Yarra Botanica

Comfort and style for alfresco diners aboard a floating restaurant.

Yarra Botanica

Yarra Botanica

In Australia, alfresco dining is a favourite pastime. Whether it’s an end-of-week dinner, a Sunday morning brunch, or a special occasion, there’s nothing like enjoying a meal or beverage in the open air. At Heatray, we're dedicated to ensuring Australia's favourite outdoor dining venues are comfortable year-round, regardless of location.

That includes Southbank, home to some of Melbourne’s most acclaimed restaurants. With delicious menus, coveted drink lists, and breathtaking views of the river and cityscape, it’s easy to see why these eateries are so popular. Yarra Botanica, a recent addition to this vibrant area, floats off Sandridge Bridge.

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Seating up to 700 guests, Yarra Botanica’s two-storey, foliage-filled bar and eatery is open all year round.

This two-storey, foliage-filled bar and eatery can host up to 700 guests and operates all year. With its distinctly Victorian vibe in location, menu, and atmosphere, Yarra Botanica has quickly become a popular spot.

Heatray played a crucial role in this project, especially given the site's exposed waterfront location and unpredictable weather conditions. Working closely with the site’s architects and electrical consultants, we helped create partially covered areas shielded from sun, rain, and wind while providing essential heating during the cooler months.

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Celmec Electric Radiant Heaters (ERH) are IPX-5 waterproof rated, which made them ideal for installation under Yarra Botanica’s open mesh steel pergolas.

Our Electric Radiant Heaters (ERH) were installed to meet the needs of this challenging location. Originally designed in 1998 to service the outdoor bars and restaurants along Circular Quay in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, our ERHs are a core part of our Heatray range and a benchmark for outdoor heating. Featuring the latest radiant heat technology, they deliver non-glowing, low-intensity black heat.

The units’ weather-resistant IPX-5 waterproof rating also ensures they can withstand extreme weather conditions, which is perfect for the riverfront location at Yarra Botanica. We installed them under the ceilings and in the steel mesh pergola for superior warmth.

“Our ERHs were the best option for heating Yarra Botanica,” says Keith Short, our project manager at Yarra Botanica. “They provide close proximity overhead heating, which is absorbed directly by the patrons and is not lost to the cold Yarra River breeze.”

The top storey of the venue, lacking ceiling cover, required additional protection from the elements. We installed Heatray Weather Controlled Umbrellas integrated with more ERHs. Balancing the weight of the umbrellas with their functionality was challenging, as they needed to support the ERHs, lighting, and other accessories.

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Celmec Heatray Weather Controlled Umbrellas offer year-round protection at Yarra Botanica.

“To maintain buoyancy, the umbrellas, along with their lighting, electrical looms, control modules, and central hub trays housing all the wiring terminations within weatherproof junction boxes, had to be as light as possible,” Keith explained.

Heatray successfully met these challenges, ensuring buoyancy and comfort without sacrificing style. With weather protection accessories such as translucent side covers, umbrella links, and fabric gutters, the umbrellas provide robust protection from wind, rain and UV rays during summer, enhancing the efficiency of the ERHs.

Thanks to the dedication of our extraordinary team, Yarra Botanica offers a beloved warm and inviting space that complements the venue’s luxurious aesthetic. The sleek profile of our ERHs, along with the subtle fabric colours of the umbrellas and the discreet nature of the weather accessories, harmonise with the venue's elegant atmosphere.

See our complete Electric Radiant Heaters range.
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