Ponds/Subiaco Creek, a joint northern

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Seco ...

, is a creek north-west of

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

, located in the

Northern Suburbs Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney’s north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney ...

region of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The Creek is also known as The Ponds and the Subiaco Creek respectively. It is followed by a walking track known as 'The Ponds Walk'.

The Ponds Walk

The Ponds Walk is a 7.7-kilometre walking track which follows The Ponds Creek from Eric Mobbs Memorial Park to Jim Crowgey Reserve lining the Subiaco Creek. The track passes through Carlingford, Dundas Valley, Telopea, Dundas, Ermington and Rydalmere. Leashed dogs are permitted on the walk. Valley in the Subiaco leg of the Ponds Walk

Valley in the Subiaco leg of the Ponds Walk

Ecology

The Ponds Creek is a tributary of Subiaco Creek, having its source in Carlingford and flowing through Dundas Valley. Flora and Fauna blossom in the Ponds, including Sydney exclusive species of birds and trees. It is also the home of turtles, ducks, rabbits and snakes. It has been deduced that the vegetation of the Ponds Subiaco Creek is

Blue Gum High Forest The Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion is a wet sclerophyll forest found in the northern parts of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It has been classified as critically endangered, under the New South Wales government's ''Threa ...

and

Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest (STIF) is dry sclerophyll forest community of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is typically found in the Inner West and Northern region of Sydney. It is also among the three of these plant communities ...

, meaning protection and plan of action is required to maintain this rarity. It has been classified as critically endangered under the New South Wales government's Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. An additional source of Subiaco Creek is in the suburb of Ermington. The creek then flows westwards though Rydalmere before turning south for a short distance and draining into the Parramatta River. It is approximately long. Mushrooms in The Ponds Walk

Bird life include the White-faced Heron, Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Australian White Ibis, Laughing Kookaburra, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Galah, Magpie, Noisy Mynah, Raven Rainbow Lorikeet and King Parrot.

History

The Ponds was the name given to a chain of freshwater ponds which formed the headwaters of the Ponds Creek. They were described in 1789 by Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench, who wrote "the Ponds, a name which I suppose it derived from several ponds of water". Autumn in The Ponds Walk

Subiaco Creek flows through one of the earliest areas settled by European colonists in Australia. It was site of the fourth land grant in the

colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

which was made to Phillip Schaeffer. As a consequence, the creek was known as Schaffers Creek. Schaeffer created a property called 'The Vineyard'. This name is commemorated by Vineyard Creek to the west of Subiaco Creek. After a succession of owners the property was purchased by Hannibal Macarthur in 1813. Macarthur built a mansion called 'The Vineyard' on the land in 1836. This mansion later became a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

convent and boarding school for girls. The nuns named the school 'Subiaco', after the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

town of Subiaco in which

Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

established his religious order.

Geography

Much of the length of Subiaco Creek has been contained within a network of reserves and parks. The art historian Bernard Smith recounts memories of picking "great bunches of wildflowers" along Subiaco Creek in his youth. Some sections of the creek near Cowells Lane Reserve have been placed in culverts and covered over.

The Ponds Walk

Ecology

History

Geography

References

See also