Merri Creek
| Merri Creek | ||
 Merri Creek in Fairfield and Clifton Hill with the Melbourne skyline in the background |
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| Data | ||
| location | Victoria , Australia | |
| River system | Yarra River | |
| Drain over | Yarra River → Port Phillip Bay → Bass Strait | |
| source | at Wallan in the Great Dividing Range 37 ° 22 ′ 23 ″ S , 145 ° 2 ′ 45 ″ E |
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| Source height | 459 m | |
| muzzle |
Yarra River Coordinates: 37 ° 47 ′ 49 " S , 145 ° 0 ′ 5" E 37 ° 47 ′ 49 " S , 145 ° 0 ′ 5" E |
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| Mouth height | 10.2 m | |
| Height difference | 448.8 m | |
| Bottom slope | 6.5 ‰ | |
| length | 69.3 km | |
| Left tributaries | Edgars Creek | |
| Right tributaries | Malcolm Creek, Aitken Creek, Merlynston Creek | |
| Big cities | Melbourne | |
| Communities | Wallan | |
The Merri Creek is a creek in the southern Australian state of Victoria .
It rises in Wallan north of Melbourne , flows about 70 kilometers through the northern suburbs of the city and flows into the Yarra River at Dight's Falls . At the confluence of the Merri Creek in the Yarra River, the great gatherings of the Wurundjeri , the local Aboriginal tribe , used to take place. One of the first contracts for the lease of land in Australia between the Aborigines and the European settlers is said to have been concluded there.
The brook was used intensively for industry in the 20th century; there were quarries and landfills there, and the stream had to absorb the sewage from the neighboring factories. This destroyed the alluvial forest of the stream and left pollutants such as heavy metals and grease behind. In the last few decades attempts have been made to renaturalize the banks, and there have been several environmental protection groups that have dedicated themselves to the protection and regeneration of the brook ecology.
Origin of name
The stream was named after the Wurundjeri expression 'Merri Merri' (English: very rocky). The European settlers later shortened the name to 'Merri Creek'.
geography
Over 400 million years ago, the sea covered what is now the Yarra River and its tributaries. It left a layer of yellowish siltstone and sandstone . Around 65 million years ago, a layer of sand from non-marine sources was added. Over time, the ancestral Merri Creek valley was created by erosion in these sedimentary layers. About 0.8–4.6 million years ago volcanoes erupted such as Hayes Hill about three miles east of Donnybrook and Mount Fraser near Beveridge , sending lava flows down the valleys of Merri Creek and Darebin Creek into the valley of the Yarra River, to what is now Melbourne's city center.
Today's Merri Creek was created in the past millennia by digging into the lava surface. Today the stream rises in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows around 70 kilometers south to its confluence with the Yarra River at Dight's Falls. Then its waters land in Port Phillip Bay . Its tributaries are Wallan Creek , Mittagong Creek , Taylors Creek , Malcolm Creek , Aitken Creek , Curly Sedge Creek , Merlynston Creek, and Edgars Creek . The Merri Creek flows through the following suburbs of Melbourne: Wallan , Kalkallo , Donnybrook , Craigieburn , Wollert , Epping , Somerton , Campbellfield , Lalor , Thomastown , Fawkner , Reservoir , Coburg North , Coburg , Preston , Thornbury , Brunswick East , Northcote , Westgarth , Fitzroy North , Clifton Hill and Fairfield . Above Dights Falls it flows into the Yarra River.
Rocky cliffs
One of the many places of geological interest in the Merri Creek Valley is the rocky cliffs on the east bank, which can be seen from the combined walk and bike path at Clifton Hill. Its high, broken basalt columns, which were formed by cooling lava, can be seen just as clearly as the weathering on the rocky ribs in the creek, where columns collapsed and fell into the creek. Some of the vertical breaks at the top of the cliffs appear to be tilting, forming an interesting radial pattern.
Flora and fauna
Since the original vegetation could regenerate, even some wild animals returned to the stream, such as Kookaburra , kingfishers , the yellow-tailed black cockatoo , the echidna , various Anura and the upper reaches of the north and the platypus . Merri Creek offers the connoisseur an abundance of edible plants, for example dandelion , dock , fennel , Jerusalem artichoke , various types of cabbage , nightshade , sorrel , common piglet , milk lettuce , goose thistles and nettles . Great care should be taken when harvesting fennel and other umbelliferae , as the spotted hemlock , a poisonous plant that can easily be confused with these edible plants , has already been found in some places along the stream.
history
A large number of archaeological sites prove the extensive settlement of the area by Aborigines . Many large gatherings of the indigenous people took place at the stream and in the surrounding valley and it is believed that one of the first contracts for the surrender of land between indigenous people and settlers was concluded here.
archeology
Many archaeological sites contain scattered stone artifacts from old camp sites and peeled trees that the Aboriginal people removed bits of bark to make canoes, vessels, and shields. The artifacts were found because the erosion had cleared them of the surrounding sediment. The peeled trees are often on the banks of the streams, on fences or on the roadside, where they have not been removed. All sites show traces of the life of hunters and gatherers in Victoria before the arrival of the first European settlers and represent sensitive, irretrievable historical sources. The sites of Aboriginal culture are protected under the '' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protection Act ''.
