New Barge To Clean Yarra

The Age

Friday February 28, 1997

Tim Winkler

Melbourne's Yarra, long maligned for its brown hues and rubbish content, will be

patrolled by a litter-munching barge.

The barge, launched yesterday by the Conservation Minister, Mrs Marie Tehan, was designed in Eildon and will remove litter as it moves along the river.

"It's like a street sweeper that we use on our city streets, except it's sweeping the Yarra," Mrs Tehan said, after a ride on the barge.

Mrs Tehan said that litter traps stationed in the Yarra had taken five days to empty, but the new boat would do the job in one day. The barge could also be used to remove hazards such as dead tree branches and to help clean up oil spills.

Parks Victoria launched the barge as a lead-up to Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday. Organisers said volunteers were preparing to spend part of Sunday scouring the countryside for rubbish at hundreds of sites across the state.

© 1997 The Age

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