Gardiners Creek

Gardiners Creek
Gardiners Creek through Blackburn
Country	Australia
Basin
Basin size	Eastern suburbs of Melbourne
Physical characteristics
Length	30 km (19 mi)

Gardiners Creek, originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek,^[1] is a waterway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and part of the Yarra River catchment.

In a few sparse locations remnant riparian bushland survives, however the majority of its length has been heavily urbanised, and the creek has been degraded in much the same way as other Melbourne eastern suburban waterways such as the Mullum Mullum Creek and Koonung Creek. The Gardiners Creek Trail follows the creek for most of its length.

Naming

The creek's original name was Kooyongkoot, from the Woiwurrung language of the indigenous Australian Wurundjeri-Baluk group,^[1] which translates to 'haunt of the waterfowl'. The creek's current name was given in honour of early Melbourne land speculator and banker, John Gardiner, who settled near the junction of Kooyongkoot Creek and the Yarra River in 1836.^[2]

Geography

Course

Gardiners Creek is over 30 km (19 mi) in length.

The creek originates in the suburb of Blackburn, where many small creeks and gullies converge around Blackburn Lake. It then flows southwest through Box Hill South, Burwood, and Ashwood. Approximately at its junction with Scotchmans Creek in Malvern East it turns northwest, then continues through Ashburton, Glen Iris, Malvern, and Kooyong, before finally flowing into the Yarra River in Hawthorn.^[3]

Tributaries

Map of Gardiners Creek and its tributaries

• Unnamed watercourse through Blackburn/Forest Hill
• Unnamed watercourse through Wurundjeri Wetlands
• Damper Creek
• Unnamed watercourse through Ashwood/Mount Waverley

Murrumbeena Creek

• Scotchmans Creek

Hercules Creek

• Back Creek

Parklands

Upstream to downstream:^[3]

Transport

The Gardiners Creek Trail, a shared use cycling and pedestrian track, follows the general course of Gardiners Creek from Box Hill's boundary with Blackburn to the Yarra River, where a bridge over the river links it to the Main Yarra Trail.^[3]

The Monash Freeway/CityLink follow the Gardiners Creek valley from Malvern East to the Yarra River.^[3]

Crossings

Upstream to downstream:^[3]

See also

• Yarra River
• Koonung Creek

References

External links

• Melbourne Water page on Gardiners Creek
• Friends of Gardiners Creek
• Boroondara Council History of the Creek
• Blackburn Creeklands

Coordinates: 37°50′S 145°02′E / 37.833°S 145.033°E / -37.833; 145.033