The Kororoit Creek is a
watercourse
A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are ...
of the
Port Phillip
Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...
catchment, rising in the outer north western 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 ...
, in the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n state of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
.
Location and features
The Kororoit Creek rises below Mount Kororoit, northeast of in the north western outer suburbs of Melbourne. The creek's headwaters are north of at approximately
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
in
ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...
geology. The creek flows generally south by east and passes over the volcanic lava plain of western Melbourne to its
mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...
at sea level, north of and emptying into Altona Bay within Port Phillip. The creek is joined by one minor tributary as it descends approximately 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 ...
.
[ At the outlet in Altona Bay, the creek winds its way through the ]Altona Coastal Park
Altona Coastal Park, a 70 hectares intertidal and salt marsh area located 11 km from Melbourne CBD in the western suburb of Altona, is an important recreational and nature conservation area, providing habitats for a large biodiversity of fl ...
and then the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Park, where it enters Port Phillip.
From east of Sunbury, the Kororoit Creek makes its way down through many suburbs towards its mouth, including the towns and suburbs of Rockbank
Rockbank is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melton local government area. Rockbank recorded a population of 2,583 at the 2021 census.
Rockbank Post Office o ...
, Caroline Springs
Caroline Springs is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melton local government area. Caroline Springs recorded a population of 24,488 at the 2021 census.
Carol ...
, , , , , Cairnlea
Cairnlea is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Brimbank local government area. Cairnlea recorded a population of 10,038 at the 2021 census.
The former Al ...
, , , , and Altona North
Altona North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. Altona North recorded a population of 12,962 at the .
Bordering subu ...
.
The creek is traversed by the Melton Highway
Melton Highway (formerly Keilor–Melton Road) links Melbourne's outer north-western suburbs of Melton and Taylors Lakes (western Keilor as the old name suggests), connecting the Western Freeway and Calder Freeway to provide a more-direct rout ...
, east of Melton; the Western Highway and the Western Ring Road
The M80 Ring Road (also known as simply the Ring Road or by the name of its constituent parts: Western Ring Road and Metropolitan Ring Road) is a currently incomplete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article will deal ...
, at Ardeer; and the West Gate Freeway
The West Gate Freeway is a major freeway in Melbourne, the busiest urban freeway and the busiest road in Australia, carrying upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day. It links Geelong (via the Princes Freeway) and Melbourne's western suburbs to ce ...
and Federation Trail
The Federation Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which mainly follows the heritage-listed Main Outfall Sewer through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. There are three bridges spanning across major ar ...
at Brooklyn. The Kororoit Creek Trail
__NOTOC__
The Kororoit Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Kororoit Creek in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The interrupted upper section is located in Burnside and Dee ...
runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek.
History
The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the creek are the 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 (Melbourne ...
people who had hunted, fished and camped along the creek for thousands of years. Aboriginal occupation is evident in the form of many scattered artefacts along the creek. Scar trees, where canoes were carved from the bark of the red gums, are dotted along the creek.
European explorers, James Flemming and Charles Grimes identified the Kororoit Creek in 1803, along with the Maribyrnong River
The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria.
Course
The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near ...
and 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 ...
.
The Brooklyn Bluestone Bridge was built over the Kororoit Creek at in the 1870s. The bridge was built using bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:
* basalt in Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand
* dolerites in Tasmania, Australia; and in Britain (including Stonehenge)
* felds ...
from the local area and still stands. The bridge was one of the first crossings built for gold diggers heading to the gold fields of Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
.[
]
Etymology
''Kororoit'' is an 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 of 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 ...
that has been used to describe the "creek on (the) western plain";[ with an alternate theory that claims the word to mean a "male kangaroo".]
Fauna
The creek is home to significant animal species such as the growling grass frog
The growling grass frog (''Ranoidea raniformis''), also commonly known as the southern bell frog, warty swamp frog and erroneously as the green frog, is a species of ground-dwelling tree frog native to southeastern Australia, ranging from sout ...
and the striped legless lizard
The striped legless lizard (''Delma impar'') is a species of lizards in the Pygopodidae family endemic to Australia. As of 2015 it is threatened with extinction, with few habitats left.
The lizard is up to 30 cm in length.Department of Envi ...
, as well as migratory birds. Remnant native vegetation also survives in some places, including red river gum and white mangroves. Small parks are located on the east and west borders along the creek. Native reptiles, including tiger snake, eastern blue-tongued lizard
The ''Tiliqua scincoides scincoides,'' or eastern blue-tongued lizard, is native to Australia. It is unique due to its blue tongue, which can be used to warn off predators. In addition to flashing its blue tongue, the skink hisses and puffs up its ...
