ABSTRACT
The site of the city centre was established by the limits to navigation of the Yarra River, where a rocky outcrop formed some shallow falls. A natural pool below the falls provided a turning basin for ships, with fresh water available above the falls. The name 'Yarra Yarra' was thought to be the Aboriginal name of the river later found to translate loosely as 'flowing flowing' or 'waterfall'. In the mid-1830s a broad grid of streets was laid out on the northern bank of the river (Figure 2.1). This was a grand scheme for a city that was initially to be governed as a sub-colony from Sydney. It was designed entirely without spatial hierarchy - there were no privileged streets or directions, no sites set aside for monuments or institutions.
