of Union Street
Templestowe51.331.9 Fitzsimons Lane (B37 north)  Eltham
Williamsons Road (B37/Metro Route 42 south)  Balwyn North, Doncaster, Huntingdale
Western terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 42
TemplestoweDoncaster East border54.533.9Blackburn Road  Blackburn, Burwood East, Notting Hill
Doncaster East55.234.3 Andersons Creek Road (Metro Route 13)  Doncaster East
Warrandyte60.137.3 Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Road (Metro Route 9 north)  Kangaroo Ground, Wattle Glen
Ringwood-Warrandyte Road (Metro Routes 9/42 east)  Ringwood
Northeastern terminus of tourist route
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Metro Route 42
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. Google (24 November 2021). "Yarra Scenic Drive" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  2. "Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1989". Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 24 September 1989. pp. 20–1.

See also

icon Australian roads portal

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