Oxley Creek

Last updated

Oxley
Oxley Creek, Brisbane 1a.jpg
Oxley Creek seen from Sherwood Road
Australia Queensland relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of the Oxley Creek mouth in Queensland
Etymology John Oxley
Native nameBenarrawa (Yagara)
Location
Country Australia
State Queensland
Region South East Queensland
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Perry near Flinders Peak
  location Mount Perry, Scenic Rim
  elevation190 m (620 ft)
Mouth confluence with the Brisbane River
  location
Tennyson
  coordinates
27°31′26″S152°59′41″E / 27.52389°S 152.99472°E / -27.52389; 152.99472 Coordinates: 27°31′26″S152°59′41″E / 27.52389°S 152.99472°E / -27.52389; 152.99472
  elevation
1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Length70 km (43 mi)
Basin size260 km2 (100 sq mi)
Basin features
River system Brisbane River
[1] [2]

The Oxley Creek (Yagara: Benarrawa [2] ) is a creek that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia.

Contents

Rising in the low hills in Scenic Rim Region, water from the 260-square-kilometre (100 sq mi) large catchment area [3] flows into Oxley Creek as it flows through the western parts of Logan City and into Brisbane. At 70 kilometres (43 mi), the Oxley Creek is Brisbane's longest creek and the only sand-based one in the city. [4]

Course and features

Pontoon in Oxley, 2010 Oxley Pontoon (7117832673).jpg
Pontoon in Oxley, 2010

The headwaters of Oxley Creek begin on the northern slopes of Mount Perry, south of Ipswich, in the Scenic Rim Region. From here, the creek flows northwards about 70 kilometres (43 mi), eventually discharging into the Brisbane River at Tennyson. [1] Tributaries of Oxley Creek include Crewes Creek, Blunder Creek, Sheep Station Gully, Stable Swamp Creek, Rocky Water Holes Creek, Little Doris Creek and Moolabin Creek.

The upper catchment area of Stable Swamp Creek extends eastwards into Sunnybank Sunnybank lowlands Typha.jpg
The upper catchment area of Stable Swamp Creek extends eastwards into Sunnybank

Oxley Creek's upper catchment is sparsely populated and largely natural, with forested hills and grazing land. However, in other parts of the catchment, urban development has had great impact. In the middle and lower catchment, Oxley Creek and its tributaries flow through 28 Brisbane suburbs including Algester, Corinda, Darra, Durack, Forest Lake, Moorooka, Salisbury, Sunnybank Hills, Graceville and Sherwood. Major industrial areas of Acacia Ridge, Coopers Plains and Rocklea are located in the catchment, as well as waste water treatment plants at Oxley and Inala, and the vicinity of Archerfield Airport. [1]

Oxley Creek is crossed by the Ipswich Motorway and Logan Motorway. The creek is tidal upstream to the Ipswich Motorway crossing. [5] In the suburbs of Oxley, Corinda and Tennyson the lower reaches of the creek contain the Oxley Creek Canoe Trail and are bordered by houses, parks, a driving range and sports fields. In these areas it is heavily polluted. These winding areas for the creek's catchment are prone to flooding, especially if there is an overflow on the Rocklea flood plains from the tributary Stable Swamp Creek. [1]

History

The Yerongpan clan of the Turrbal people are thought to have once roamed throughout the catchment. Traditional owners in the catchment made use of the abundant natural resources, various plants and animals were used as staple foods and the roots of the bungwall fern a particular favourite. They called the creek Benarrawa in their traditional Turrbal language. [2]

The creek was named in honour of John Oxley who first surveyed it in December 1823. Initially Oxley had called the creek the Canoe Creek. [3] This was in recognition of the first Europeans to reach the creek, Thomas Pamphlett, John Finnegan, Richard Parsons who reached the area after being shipwrecked on Stradbroke Island. At Oxley Creek the three found two canoes, one of which was used to cross the river and travel downstream. [6] By 1825 it had become known as Oxley Creek. [2] [3]

As early as 1828, hoop pine was being felled near the mouth of Oxley Creek for use in the Moreton Bay penal settlement and in the area that is now known as Chelmer and Graceville. [6] In 1852, the first public bridge over the creek was built for the dray road that led to Ipswich. [6] By the 1860s timber cutters from Brisbane were entering the Oxley Creek flood plain. [6] The creek and tributaries were described as being surrounded by dense scrubland with patches of sub-tropical rainforest.

