Foreword

This page captures the development and outcomes of the Shrine to Sea masterplan, conducted by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) between 2018 and 2024.

The Shrine to Sea project is now in the implementation phase, and from June 2025, will formally adopt the name Yani Barripbarriputh. More information on the implementation can be found here:

Yani Barripbarriputh

Given that this page captures historic information, the project will be referred to by its former name - Shrine to Sea - throughout.

The Shrine to Sea masterplan

The Shrine to Sea project will create a boulevard connecting the Domain Gardens to Port Phillip Bay via Albert and Kerferd roads.

The Shrine to Sea masterplan was officially launched by the Victorian Government in September 2024.

Once complete, the area will be enhanced with improved usable open space. The green boulevard will improve safety through clearer links and connections for walking and cycling, and provide the opportunity to learn about local history.

Download the masterplan here:

Project background

In 2018, the State Government announced a new project, the $13 million Shrine to Sea project, which set the vision for a new boulevard for Melbourne along Albert and Kerferd Roads, connecting the Domain Gardens to Port Phillip Bay.

The objectives are:

  • Enhance the green boulevard
  • Improve safety through clearer links and connections for walking and cycling
  • Celebrate local stories
  • Improve usable open space

The project area covers a range of public landowners and managers, residents, businesses, schools and community groups and takes in South Melbourne and Albert Park.

Parks Victoria led the initial community engagement process between September and November 2018 to inform the project aims and scope. You can read more about that Parks Victoria’s Engagement Findings Report found in the Document library section below.

DEECA became the lead agency for this project in late 2019 and has worked in partnership with City of Port Phillip (CoPP), Parks Victoria (PV) and the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to deliver the project.

The masterplanning process

Preparation of the Shrine to Sea masterplan involved a comprehensive planning process and extensive community engagement, including input from a community panel and a variety of stakeholders.

The masterplan was prepared by DEECA with a diverse support team of professionals, including open space planners, urban designers, landscape architects, arborists, heritage consultants, traffic engineers, and traffic modellers. Land managers played a critical role in decision-making for their respective land throughout the design process.

Further information on the development process can be found in the Shrine to Sea masterplan, and additional background reports can be found in the Document library section below.

Community engagement

To ensure all voices were given the opportunity to be heard, since 2019, DEECA has used a variety of methods to engage with Traditional Owners, residents, the broader community, visitors, businesses, schools, agencies, and local interest groups.

This included a 27-person Community Panel, selected via a rigorous selection process, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. The panel members presented DEECA with 43 recommendations for the masterplan – vital information used to guide the direction of the project.

A draft masterplan was released for community consultation in August and September 2023, with a total of 362 responses received. The feedback was analysed, and a Community Engagement report was developed.

DEECA then worked with partners CoPP, DTP and PV to consider the feedback and prepare the final masterplan, which was finalised in 2024.

The Document library below includes community engagement summary reports, the Community Panel’s recommendations with DEECA’s response/actions.

Traditional Owner engagement

Since the project’s inception, DEECA has partnered with Traditional Owner communities.

Before 1 July 2021, the project area had ‘shared interest land status’ with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, the Boon Wurrung Foundation, and the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) all declaring interest. At this time, DEECA conducted site walks and meetings with all three groups to understand their interests, connections to country, and opportunities for representation within the project.  This information, as well as other local history, was captured in a Thematic History and Cultural Values report, which can be found in the Document library below.

On 1 July 2021, the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council (VAHC), which registers Aboriginal parties (RAPs) under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, announced variations to its registration boundaries. The BLCAC’s RAP status boundary now takes in the entire Shrine to Sea project area.

In line with the VAHC’s decision, DEECA and their partners will continue to work with BLCAC for matters relating to the project as they have been recognised as having exclusive rights to speak for their Country.

Kerferd Road bike lane

As part of the masterplan development, five different designs were analysed to improve safety and better support active transport along Kerferd Road. A protected bike lane along Kerferd Road, connecting Beaconsfield Parade to Moray Street, was considered as part of this process.

In reviewing the draft masterplan, the Victorian Government considered a number of issues, including the DTP’s decision to remove temporary Pop-Up Bike Lanes from the CoPP, and decided that further targeted engagement is required for a safer active transport solution along Kerferd Road. For this reason, the protected bike lane is being separated from the Shrine to Sea masterplan to be considered at a future time.

This decision allowed the streamlining of the masterplan process to focus on finalising and delivering many of the design elements that had received good community consensus. The decision to separate the Kerferd Road protected bike lane design from the Yani Barripbarriputh project will allow for a robust and concentrated engagement process to occur in the future.

The investigation into the bike lane solution design for Kerferd Road has provided valuable information that will aid future engagement. All analysis and documentation completed to date are being preserved for future use.

Early delivery works

During the development of the masterplan, a number of initiatives were identified that could be delivered early without impacting the broader deliverables being proposed.

Celebrating local stories

Celebrating Local Stories is a multi-part series launched in September 2022. It shares the little and well-known stories from the boulevard and surrounding areas, derived from the Shrine to Sea Thematic History and Aboriginal Cultural Values report.

The series was the first sample of the rich local history, stories, and culture that will be shared through the project's delivery. Visit the series here:

Celebrating local stories

Greening the boulevard

In 2022, CoPP completed planting of 150 trees along the Kerferd Road median. This kick-started greening of the area and facilitated future shading and biodiversity benefits.

A mix of native and introduced species, including Eucalypts, Jacarandas, Banksias and Brachychitons, were selected based on resilience to climate change and site-specific suitability.

Included in the selection are 23 Angophora floribunda (Rough-barked Angophora) in the central median reserve on Kerferd Road between Page Street and Danks Street. Rough-barked Angophora make excellent shade trees. They are a tall, spreading, evergreen tree, with a picturesque form. They will provide important habitat for fauna, seeds for birds and pollen for bees.

Photo credit: City of Port Phillip

Passive irrigation

In 2022, a passive irrigation trial within Albert Road median was constructed in conjunction with CoPP and the University of Melbourne.

The 3-year research project tracks the performance of these systems in order to address climate change impacts using stormwater to irrigate city trees, achieve greater canopy cover and cool urban areas.

Contact us

If you have any queries about this project please contact us.

Email: open.space@deeca.vic.gov.au

Page last updated: 01/07/25