Koonung Creek
Encyclopedia
Koonung Creek is a small tributary
of the Yarra River
in Melbourne's east. The creek originates in Nunawading
near Springvale Road, and flows to join the Yarra at the border between Ivanhoe East
, Bulleen
and Balwyn North
. The place the two waterways meet forms the borders between these suburbs. Bushy Creek (now carried by an underground pipe) is a tributary to the creek, joining near Elgar Park in Mont Albert North
. A shared use path follows the course of the creek (and therefore also the Freeway), known as the Koonung Creek Trail
.
Melbourne Water
rates the condition of the creek as 'Very Poor'. Also according to Melbourne Water, the river is the unhealthiest waterway in Melbourne. Melbourne Water's monitoring station for the creek at Bulleen Road in Bulleen, detected an average E. coli
count of 1800, this is nine times the safe swimming level (200). This was the highest level of E. coli measured in all of metropolitan Melbourne's waterways. The poor condition of the creek has been evident from the earliest days of European settlement.
Five species of frog call the creek home, these are the Common Eastern Froglet
, the Spotted Marsh Frog
, the Striped Marsh Frog
, the Eastern or Pobblebonk Frog
and the Southern Brown or Ewing's Tree Frog
. The Eastern Freeway follows the path of the creek within the band of parkland that adjoins the creek over its entire length.
and Donvale
, 21 km east of Melbourne
. From here, the creek flows in a roughly westerly direction for around 11 km, before reaching the Yarra River
below the Yarra Flats in southern Bulleen
. The creek is joined by various gullies and creeks, the most prominent of the tributaries include; St Clems Gully, Bushy Creek and Gawler/Lungren Gully.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
in Melbourne's east. The creek originates in Nunawading
Nunawading, Victoria
Nunawading is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse...
near Springvale Road, and flows to join the Yarra at the border between Ivanhoe East
Ivanhoe East, Victoria
Ivanhoe East is an affluent residential suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule...
, Bulleen
Bulleen, Victoria
Bulleen is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Bulleen had a population of 10,528.-Etymology:...
and Balwyn North
Balwyn North, Victoria
Balwyn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
. The place the two waterways meet forms the borders between these suburbs. Bushy Creek (now carried by an underground pipe) is a tributary to the creek, joining near Elgar Park in Mont Albert North
Mont Albert North, Victoria
Mont Albert North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Mont Albert North had a population of 5008....
. A shared use path follows the course of the creek (and therefore also the Freeway), known as the Koonung Creek Trail
Koonung Creek Trail
The Koonung Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Koonung Creek in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
.
Melbourne Water
Melbourne Water
Melbourne Water is a government owned statutory authority that controls much of the water system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia including the reservoirs, and thesewerage and drainage system that services the city.- Overview :...
rates the condition of the creek as 'Very Poor'. Also according to Melbourne Water, the river is the unhealthiest waterway in Melbourne. Melbourne Water's monitoring station for the creek at Bulleen Road in Bulleen, detected an average E. coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
count of 1800, this is nine times the safe swimming level (200). This was the highest level of E. coli measured in all of metropolitan Melbourne's waterways. The poor condition of the creek has been evident from the earliest days of European settlement.
Five species of frog call the creek home, these are the Common Eastern Froglet
Common Eastern Froglet
The Common Eastern Froglet is a very common, Australian ground-dwelling frog, of the family Myobatrachidae.-Distribution:...
, the Spotted Marsh Frog
Spotted Grass Frog
The Spotted grass Frog or Spotted Marsh Frog is a terrestrial frog native to Australia. It is distributed throughout all of New South Wales and Victoria, eastern South Australia, the majority of Queensland and eastern Tasmania...
, the Striped Marsh Frog
Striped Marsh Frog
The Striped Marsh Frog or Brown-striped Frog is a predominantly aquatic frog native to eastern Australia. It is distributed from North Queensland, through all of coastal New South Wales, Southern Victoria to eastern South Australia and Northern Tasmania.-Physical description:This frog reaches...