In 2006, the Brisbane City Council established the Lord Mayor's Oxley Creek Catchment Taskforce in an effort to rehabilitate the creek and its catchment. [4] In 2012, the taskforce was awarded 1st place in its category at the Healthy Waterways Awards. [7]

In 2017, Oxley Creek Transformation was established as a wholly owned Brisbane City Council subsidiary with a funding commitment of $100 million over 20 years for seeking environmentally sensitive outcomes by transforming the Oxley Creek corridor into a vast multi-use parkland, reducing impacts of industry and development on the creek and surrounds, embedding flood resilience into the corridor and growing its rich network of green spaces. Priority projects include a 20-kilometre recreation trail from the river to a new nature-based adventure parkland in Larapinta, a world-renowned birdwatching destination at Oxley Creek Common, a regional parkland at Archerfield Wetlands with a visitor centre, and whole-of-corridor environmental and economic strategies. [8]

Environmental concerns

Residential and industry development, sewage, sediment, land clearing and sand mining in the catchment have greatly affected the water quality of Oxley Creek, particularly in its lower reaches. At Larapinta sand mining converted the anabranch into the main stream, leaving a series of lagoons. [9]

Key environmental issues that face the catchment include rapid population increase and development, altered flow patterns of the creek causing active erosion, deteriorating water quality, increased noise and vehicle movements, waste disposal, invasion of bushland by exotic plants and animals, management of the extractive industries and the day-to-day behaviour of residents and workers of the catchment.

Local councils and bushcare groups have worked to reduce sediment entering the creek by planting vegetation. By 2008 improvements had resulted in water quality tests on the creek system's rating lifting from a F to a D. [10] However the rating returned to F in the following three years. [11]

Effluent from the Oxley Waste Treatment Centre was released into Oxley Creek during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. Levels of bacteria 250 times higher than normal were recorded in the waterway. [12] Due to safety concerns parts of Oxley Creek were not immediately cleared of debris. Brisbane's Recovery Task Group has identified Oxley Creek along with a number of other waterways that are to be targeted in the recovery process that may take a number of years to restore. [13] According to the Queensland Minister for the Environment, Vicky Darling by January 2012, $16 million had been spent to remove more than 2,000 containers of hazardous materials from the catchment. [14] 500 tonnes of debris had also been collected from the banks of Oxley Creek.

Some locals want a groyne to be built at the mouth of the creek to aid flows and reduce sediment, while others want a halt to sand mining because it produces silt. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1823. The penal colony of Moreton Bay later adopted the same name, eventually becoming the present city of Brisbane. The river is a tidal estuary and the water is brackish from its mouth through the majority of the Brisbane metropolitan area westward to the Mount Crosby Weir. The river is wide and navigable throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graceville railway station</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Graceville railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at 110 Long Street, Graceville, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is on the Main line, serving the suburb of Graceville. It was designed by John Sidney Egan and Jan Kral and built from 1958 to 1959 by Railways Department. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 June 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulimba Creek</span> River in Queensland, Australia

Bulimba Creek, originally known as Doboy Creek or Doughboy Creek, is a perennial stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxley, Queensland</span> Suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Oxley is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Oxley had a population of 8,336 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Brisbane</span>

Brisbane's recorded history dates from 1799, when Matthew Flinders explored Moreton Bay on an expedition from Port Jackson, although the region had long been occupied by the Yugara and Turrbal aboriginal tribes. The town was conceived initially as a penal colony for British convicts sent from Sydney. Its suitability for fishing, farming, timbering, and other occupations, however, caused it to be opened to free settlement in 1838. The town became a municipality in 1859 and a consolidated metropolitan area in 1924. Brisbane encountered major flooding disasters in 1893, 1974, 2011 and 2022. Significant numbers of US troops were stationed in Brisbane during World War II. The city hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, and the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Brisbane flood</span> Deadly flood in 1974 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

In January 1974 a flood occurred in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia after three weeks of continual rain. The Brisbane River, which runs through the heart of the city, broke its banks and flooded the surrounding areas. The cyclone that produced the flood also flooded surrounding cities: Ipswich, Beenleigh, and the Gold Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Motorway</span>

The Ipswich Motorway (M7) is a major road that connects Brisbane and Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. It commences at the junction of Ipswich Road and Granard Road and proceeds through to the M2 Logan Motorway interchange. It is then signed M2 until the junction of the Warrego Highway and the Cunningham Highway

