Jerrabomberra Creek, a partly perennial stream of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the

Murray–Darling basin The Murray–Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary o ...

, is located in the

Capital Country Capital Country was the name of one of the sixteen tourism regions of New South Wales, Australia. This geographical division is made for improving commerce, specifically tourism, in the state. The Capital area is one of the oldest settled are ...

region spanning both

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

, Australia. ''Jerrabomberra'' is derived from the

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

word, meaning "afraid of lightning". The traditional custodians of the land surrounding Jerrabomberra Creek are the

Ngunnawal The Ngunnawal people, also spelt Ngunawal, are an Aboriginal people of southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Language Ngunnawal and Gundungurra are Australian Aboriginal languages from the Pama-Nyunga ...

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

; it lies close to the lands of the neighbouring

Ngarigo The Ngarigo People (also spelt Garego, Ngarego, Ngarago, Ngaragu, Ngarigu, Ngarrugu or Ngarroogoo) are Aboriginal Australian people of southeast New South Wales, whose traditional lands also extend around the present border with Victoria. Lang ...

people.

Location and features

The creek rises in New South Wales (NSW), below Lobb Hill, between Williamsdale and

Royalla Royalla is a rural locality on the border of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The area takes its name from the nearby Mount Rob Roy, and was originally a railway settlement on the Bombala railway line known as Rob Roy and ch ...

, and flows generally north and north–west, before reaching its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

with the

Molonglo River The Molonglo River, a perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Monaro and Capital Country regions of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia. ...

into

Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after W ...

, to the north of

Narrabundah Narrabundah () ( postcode: 2604) is a leafy, medium density suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, located in the inner south of the city. Narrabundah is an established garden suburb, valued for its equal proximity to both Civic and ...

, in

South Canberra South Canberra, or the Inner South, is a central district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. South Canberra is located to the south of Canberra's city centre and is on the south bank of Lake Burley Griffin. It is one of the oldest par ...

, within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The creek descends over its

course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

, and has a catchment area of .

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

Prior to reaching Lake Burley Griffin, the creek flows through a series of significant artificially-formed

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free ( anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, called the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, with an estimated 170 bird species, including the migratory Latham’s snipe; and eleven fish species, as well as the eastern water rat,

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monot ...

and eastern snake-necked

tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like ot ...

. The wetlands include a silt trap, a series of

billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

s, and a swamp.

References

External links

Jerrabomberra Creek: Local Indigenous Planting List
2004. {{coord, 35, 19, S, 149, 09, E, display=title, region:AU_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Geography of Canberra Rivers of New South Wales Rivers of the Australian Capital Territory Murray-Darling basin

Location and features

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

See also

References

External links