Princes bridge

You’re now crossing Princes Bridge, built on the site of one of the world’s oldest river crossings. It opens onto the historic city center from the south. Its ultra-central position makes it a key venue for major celebrations like New Year’s Eve. From here, you get another fantastic view of the CBD. You’ve got it all: the tall glass buildings, the modern buildings of Federation Square and the iconic Gothic spires of St Paul’s Cathedral. The Wurundjeri people, who occupied the Yarra Valley, used to call the river Birrarung. If in 1835 the settlers named it Yarra, it was because they were convinced that this was what the aborigines called it. This was all a misunderstanding – the Wurundjeri were actually pointing to the river, saying “Yarra” which simply meant “waterfall.” On a lighter note, there’s a fun (but probably untrue) story about the word “kangaroo.” Legend has it that when colonists first saw these strange hopping creatures, they pointed and asked the Aborigines what they were called. The Aborigines supposedly replied “Kan Ghu ru”, meaning “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” The colonists, misunderstanding again, thought this was the animal’s name – “kangaroo.” Literally lost in translation. The Aborigines in this part of Australia actually referred to kangaroos as “patogorong.”