Gardiners Creek, originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek, is a waterway in the eastern suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and part of the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

catchment. In a few sparse locations remnant

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

bushland survives, however the majority of its length has been heavily

urbanised Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly the ...

, and the creek has been degraded in much the same way as other Melbourne eastern suburban waterways such as the

Mullum Mullum Creek 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 ...

and

Koonung Creek 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 No ...

. The

Gardiners Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Gardiners Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Gardiners Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Bicycle Victoria is campaigning for a connection between Wint ...

follows the creek for most of its length.

Naming

Deakin University Burwood Campus Aerial Panorama

The creek's original name was ''Kooyongkoot'', from the

Woiwurrung language The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria extended from north ...

of the

indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourn ...

-Baluk group, which translates to 'haunt of the waterfowl'. This name appeared on early maps such as the 1840 Thomas map. 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.

Geography

Course

Gardiners Creek is over in length. The creek originates in the suburb of

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, where many small creeks and gullies converge around Blackburn Lake. It then flows southwest through

Box Hill South Box Hill South is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whitehorse local government area. Box Hill South recorded a population of 8,491 at the 2021 cen ...

, Burwood, and Ashwood. Approximately at its junction with Scotchmans Creek in

Malvern East Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Malvern East recorded a population of 22,296 at the 2021 c ...

it turns northwest, then continues through Ashburton,

Glen Iris Glen Iris may refer to: *Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia *Glen Iris, Western Australia A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whit ...

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

, and Kooyong, before finally flowing into the Yarra River in

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

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: *

Blackburn Lake Sanctuary Blackburn Lake Sanctuary is an example of regenerated and remnant bushland in suburban Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of Blackburn. It is the most significant of the many parks in the City of Whitehorse, featuring areas of reg ...

(Blackburn) *Blackburn Creeklands Reserve (Blackburn) **Furness Park (Blackburn) **Kalang Park (Blackburn) **Blacks Walk (Blackburn) *R.H.L. Sparks Reserve (creek piped underground) (Box Hill) *Wembley Park (Box Hill South) *Box Hill Golf Club (Box Hill South) *Gardiners Creek Reserve (Burwood) *Local History Park (Burwood) *Gardiners Reserve (Burwood) *Ashwood Reserve (Ashwood) *Markham Reserve (Ashburton) *Malvern Valley Public Golf Course (Malvern East) *Darling Park (Malvern East) *Dorothy Laver Reserve (Glen Iris) *Dorothy Laver Reserve West (Glen Iris) *Glen Iris Wetlands (Glen Iris) *Glen Iris Park (Glen Iris) *Muswell Bend Park (Glen Iris) *Glenburn Bend Park (Glen Iris) *Nettleton Park Reserve (Glen Iris) *Kyarra Park (separated since freeway construction) (Glen Iris) *Howard Dawson Reserve (Glen Iris) *Burke Road South Reserve (Glen Iris) *Gardiner Park (separated since freeway construction) (Gardiner) *Tooronga Park (separated since freeway construction) (Malvern) *Patterson Reserve (Hawthorn) *H.A. Smith Reserve (separated since freeway construction) (Hawthorn) *Kooyong Park (Kooyong) *

Kooyong Stadium Kooyong Stadium, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, is an Australian tennis venue, located in the Melbourne suburb of Kooyong. The stadium, was built in 1927, and has undergone several renovations. It has a seating capacity of slightly more t ...

(Kooyong)

Transport

The

, 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 __NOTOC__ 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. The trail follows the river from near its mouth, through the city ...

. The

Monash Freeway The Monash Freeway is a major urban freeway in Victoria, Australia, linking Melbourne's CBD to its south-eastern suburbs and beyond to the Gippsland region. It carries up to 180,000 vehicles per day and is one of Australia's busiest freeways ...

CityLink CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Australia, linking the Tullamarine, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other works. In 1996, Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two ex ...

follow the Gardiners Creek valley from Malvern East to the Yarra River.

Crossings

Upstream to downstream: *Central Road *Lake Road and Weir (Blackburn Lake) *Jeffery Street *Blackburn Road *Main Street *Blackburn Creeklands Footbridges *Pakenham Street *Middleborough Road *Canterbury Road *Station Street *

Burwood Highway Burwood Highway is a major transportation link with Melbourne, Melbourne's eastern suburbs. It begins in the suburb of Kooyong, Victoria, Kooyong, Melbourne at the junction of the Monash Freeway as Toorak Road between Monash Freeway and Warriga ...

*Highbury Road *High Street Road *

Warrigal Road Warrigal Road is a major inner urban road in southeastern Melbourne, Australia. On weekdays, it is heavily trafficked as it runs through many major suburbs along its route, traversing some of Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs. These ...

*Winton Road *Darling Park Footbridge *Dunlop Street *Glen Iris Park Footbridge *High Street *Nettleton Park Footbridge *Great Valley Road * Burke Road *Tooronga Road *Toorak Road *

Glenferrie Road Glenferrie Road is a major north–south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Kew to Caulfield North, and includes major shopping districts at both Hawthorn and Malvern. There are a number of rail transport options on Glenferri ...

References

External links

Melbourne Water page on Gardiners CreekFriends of Gardiners CreekBoroondara Council History of the CreekBlackburn Creeklands
{{Authority control Rivers of Victoria (Australia) Port Phillip and Western Port catchment Rivers of Port Phillip (region) Tributaries of the Yarra River City of Whitehorse City of Monash City of Stonnington City of Boroondara