Salt Pan Creek

Last updated

Salt Pan Creek
Saltpancreekswamp.jpg
EtymologyEarly settlers took salt from the swampland by evaporating the salt water. [1]
Location
CountryAustralia
State New South Wales
Region Sydney Basin (IBRA), Canterbury-Bankstown, Southern Sydney
Local government areas City of Canterbury-Bankstown,
Georges River
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationwest of Mount Lewis
Mouth confluence with the Georges River
  location
Lugarno
Length7 km (4.3 mi)
Basin size26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Basin features
River system Georges River
[1]

Salt Pan Creek is an urban watercourse of the Georges River catchment, located in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.

Contents

Course and features

Mangroves on the shores of Salt Pan Creek. Saltpancrk1a.jpg
Mangroves on the shores of Salt Pan Creek.

Salt Pan Creek rises west southwest of the suburb of Mount Lewis, within the City of Canterbury-Bankstown local government area, and flows generally south by east through Georges River local government area, before reaching its confluence with the Georges River, at Riverwood. The catchment area of the creek is approximately 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi), and is subject to flooding due to vegetation modification and urban development. [2]

Vegetation in the catchment area consists of three endangered ecological species, including coastal saltmarsh, Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest, and Shale / Sandstone Transition Forest. Vegetation varies substantially throughout the catchment area and includes freshwater environments, estuarine environments, mangroves and saltmarshes, riparian and terrestrial environments, which provide important habitat for native fauna. [2]

History

Aboriginal Australians lived on both sides of the Georges Creek for many years before the colonisation of Australia. The Salt Pan Creek area, on the northern shore of the Georges River between present-day Padstow and Riverwood is the traditional country of the Bediagal clan of the Dharug people. [3]

Salt Pan Creek was named by early colonial settlers, who took salt from the swampland by evaporating the salt water. [1]

From as early as 1809, the land surrounding Salt Pan Creek was the site of uprising by Indigenous Australians against colonial settlement. Tedbury, the son of Pemulwuy, an Aboriginal elder, was involved in a skirmish that saw Frederick Meredith, a European settler, injured with a spear and forced to abandon his farm. Meredith and another settler were seeking to clear and cultivate land surrounding the creek that may have been an important food source for Aboriginal people. [4]

In the 1920s, the Aboriginal Anderson and Rowley families bought land along the creek that was not farmed as it was low-lying, and had large amounts of sandstone and forest. The surrounding land was similar to these two blocks, and became camps for Aboriginal people not wanting to live on Aboriginal reserves, which were controlled by the Aborigines Welfare Board. They lived by working for a variety of jobs for cash, and by using their knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area. Some sold wildflowers door-to-door; others collected the bright red gum tips and Christmas bush and sold them at the Friday night markets. They were all able to gather oysters, prawns and river fish, and there were swamp wallabies and other game which could be hunted for food. The land remained as open camping grounds for Aboriginal people until the 1930s. [3]

Ellen and Hugh Anderson maintained contact with the Aborigines Inland Mission, and met the founders of the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) in the 1920s, Aboriginal rights activist Fred Maynard and missionary Elizabeth McKenzie Hatton. In 1924, AAPA set up a safe house in Homebush, not far away, for Aboriginal girls who had left their apprenticeships. [3]

Between 1926 and 1935, lands surrounding the creek became a focal point for Indigenous rights, as they set up squatter camps that consisted of refugee families whose traditional lands had been taken by settlers, and also those seeking to escape the Aboriginal Protection Board. [4] The land was important because it was freehold, and therefore not under any government or missionary control, and politics was a major source of conversation at the camp. [3]

The refugees included Bill Onus, Jack Patten, Jack(o) Campbell (from Kempsey [3] ), Pearl Gibbs, [5] Ted Thomas from Wallaga Lake Aboriginal Station, Bert Groves, and siblings Tom Williams Jnr and Ellen James, grandchildren of Ellen Anderson. [3] In 1933, Joe Anderson (aka "King Burraga" [6] ) was filmed at Salt Pan Creek by Cinesound news delivering a message about Indigenous rights. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges River National Park</span> National park in Sydney, Australia

Georges River National Park is a protected Australian National Park, under the management of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The park falls in the regions of the Sutherland Shire Council and Canterbury-Bankstown Council. Located in the city of Sydney, 25 km south-west of the CBD, surrounded by neighbouring suburbs of Lugano, Illawong, Alfords Point, Padstow Heights, Revesby Heights, Picnic Point and Sandy Point. The primary use of the park is to service for recreational activities such as; bush walking, picnics, barbeques, boating, fishing, and water/jet skiing. The park is Segmented into 15 sectors along the riverbanks of the Georges River, encompassing 514 hectares, housing many native aquatic and terrestrial Australian flora and fauna. The traditional custodians are the Dharug people located on the north side of the river, and Dharawal people located on the south of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges River</span> River in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, that is located in Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Georges River is located south and south-west from the Sydney CBD, with the mouth of the river being at Botany Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Sydney</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

Southern Sydney is the southern metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merri Creek</span> Waterway in Victoria, Australia

The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins near Wallan and flows south for 70 km until joining the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where the creek meets the river was traditionally the location for large gatherings of the Wurundjeri people and is suspected to have been the location for one of the earliest land treaties in Australia between Indigenous Australians and European settlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George, Sydney</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

