Koonung Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | Victoria |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
Basin size | Unknown |
Koonung Creek (or Koonung 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.
The creek's headwaters meet near the borders of Nunawading 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.
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;
Koonung Creek lends its name to many things, including many local streets and roads;
The City of Manningham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and is divided into 12 suburbs, with the largest being Doncaster and Doncaster East. It comprises an area of 113 square kilometres and had a population of 125,508 in June 2018.
EastLink is a tolled section of the M3 freeway linking a large area through the eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.
Blackburn North is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whitehorse local government area. Blackburn North recorded a population of 7,627 at the 2021 census.
Box Hill North is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whitehorse local government area. Box Hill North recorded a population of 12,337 at the 2021 census.
Balwyn North, also known as North Balwyn, is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Boroondara and Whitehorse local government areas. Balwyn North recorded a population of 21,302 at the 2021 census.
Doncaster is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Doncaster recorded a population of 25,020 at the 2021 census.
Templestowe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Templestowe recorded a population of 16,966 at the 2021 census.
Doncaster East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Doncaster East recorded a population of 30,926 at the 2021 census.
The Eastern Freeway is an urban freeway in eastern Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. It is one of the most important freeways in terms of commuting to the city, connecting Alexandra Parade and Hoddle Street in the inner suburbs, with EastLink tollway farther east. It consists of between three and six lanes in each direction, also an inbound transit lane reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants during peak hours.
Mullum Mullum Creek is a creek in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Mullum Mullum Valley, a tributary of the Yarra River and Yarra Valley. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.
The Electoral district of Doncaster was a metropolitan electorate of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, located approximately 13 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. It was part of the Upper House Eastern Metropolitan Region and sat entirely within the City of Manningham. It was abolished and divided between the Electoral district of Bulleen and the Electoral district of Warrandyte The seat was abolished due to new boundary changes in preparation for the 2014 election.
Gardiners Creek, originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek, is a waterway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and part of the Yarra River catchment.
The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Mullum Mullum Creek in the outer eastern suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
State (Bell/Springvale) Highway, also known as Bell Street/Springvale Road State Highway, is the longest self-contained urban highway in Melbourne, Australia, linking Tullamarine Freeway and Nepean Highway through Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs. These names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts: Bell Street, Banksia Street, Manningham Road, Williamsons Road, Doncaster Road, Mitcham Road, Springvale Road and Edithvale Road. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.
The Doncaster railway line was a long-proposed suburban railway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that was anticipated to be built before December 2027, as a branch, along with the Hurstbridge line, of the planned future Clifton Hill Loop Line, as part of the 2013 PTV Network Development Plan.
The North East Link is an under construction 26–kilometre tolled motorway scheme in Melbourne, Australia. Its stated objective is to connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen, where the freeway would be upgraded from Hoddle Street to Springvale Road at Nunawading. Other components of the project include the construction of a new dedicated busway and park and ride car parking facilities. On 11 December 2016, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that a re-elected Labor government would build the North East Link at a cost of $10 billion, with early construction commencing in late 2020, major construction in late 2022, and an expected completion in 2027/2028. With estimated costs almost doubling to $18 billion by 2022, it will be the most expensive transport project in the history of Victoria. The widening of the Eastern Freeway from nine lanes to 20 in some parts will also make it one of the widest roads in the world.
The Yarra Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Yarra River through the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve forms part of the Mullum Mullum Valley and is an important riparian bushland park, located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne on the border of Donvale, on the banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek. The Reserve comprises 7.2 hectares and hosts a mix of remnant and regenerated bushland, and many native species of wildlife, particularly birds, of which some 85 species may be seen over time. The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail runs through the Reserve and there are many unsealed bush tracks through the native bushland. There is an Information Centre in the Reserve which is open on Sunday afternoons from 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm subject to volunteer availability. The Reserve includes a series of ponds that feed a cascade to the creek during wet spells. There are toilets and mown areas for picnics and seating. Yarran Dheran is a Dogs on Lead Reserve.
Koonung Creek Reserve is a linear park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Australia. It follows the path of the Eastern Freeway from Bulleen Road in the west to Doncaster Road to the east.
Coordinates: 37°47′12″S145°06′17″E / 37.78667°S 145.10472°E