For 50 years, this stretch of the Birrarung lay dormant but held the promise of something great. Now, Seafarers Rest has officially opened as Melbourne’s newest riverfront public park, the first in more than 20 years.

At a ceremony attended by City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, Melbourne City Councillor Kevin Louey, and the Victorian Minister for Tourism, the honourable Steve Dimopoulos along with our project collaborators, Riverlee officially handed over this 3,500-square-metre waterfront park to the City of Melbourne. This moment marks not just the completion of our landmark $600 million Seafarers precinct, but our gift back to a city that has given us so much through its culture, its energy, and the enduring presence of the Yarra River.

The park connects directly to 1 Hotel Melbourne, featuring 277 guest rooms and 114 luxury hotel-branded residences. Together, they transform a historically underused stretch of river into a vibrant destination that blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor, creating something Melbourne hasn’t seen before.

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s rapidly evolving North Wharf, nestled between the historic Mission to Seafarers building and Seafarers Bridge, Seafarers Rest Park is deeply informed by its maritime context. Designed by leading landscape architecture firm OCULUS in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, the park reflects years of community consultation and features generous lawns, walking and cycling connections, a play area, and a platform that will be activated with live music, markets and gatherings.The park will also host curated experiences led by 1 Hotels, engaging guests, residents and the Melbourne community.

The park’s design incorporates timber seating inspired by shipping crates, rope swings, historical signage and local maritime artefacts, bringing the area’s port history to life. From the park, visitors can admire the hero feature of the precinct—the restored heritage-protected Goods Shed No.5 and its iconic crane, which now stands as a beacon of Melbourne’s waterfront legacy.

The hotel’s 7,000 plants blend naturally with the park’s native landscaping, where native planting, water-sensitive urban design and habitat-supportive landscaping have been prioritised. The park’s innovative ‘woody meadow’ plantings reconnect the site with its ecological past using native grasses and wildflowers that flourished along the Birrarung before European settlement.

As Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece noted at the opening, “This part of the Birrarung holds a special place in Australia’s maritime history—once a place ships set off on journeys to Antarctica, and now set to be a new favourite spot for people to stroll, play or take a moment to relax.”

For over a decade, we have worked with care and purpose to regenerate this once-forgotten stretch of waterfront. Now open to all, Seafarers Rest Park is a place for families to gather, for communities to connect, and for visitors to experience this very special stretch of the Yarra River.