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocklea, Queensland</span> Suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Rocklea is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Rocklea had a population of 1,595 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bremer River (Queensland)</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Bremer River is a river that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in the Scenic Rim and Brisbane regions of South East Queensland, Australia. The 100-kilometre (62 mi)-long Bremer River drains several Scenic Rim valleys in south-east Queensland, including the Fassifern Valley, with its catchment area covering approximately 2,032 square kilometres (785 sq mi). Most valleys within the catchment have extensive river terraces. The Bremer River system is extremely degraded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockyer Creek</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Lockyer Creek is a creek located in South East Queensland, Australia. A tributary of the Brisbane River, the creek is a major drainage system in the Lockyer Valley. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the creek flows generally north-easterly for more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) before it reaches its confluence with the Brisbane River north-northeast of Lowood, and downstream from the Wivenhoe Dam. The creek is named after Edmund Lockyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larapinta, Queensland</span> Suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Larapinta is an outer southern industrial suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Larapinta had a population of 0 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archerfield, Queensland</span> Suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Archerfield is a mixed-use southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Archerfield had a population of 544 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pine River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The North Pine River is a minor river located in South East Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1893 Brisbane flood</span>

The 1893 Brisbane flood, occasionally referred to as the Great Flood of 1893 or the Black February flood, occurred in 1893 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Brisbane River burst its banks on three occasions in February 1893. It was the occurrence of three major floods in the same month that saw the period named "Black February". There was also a fourth flood later in the same year in June. The river runs through the centre of Brisbane with much of the population living in areas beside the river. It first flooded on February 6 due to a deluge associated with a tropical cyclone, called "Buninyong".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Creek (Queensland)</span> River in Queensland, Australia

Norman Creek is a small tributary of the Brisbane River. The headwaters of the creek are located on the northern slopes of Toohey Mountain and Mount Gravatt in southern Brisbane. The name derives from a corruption of Gorman's Creek, after Lieutenant Gorman, of H. M. 8th Foot - the last commandant at Moreton Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caboolture River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Caboolture River is a small river in South East Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroochy River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Maroochy River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east through Eumundi, before entering the sea at Cotton Tree, Maroochydore. Other populated centres in the catchment include Nambour, Eudlo, Yandina and Coolum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Brisbane</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainland state capitals, which are generally responsible only for the central business districts and inner neighbourhoods of those cities, the City of Brisbane administers a significant portion of the Brisbane metropolitan area, serving almost half of the population of the Brisbane Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA). As such, it has a larger population than any other local government area in Australia. The City of Brisbane was the first Australian LGA to reach a population of more than one million. Its population is roughly equivalent to the populations of Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory combined. In 2016–2017, the council administered a budget of over $3 billion, by far the largest budget of any LGA in Australia. The City of Brisbane is the world's 3rd-largest city council by area after New York and Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Sherwood</span> Former local government area of Queensland

The Shire of Sherwood is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in south-western Brisbane in and around the suburb of Sherwood.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Oxley Creek Catchment" (WORD). Know your creek. Brisbane City Council. 2012. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Brisbane River Catchment: Fact Sheet" (PDF). Waterways and Wetlands. Logan City Council. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Oxley Creek (entry 25701)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Lord Mayor's Oxley Creek Catchment Taskforce". Brisbane City Council. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  5. "Calls for more information on Oxley Creek contamination". ABC Brisbane. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Fones, Ralph (2006). Oxley! A mind of its own:a history of a suburb with attitude. 1850 - 1950. Oxley-Chelmer History Group. pp. 4–10. ISBN   0-9751466-2-9.
  7. "Taskforce recognised for its efforts to preserve parts of Oxley Creek". Southern Star. Quest Community Newspapers. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  8. "Oxley Creek Transformation". Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  9. Mynott, Vicki (2009). 150 years: Richlands, Inala & neighbouring suburbs in Brisbane's South West. Richlands, Inala & Suburbs History Group. p. 157.
  10. "Oxley Creek Bonus", South West News, p. 2, 28 October 2008
  11. "Oxley Creek". Healthy Waterways. The University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  12. Walker, Jamie (29 January 2011). "Health alert as sewage spill becomes next threat for riverside homes". The Australian. News Limited. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  13. "Creek debris will be cleared soon". The Satellite. APN News & Media. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  14. Darling, Vicky (19 January 2012). "Communities to share in river cleanup grants". Ministerial Media Statement (Press release). Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  15. Drew, James (28 March 2012). "Residents call for action on Oxley Creek in lead-up to council elections". South-West News. Quest Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.