But even though the Yarra’s brown colour isn’t ideal, we should be thankful for Melbourne’s high-quality water supply these days, because if you lived here 100 years ago, the situation was dire.

In 2070, the Yarra River will not only be swimmable, it will be entirely walkable. The Great Birrarung Parkland will extend continuously from South Yarra to the river’s upper reaches.

The Yarra Yabbies brave the cold and water quality year round to swim in the river. Jason South Under sport governing body World Triathlon’s guidelines, E. coli levels of up to 1000 colony ...