The Loders Creek is a
stream and
tidal creek
A tidal creek or tidal channel is a narrow inlet or estuary that is affected by the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Thus, it has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle, and flushes salts from inland soils. Tidal cree ...
which flows through the suburbs of the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
of
South East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia.
The creek is long, and forms part of
The Broadwater estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
catchment
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
area.
Course and catchment
The creek is formed from two small unnamed streams that converge to the west of
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
. Both of these tributaries have been substantially modified to provide storm water drainage for the suburb of
Ashmore
Ashmore is a village and civil parish in the North Dorset district of Dorset, England, southwest of Salisbury.
The village is centred on a circular pond and has a church and several stone cottages and farms, many with thatched roofs. It is ...
, and consist mainly of
concrete lined channels. The northern tributary does have some areas of natural channel, with
pool-and-riffle channel morphology. These areas provide a significant habitat for the vulnerable
Wallum froglet
The wallum froglet (''Crinia tinnula'') is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to the east coast of Australia, from southeast Queensland to Kurnell, NSW. It is strongly associated with Wallum swampland.
Description
This species is a small s ...
.
[
From the confluence of the two tributaries, the creek flows in a north-easterly direction bordering the ]Southport State High School
Southport State High School is a secondary school situated in Southport on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia. Southport State High School was the first public high school on the Gold Coast, celebrating its 100th centenary in 2016. 'Resp ...
, before passing under the Gold Coast Highway
Gold Coast Highway links the coastal suburbs of the Gold Coast in south eastern Queensland such as Miami, Mermaid Beach, Tugun, Bilinga to the Tweed Heads suburb of Tweed Heads West in New South Wales. At in length, the highway runs jus ...
to reach the Broadwater at Len Fox Park, between Southport and Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
.[
The drainage basin of the creek lies between that of the Biggera Creek to the north, and that of the ]Nerang River
The Nerang River is a perennial river located in South East Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast local government area and covers an area of . The river is approximately in length.
Course and features
The Nerang R ...
to the south and west.[
]
Catchment group
The Loders Creek was the first for which a formal community catchment management group was established on the Gold Coast.[
]
Flora and fauna
Although degraded by the removal of native vegetation along its length for flood control, the creek does contain areas of freshwater and tidal wetlands, with some dry eucalyptus forest in the catchment. Wildlife includes native species such as bandicoots, koala
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the w ...
, and lace monitor
The lace monitor or tree goanna (''Varanus varius'') is a member of the monitor lizard family native to eastern Australia. A large lizard, it can reach in total length and in weight. The lace monitor is considered to be a least-concern species ...
.
See also
*List of rivers of Queensland
This is a list of rivers of Australia. Rivers are ordered alphabetically, by state. The same river may be found in more than one state as many rivers cross state borders.
Longest rivers nationally
Longest river by state or territory
Althoug ...
References
External links
Loders & Biggera Creek Catchment Study Guide
Geography of Gold Coast, Queensland
Rivers of Queensland