The City of Yarra is a local government area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia in the inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne. It is the second smallest LGA in the state (after the Borough of Queenscliffe) with an area of 19.5 sqkm, and in June 2021 it had a population of 91,543, making it the second most densely populated LGA (after the City of Port Phillip), with around 4,695 people per square kilometre. The City of Yarra was formed in 1994 as a result of the amalgamation of the former Cities of Richmond, Collingwood, Fitzroy, and parts of Carlton North (previously part of the City of Melbourne) and parts of Alphington and Fairfield (previously part of the former City of Northcote). The administrative centre of the City of Yarra is the old Richmond Town Hall in Bridge Road, Richmond. The Collingwood Town Hall in Hoddle Street, Abbotsford is also still used by the council as secondary offices and as a service centre, and the Fitzroy Town Hall in Napier Street, Fitzroy is used for the local library and for use as a community space. Some council committees also meet at the Fitzroy and Collingwood Town Halls. The city is culturally and socially diverse. The 2016 Australian Census found that 38.8% of residents were born outside Australia, with the largest numbers being born in England, New Zealand, Vietnam, China and Greece. The suburbs of the City of Yarra were established in the mid-to-late 19th century and retain a Victorian appearance. The majority of housing in the city is made up of Victorian cottages or terraces or apartments built from the 1960s. The City of Yarra has some of Melbourne's best shopping streets. These include Bridge Road and Swan and Victoria streets in Richmond, Brunswick and Gertrude streets in Fitzroy and Smith Street in Collingwood. In 2021, Smith Street was named the coolest street in the world. As of November 2024, the mayor is Stephen Jolly, and the deputy mayor is Labor councillor Sarah McKenzie. The CEO since June 2022 is Sue Wilkinson.

Council

Yarra City Council is composed of nine single-member wards. Prior to the 2024 election, it was composed of three multi-member wards with three members each, but the electoral structure changed as a result of the Local Government Act 2020. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected annually in November by a special meeting of the full council.

Current composition

The current council, elected in 2024, is:

Mayors

Past councillors

1996–2004 (five wards)

2004–2024 (three wards)

Langridge Ward

Melba Ward

Nicholls Ward

2024 (nine wards)

Election results

2024

2020

2004

Australia Day

In August 2017, the Yarra City Council voted unanimously at a town hall meeting to cancel annual Australia Day events, including citizenship ceremonies and instead hold a culturally sensitive event "marking the loss of Indigenous culture". The council also voted to begin lobbying the federal government to change the date of Australia's national day and to use council publications and media to campaign in favour of changing the date. Then Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, accused the council of "using a day that should unite Australians to divide Australians". The City of Darebin later followed suit.

Townships and localities

In the 2021 census, the city had a population of 90,114 up from 86,657 in the 2016 census. ^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Economy

The City of Yarra has a high concentration of fashion, technology, and media businesses. Companies located in the City of Yarra include: