Sullivans 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 of ...

, is located in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

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 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 ...

Location and features

Sullivans Creek and Lyneham wetlands in flood 2018

Sullivans Creek rises close to the border between the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and

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 ...

, north-east of

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant ...

, and north-west of Watson. The creek is formed by runoff from

Mount Majura Mount Majura is a small mountain with an elevation of that is located in the northern suburbs of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Mount Majura lies close to the more prominent Mount Ainslie and is the highest point wit ...

Mount Ainslie Mount Ainslie is a hill with an elevation of that is located in the northeastern suburbs of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Mount Ainslie lies within part of the Canberra Nature Park. Location and features Mount Ains ...

, O'Connor Ridge and Black Mountain. Sullivans Creek flows generally south-west, through a small channel within a much larger older gully system in its upper reaches; and through a series of urban sealed stormwater channels in its middle reaches; before reaching the grounds of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, towards 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); o ...

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. ...

near

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

. Molonglo River is now dammed as

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 Walte ...

. The creek has a catchment area of and is approximately long. The creek was originally called Canberry (or Canburry) Creek, since early European settlement in the area, from 1823. During the 1850s, William Sullivan and his family acquired grazing land surrounding the creek, and at some stage thereafter, the creek name was changed to Sullivans Creek. Within the grounds of the Australian National University, the creek's original course has been altered to accommodate growth of the campus and enhance the natural landscape. Within the Acton campus, two bridges cross Sullivans Creek; MacPherson's Bridge, that was named after the original landowner, John MacPherson, and Canberry Bridge. Following heavy rains during 2012 that caused minor flooding of Sullivans Creek, it was reported that people were

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrel ...

ing along the course of the creek, within the grounds of the Australian National University. After flooding was caused by heavy rains in 2018, all of the books on the lower levels of the ANU's Chifley Library were destroyed by the overflow.

References

External links

*
Rafting on Sullivans Creek at ANU
posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, 2012. Geography of Canberra Rivers of the Australian Capital Territory Murray-Darling basin Australian National University {{Australia-river-stub

Location and features

See also

References

External links