, the Eastern or Pobblebonk Frog
Eastern Banjo Frog
Limnodynastes dumerilii is a frog species from the family Myobatrachidae. The informal names for this species, and its subspecies, include...
and the Southern Brown or Ewing's Tree Frog
Brown Tree Frog
The Brown tree Frog, , also known as the Whistling Tree Frog, is a species of tree frog native to most of southern Victoria, eastern South Australia, southern New South Wales — from about Ulladulla , though there are reports of this species occurring further north — throughout Tasmania, including...
. The Eastern Freeway follows the path of the creek within the band of parkland that adjoins the creek over its entire length.
Geography
The creek's headwaters meet near the borders of NunawadingNunawading, Victoria
Nunawading is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse...
and Donvale
Donvale, Victoria
Donvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Donvale had a population of 11,667...
, 21 km east of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. From here, the creek flows in a roughly westerly direction for around 11 km, before reaching the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
below the Yarra Flats in southern Bulleen
Bulleen, Victoria
Bulleen is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Bulleen had a population of 10,528.-Etymology:...
. The creek is joined by various gullies and creeks, the most prominent of the tributaries include; St Clems Gully, Bushy Creek and Gawler/Lungren Gully.
Geographic Features
- Boronia Grove Wetlands
- Doncaster HillDoncaster HillDoncaster Hill is one of the highest points in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. Located in the suburb of Doncaster, it is 120 metres above sea level and has uninterrupted views of the city, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges, the You Yang Ranges and Dandenong Ranges...
- Other various wetlands & billabongBillabongBillabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...
s
Settlements
Approximately 80-90,000 people live in the creek's catchment area. Most settlements are extensions of suburban areas down the Koonung Creek Valley, with Doncaster and Balwyn North being notable exceptions. The settlements located along its course are listed below, from downstream to upstream;- Southern BulleenBulleen, VictoriaBulleen is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Bulleen had a population of 10,528.-Etymology:...
- 5,000~ - Balwyn NorthBalwyn North, VictoriaBalwyn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
- 20,000
- BellvueBalwyn North, VictoriaBalwyn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
- GreythornBalwyn North, VictoriaBalwyn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
- DoncasterDoncaster, VictoriaDoncaster is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Doncaster had a population of 17,879....
- 18,000 - Mont Albert NorthMont Albert North, VictoriaMont Albert North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Mont Albert North had a population of 5008....
- 5,000 - Box Hill NorthBox Hill North, VictoriaBox Hill North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill North had a population of 10,649....
- 10,000
- Doncaster
- KerrimuirKerrimuir, VictoriaKerrimuir is a locality within the suburb of Box Hill North in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Whitehorse in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, approximately 15 kilometres from the CBD.The area is mostly referred to as Box Hill North...
- Southern Doncaster EastDoncaster East, VictoriaDoncaster East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham...
- 7,500~ - Blackburn NorthBlackburn North, VictoriaBlackburn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Blackburn North had a population of 6816....
- 6,800 - DonvaleDonvale, VictoriaDonvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Donvale had a population of 11,667...
- 11,000 - Northern NunawadingNunawading, VictoriaNunawading is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse...
- 5,000~
- Southern Doncaster East
Crossings
- Freeway Golf Course Footbridge
- Bulleen Road
- Thompsons Road
- Eastern Freeway
- Doncaster Road (creek tunnel)
- Elgar Park Footbridge
- Elgar Road
- Tram Road
- Wetherby Road
- Eastern Freeway
- Boronia Grove Footbridges
- Blackburn Road (creek tunnel, 1995)
- Koonung Creek Park Footbridges
- Springvale Road
- Eastern Freeway
Other information
Koonung Creek lends its name to many things, including many local streets and roads;- Koonung Park, Blackburn North and the Koonung Park Tennis Centre
- Koonung Road, Blackburn North
- The Koonung Ward in the Local Government Area of the City of ManninghamCity of ManninghamThe City of Manningham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne. The total population is 118,544 , divided up into 10 suburbs, the largest being Doncaster and Templestowe, over an area of 113 square kilometres.The district spans a...
- The Koonung Creek TrailKoonung Creek TrailThe Koonung Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Koonung Creek in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
- Koonung Secondary CollegeKoonung Secondary CollegeKoonung Secondary College is a secondary state school in Mont Albert North, Victoria, in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The school takes its name from the near-by Koonung Creek.-Facilities:...
External links
- Melbourne Water Koonung Creek page
- Warning plan on polluted Yarra - Article from The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
.