How Do Melburnians Engage With Blue Space?

As part of this project, a community survey was undertaken to explore how Melburnians are currently engaging with their local blue spaces. Survey posters with linking QR codes were posted up on the back of bathroom doors, on telegraph poles and in libraries, community centres and cafes in an attempt to reach as broad an audience as possible.

The survey was open for fifteen days and received a total of 212 responses. The results of this survey are featured below.

Demographics Snapshot

Age

Gender

Employment Status

Number of respondents

Age of respondents

Postcode

Most participants came from Melbourne's inner north and south, with primary suburbs including Melbourne, Northcote, Fitzroy, Brunswick, South Yarra and Prahran, areas that closely align with where survey flyers were distributed. Many of these suburbs are also in close proximity to prominent blue spaces like the Yarra River, Merri Creek and Port Phillip Bay.

A smaller number of responses came from outer-suburban areas (e.g. Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park), with a few interstate and international responses also received.

Respondents from Inner Melbourne / Inner North-West (3000–3054: CBD, Carlton, Fitzroy, Kensington)

Respondents from the Inner North (3055–3085: Northcote, Brunswick, Thornbury etc.)

Respondents from the Inner South / South-East (3120–3150: Richmond, Hawthorn, Camberwell, South Yarra)

Have you previously heard of the term “blue space” before?

Are you aware of the link between time spent in natural environments (green or blue spaces) and improved mental health outcomes?

What type of blue space(s) do you most frequently visit? (Tick all that apply)

Despite only 13% of respondents having previously heard of the term 'blue space' before,

88% were still aware that natural environments can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.

Number of respondents

Type of blue space

Creeks, rivers, and beaches were reported as the most popular blue spaces to visit, with around 64% of respondents saying they spend time in blue spaces at least once per week.

How often do you typically visit these environments?

Number of respondents

Frequency of visit

In what ways do you usually interact with blue space(s)?

(Tick all that apply)

Number of respondents

Type of interaction

The most common way people interact with blue spaces is via physical activity. This aligns with growing research that suggests exercise in natural environments can offer greater health and wellbeing benefits than similar activity in built or indoor settings.¹

When you’re in proximity to blue space, is your engagement usually purposeful or incidental?

After spending time in or near blue space(s), do you personally notice a positive change in how you feel?

If yes, in what ways? (Tick all that apply)

Nearly 70% of respondents said they felt noticeably better after visiting a blue space, with improved mood, reduced stress and a greater sense of connection to people and place reported as the most common benefits.

The graphic visualisation below was created using 159 survey responses to the prompt,

"How would you describe your personal relationship with blue space? "

What most prevents you from spending time in or near blue space(s)? (Tick all that apply)

Number of respondents

Barrier to engagement

If applicable, please name your favourite blue space(s) in Melbourne?

Using survey responses to this question, an interactive map has been created to visualise some of our most cherished blue spaces across Melbourne.

Click the icon below to view The Map

Location

What do these results tell us?

As our world continues to become increasingly digitised, the role of natural environments like blue space will continue to play a vital role in helping to counteract the effects of modern living, namely decreasing levels of daily physical activity, insufficient quality and duration of sleep, increased screen time and a growing prevalence of deteriorated mental health (2).

I think that beyond anything else, the sheer number of people willing to take part in a random university survey can only speak to how deeply Melburnians value their local blue spaces and the wellbeing benefits they can provide. Despite 88% of participants being previously unfamiliar with the term itself, blue spaces continue to play a vital role in supporting the mental health and cognitive function of respondents, with only 5% reporting they felt no noticeable improvement to their wellbeing after visiting these environments.

Beyond their psychological benefits, blue spaces also serve as important sites for recreation and social connectivity. A large proportion of respondents (153) noted that time spent within blue space environments provided them with a greater sense of connection to others and to the world around them. Unlike other natural environments, blue spaces offer the unique opportunity to physically immerse yourself within them, whether it be to swim, row or simply play in the water, these experiences can all help to bring a sense of connection to people and place. A research paper by de Bell et al. supports this notion, finding that proximity to freshwater environments in particular led to a stronger sense of neighbourhood cohesion, social attachment and community connectedness among their study population (3).

While physical constraints on flyer distribution did mean that responses clustered around certain postcodes and the results from this survey are therefore not reflective of all Melburnians experiences with blue space, the findings still offer valuable insight into the emotional and social significance of these environments as they shape how we move, socialise and care for ourselves and our surroundings.

"They give me a sense of calmness and serenity and somewhat make me see the world in a broader way."

"I really enjoy natural blue spaces, in the city it would be nice if there were more of any kind."

"When I’m in water I feel renewed, childlike and joyful. When I walk past a creek the sound of the running water is music to my ears and reminds me that there is still so much good in the world"

"I think that they add real value to our lives."

(1) Noseworthy, M., Peddie, L., Buckler, E.J., Park, F., Pham, M., Pratt, S., Singh, A., Puterman, E. & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2023) ‘The effects of outdoor versus indoor exercise on psychological health, physical health, and physical activity behaviour: a systematic review of longitudinal trials’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), pp. 1, 2. doi:10.3390/ijerph20031669

(2) Nakshine, V.S., Thute, P., Khatib, M.N. and Sarkar, B. (2022) ‘Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review’, Cureus, 14(10), p. 1. doi:10.7759/cureus.30051.

(3) de Bell, S., Graham, H., Jarvis, S. & White, P. (2017) ‘The importance of nature in mediating social and psychological benefits associated with visits to freshwater blue space’, Landscape and Urban Planning, 167, pp. 122, 124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.06.003