The St George region of Sydney is part of the southern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area includes all the suburbs in the local government area of Georges River Council and the part of Bayside Council which was Rockdale City prior to 2016. This is everything within the boundaries of Salt Pan Creek to the west, The Georges River to the south, Botany Bay to the east and the M5 Motorway and Wolli Creek to the north. This area corresponds to the southern portion of the cadastral Parish of St George, from which the region derives its name and the area was later covered by the St George County Council, the electricity supplier for the councils in this region. This southern portion of the parish below The M5 and Wolli Creek is the more contemporary definition of The St George Region that is considered part of Southern Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myall Creek massacre</span> 1838 killing of Indigenous people in New South Wales

The Myall Creek massacre was the killing of at least 28 unarmed Aboriginal people in the Colony of New South Wales by eight colonists on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek in the north of the colony. Seven perpetrators were convicted of murder and hanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peakhurst</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Peakhurst is a suburb in Southern Sydney, or the St George Area, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 21 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Peakhurst is in the local government area of the Georges River Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narwee, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Narwee is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narwee is located 18 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Narwee is in local government areas of City of Canterbury-Bankstown and Georges River Council. The postcode is 2209, which it shares with neighbouring Beverly Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coxs River</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

The Coxs River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Central Tablelands, Blue Mountains, and Macarthur regions of New South Wales, Australia.

The murnong or yam daisy is any of the plants Microseris walteri, Microseris lanceolata and Microseris scapigera, which are an important food source for many Aboriginal peoples in southern parts of Australia. Murnong is a Woiwurrung word for the plant, used by the Wurundjeri people and possibly other clans of the Kulin nation. They are called by a variety of names in the many different Aboriginal Australian languages, and occur in many oral traditions as part of Dreamtime stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidjigal</span> Aboriginal Australian people

The Bidjigal people are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are modern-day western, north-western, south-eastern, and southern Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. The land includes the Bidjigal Reserve, Salt Pan Creek and the Georges River. They are part of the Dharug language group, and there is debate as to whether the clan is part of the Dharug or Eora people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djadjawurrung</span> Aboriginal Australian people in Victoria

Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Djaara or Jajowrong people and Loddon River tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people who are the traditional owners of lands including the water catchment areas of the Loddon and Avoca rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, Australia. They are part of the Kulin alliance of Aboriginal Victorian peoples. There are 16 clans, which adhere to a patrilineal system. Like other Kulin peoples, there are two moieties: Bunjil the eagle and Waa the crow.

William Townsend Onus Jnr was an Aboriginal Australian political activist, designer, and showman, also known for his boomerang-throwing skills. He was father of artist Lin Onus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lugarno, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Lugarno is a suburb situated in the St George area of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the local government area of the Georges River Council, 23 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarrowee River</span> Perennial river in Victoria, Australia

The Yarrowee River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipping Norton Lake</span> Lake in New South Wales, Australia

Chipping Norton Lake is a 49-hectare (120-acre) artificial lake and regional park located in the Sydney suburb of Chipping Norton, New South Wales, Australia. It is a part of the Georges River system. Chipping Norton Lake is managed by Liverpool City Council. The lake is an important recreational area for Liverpool, City of Canterbury-Bankstown and Fairfield City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association</span> Aboriginal rights organisation in New South Wales, 1924–1927

The Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) was an early Indigenous Australian organisation focused on Aboriginal rights, founded in 1924 by Fred Maynard and based in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). It ceased operations in 1927. The AAPA is known as the first Aboriginal activist group in Australia, with its membership roster peaking at over 600 members, with 13 branches and 4 sub-branches in NSW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Canterbury Bankstown</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Canterbury-Bankstown Council, trading as the City of Canterbury Bankstown, is a local government area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 from a merger of the City of Canterbury and the City of Bankstown, after a review of local government areas by the NSW Government.

The M5 cycleway is a predominantly on road 32-kilometre-long (20 mi) cycleway generally aligned with the M5 motorway in south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The eastern terminus of the cycleway is in Arncliffe where it connects with the Cooks River cycleway. The southwestern terminus of the cycleway is in Prestons where is connects with the M7 cycleway. The cycleway does not have a separate cycle lane or path, instead cyclists use the breakdown lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colebee and Nurragingy Land Grant</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Colebee and Nurragingy Land Grant is a heritage-listed former farm at Richmond Road, Colebee, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Colebee and Nurragingy's Land Grant, Colebee Release Area, 773, 777 and 783 Richmond Road. The property is owned by Transport for NSW.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Salt Pan Creek". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 10 April 2013. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Salt Pan Creek". Rivers and Creeks. Bankstown City Council . Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goodall, Heather; Cadzow, Allison (2014). "Aboriginal People on Sydney's Georges River from 1820". The Dictionary of Sydney . Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 Foley, Gary. "imeline of Significant Moments in the Indigenous Struggle in south east Australia". The Koori History Website . Victoria University . Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. Kleinert, Sylvia (2011). "Bill Onus". Design & Art Australia Online . Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. "Burraga Foundation". Burraga Foundation. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  7. Vitale, Luke (12 December 2022). "The Many Histories of Salt Pan Creek". Sydney Review of Books.

33°57′S151°03′E / 33.950°S 151.050°E / -33.950; 151.050