NGV partner with BUPA on a series of programs on the banks of the Birrarung for the Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070 exhibition 

During August and September, NGV and Principle Partner BUPA will co-present a series of programs alongside the exhibition, designed to get people out and about by moving their bodies outdoors and along the Birrarung. This coincides with Bupa’s Healthy Cities Challenge, encouraging people to take 6,000 or more steps a day across September. The more steps people take, the more funding BUPA will invest in community partner programs to restore and regenerate urban environments.

Yoga at the Gallery
Sunday 1 September, 8.00AM – 9.30AM | NGV International | Bookings required

NGV will host a somatic yoga and meditation session facilitated by Melbourne-based artist and practitioner Shannon May Powell in the NGV Garden. This event offers a serene environment for participants to gently move their body and reflect on the Birrarung, from its historical significance to its current state and future possibilities.

Founder and co-director of wellbeing organisation Small Beyond, Shannon May Powell, is a published author, artist and embodiment practitioner.

Details and bookings: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/yoga-at-the-gallery/  

Access to Herring Island
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September | Herring Island | Free

Usually only freely accessible in the summer months, for one weekend only, visitors can walk a floating bridge from Como Landing to Herring Island on the 7th and 8th of September to immerse themselves in the nature of the Birrarung. Herring Island is a small artificial island located on the Birrarung in the heart of Melbourne. Visitors can enjoy walking trails, public art installations, and the natural environment across the weekend.

Saturday 7 September, 10.00AM – 1.00PM | Herring Island | Free

Join the Friends of Herring Island for a Planting Day where visitors will help plant native vegetation to enhance the island’s natural beauty and support local wildlife.

Sunday 8 September, 11.00AM – 2.00PM | Herring Island | Free

Visitors can walk the floating bridge to Herring Island and enjoy a picnic undercover or in the open air. Throughout the day, visitors are encouraged to explore the walking trails of the island to get their steps up and explore the unique art installations on display on Herring Island.

Canoe Tour with Up The Creek
Saturday 14 September, 10:00AM – 12.30PM & Saturday 14 September, 1:00PM – 4:00PM | Studley Park Boat House | Bookings required

Connect with the Birrarung by taking a unique canoe tour led by Derek Cook from social enterprise Up the Creek. Take to the water for a firsthand exploration of the Birrarung, from the city precinct to the river’s source in the Yarra Ranges.

As participants paddle along the river the tour guides will provide insights into the environmental, cultural, and social significance of the river, highlighting its historical importance to Indigenous communities and its evolving role in the urban landscape.

The tour will connect past, present, and future, offering a comprehensive understanding of the river’s journey. NGV’s Senior Curator Contemporary Art, Architecture and Design Ewan McEoin will offer insights into the imagined outcomes for the river presented in the Reimagining Birrarung exhibition.

Details and bookings: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/canoe-tour-with-a-curator/

Up The Creek with Uncle Ian Hunter Walk
Saturday 28 September, 10:00AM – 11.30AM | Sparks Reserve | Bookings required

Take a walk along the Birrarung with Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Ian Hunter and Derek Cook from social enterprise Up the Creek to earn about the state and the history of the river through the eyes of its custodians and advocates. The walk will commence at Sparks Reserve in Ivanhoe and the group will wander the Darebin trail past golf courses and over the Birrarung to Willsmere in Kew.

Details and bookings: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/up-the-creek-with-uncle-ian-hunter/

Sunday 22 September, 9:15AM – 12:00PM | The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia | Bookings required

Scheduled to coincide with World Rivers Day, the NGV will host a symposium with leading landscape designers and architects will explore how knowledge systems climate change, policy, emerging technologies, and design might influence or enhance our relationship with the Birrarung over the next five decades.

Speakers including Kirsten Bauer from ASPECTstudios, Mark Jacques from Openwork, Sarah Hicks from Bush Projects, Steve Mintern and Simon Robinson from OFFICE, Lisa Howard from TCL and Miranda Wilkinson from McGregor Coxall will present both speculative and real-world solutions for the future management of the river. The symposium will be moderated by NGV curators Ewan McEoin and Gemma Savio.

Details and bookings: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/symposium-with-the-studios/