Before the immigration of Europeans
The Wurundjeri-Willam were the indigenous people of what is now the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Its name is derived from the Aboriginal word 'Wurrun' (English: white eucalyptus). The Wurundjeri-Willam were a clan that consisted of a number of extended families. In the first years of contact with the settlers from Europe, they were represented by influential elders such as Billibellary . Billibellary's family lived on the north bank of the Yarra River and their territory stretched north from Yarra Bend along Merri Creek.
The stream supplied the Wurundjeri-Willam with a variety of edible animals, such as eel, fish and duck. The women waded through Merri Creek with string bags around their necks, searching the bottom of the creek for shellfish. Emus and kangaroos were hunted in the surrounding grasslands. In the woods and on the hills, possums were found as a safe source of food and clothing. The meat of the possums was boiled and eaten, and valuable, waterproof coats were made from the fur.
After the immigration of Europeans
In May 1835 there was a historic meeting between John Batman and prominent representatives of the Wurundjeri-Willam and other clans. Billibellary and other tribal elders signed what later became known as the Batman's Treaty . This was the only treaty ever made between European settlers and natives in Australia. These one-off negotiations took place on the banks of "a wonderful watercourse," according to Batman, which 20th century historians believed was Merri Creek. The treaty was annulled by Sir Richard Burke , then governor of New South Wales , because he refused to recognize that the Aborigines should have the right to control their own land.
The largest ever recorded Aboriginal gathering in Victoria was held at Merri Creek in January 1844. The Wurundjeri-Willam hosted a huge gathering of tribes from across central Victoria. It is believed that around 800 people traveled there to attend an important court day under Aboriginal law.
Since the Europeans settled on the stream, its lower reaches have been badly abused. In Melbourne's early years, a number of quarries were set up along the creek, mining basalt and olivine to build many buildings in the city and to pave the streets. These quarries were later used as landfills. Much weeds, such as opuntia and weeping willows , populate the banks and rainwater from the city streets flushes rubbish and other debris directly into the stream.
environmental pollution
Much has been done in recent decades to improve the condition of the stream. There are still patches of original vegetation on the stream and the quality of the weeds has improved through controlled burning of the weeds. In many cases, the original vegetation has been replanted by the Merri Creek Management Committee and the Friends of Merri Creek volunteer group . In recent years Melbourne Water has launched a program to control wild pastures , improve water levels and recultivate them with native plant species. At times when the water level is low, purified water from the sewage treatment plant in Cragieburn is applied to the stream . The water quality has proved to be insufficient for the resettlement of platypus proved. It is thought that this is due to toxins in the deposits in the stream that has decimated the invertebrate population to such an extent that it is no longer sufficient as a food source for the platypus. The toxins are mainly heavy metals and greases that come from industrial areas in the catchment area of the creek.
Parks and recreation
Parks Victoria is responsible for most of the parks on the creek banks; there are sports facilities such as football and cricket fields , tennis courts and children's playgrounds. The combined cycle and footpath Merri Creek Trail was created on the bank and offers an insight into the increasingly improved environment. Every year the CERES Community Environment Park celebrates the Return of the Kingfisher Festival and Thanksgiving Day on the banks of the stream.
Management and protection
The management of the watercourses in the catchment area of the Merri Creek is carried out according to the Merri Creek and Einvirons Strategy 2009-2014 . The establishment of a 2,500 hectare park along the banks of the stream was proposed to help re-establish and protect the ecosystem of the alluvial forest.
See also
Web links
- Merri Creek Management Committee
- Friends of Merri Creek
- Pre-European History of Merri Creek . Merri Creek Management Committee
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Map of Merri Creek, VIC . Bonzle.com
- ^ Merri Creek Management Committee
- ↑ Friends of Merri Creek ( Memento of the original from June 15, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Melbourne Water Works along Merri Creek from Coburg to Fairfield . Merri Creek Management Committee ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Merri Creek and Environs Strategy 2009-2014 . Merri Creek Management Committee ( Memento of the original from September 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