, common snakeneck turtle
The eastern long-necked turtle (''Chelodina longicollis'')Kennett, R., Roe, J., Hodges, K., and Georges, A. 2009. ''Chelodina longicollis'' (Shaw 1784) – eastern long-necked turtle, common long-necked turtle, common snake-necked turtle. ''In'': ...
and eastern brown snake
The eastern brown snake (''Pseudonaja textilis''), often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. It was ...
were often seen along the creek. Unfortunately due to overdevelopment these species are now rarely seen in some areas. Reptiles found along the creek help to maintain the balance of the populations of small mammals such as water rats and mice
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
that thrive along the banks of the creek. Native species of frogs have taken advantage and reclaimed residences in the new (man-made) wetlands and lakes. The eastern banjo frog
''Limnodynastes dumerilii'' is a frog species from the family Limnodynastidae. The informal names for the species and its subspecies include eastern or southern banjo frog, and bull frog.Waite, Edgar R. (1929): ''The reptiles and amphibians of ...
, common eastern froglet
The common eastern froglet (''Crinia signifera'') is a very common, Australian ground-dwelling frog, of the family Myobatrachidae.
Distribution
The common eastern froglet ranges from southeastern Australia, from Adelaide to Melbourne, up the ea ...
and even the now endangered growling grass frog
The growling grass frog (''Ranoidea raniformis''), also commonly known as the southern bell frog, warty swamp frog and erroneously as the green frog, is a species of ground-dwelling tree frog native to southeastern Australia, ranging from sout ...
have been seen and heard in the new wetlands and around Kororoit Creek, particularly in Cairnlea
Cairnlea is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Brimbank local government area. Cairnlea recorded a population of 10,038 at the 2021 census.
The former Al ...
.
Aquatic species found in the creek include the common galaxias
The common galaxias (''Galaxias maculatus'') or inanga (from the Māori ''īnanga'') is a very widespread Southern Hemisphere fish in the family Galaxiidae. It is a slim, narrow fish with a forked tail and a mottled, spotty pattern, typically a ...
, short-finned eel
The short-finned eel (''Anguilla australis''), also known as the shortfin eel, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of th ...
, Australian smelt
The Australian smelt (''Retropinna semoni'') is a small, pelagic silvery freshwater fish found in large numbers in waters of the south eastern Australian mainland.
Distribution
The fish is endemic to Australia and widely distributed through the ...
, tupong, common carp, eastern bluespot goby, and flathead gudgeon.
Bird species found adjacent to the creek include the Australasian darter
The Australasian darter or Australian darter (''Anhinga novaehollandiae'') is a species of bird in the darter family, Anhingidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It weighs around 2.6 kg and spans 86–94 cm ( ...
, little pied cormorant
The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (''Microcarbo melanoleucos'') is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapo ...
, brown falcon
The brown falcon (''Falco berigora'') is a relatively large falcon native to Australia and New Guinea.
A number of plumage morphs occur, with the primary distinction being between the pale morph and the dark morph. Both morphs usually have dark ...
, peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
, square-tailed kite
The square-tailed kite (''Lophoictinia isura'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers.
Taxonomy
German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup descr ...
, dusky moorhen
The dusky moorhen (''Gallinula tenebrosa'') is a bird species in the rail family and is one of the eight extant species in the moorhen genus. It occurs in India, Australia, New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia. It is often confused with the purple ...
, royal spoonbill
The royal spoonbill (''Platalea regia'') also known as the black-billed spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. (In New Z ...
, black swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...
, Pacific black duck
The Pacific black duck (''Anas superciliosa''), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the no ...
, mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
, Australian wood duck
The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (''Chenonetta jubata'') is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus ''Chenonetta''. Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae (dabbling ...
, galah
The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus ''Eolophus'' of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the co ...
, rainbow lorikeet
The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...
, white-faced heron
The white-faced heron (''Egretta novaehollandiae'') also known as the white-fronted heron, and incorrectly as the grey heron, or blue crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indo ...
, Australian white ibis
The Australian white ibis (''Threskiornis molucca'') is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and blac ...
, and wattlebird
''Anthochaera'' is a genus of birds in the honeyeater family. The species are endemic to Australia and include the little wattlebird, the red wattlebird, the western wattlebird, and the yellow wattlebird. A molecular phylogenetic study has shown ...
.
Both the river blackfish
The river blackfish (''Gadopsis marmoratus'') is a freshwater fish endemic to the temperate waters of south-eastern Australia. It is found from southern Queensland through to central Victoria, including in the Murray- Darling river system. It ...
and the platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...
are native species that are now believed to be extinct along creek's course.
Common introduced species that can be found adjacent to the creek include the red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
and the European rabbit
The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. It has ...
.
Gallery
See also
* Kororoit Creek Trail
__NOTOC__
The Kororoit Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Kororoit Creek in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The interrupted upper section is located in Burnside and Dee ...
References
External links
* Waterway Report 1999 Port Phillip & Western Port Catchments
Kororoit Creek Regional Strategy 2005 - 2030
Kororoit Creek Catchment Coordination Project
Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek
Friends of Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek Land Dept Victoria
Melbourne Water Kororoit Creek Report
Hobsons Bay Kororoit Creek Report
{{Authority control
Rivers of Victoria (Australia)
Port Phillip and Western Port catchment
Rivers of Greater Melbourne (region)
Rivers of Loddon Mallee (region)
Port Phillip
City of Hobsons Bay
City of Brimbank
City of Melton