Merri Creek Management Committee

20190420 120752 cropped smallEveryone in Melbourne's northern suburbs has heard of Merri Creek (well almost).  Real Estate ads often list "close to Merri Creek" as part of a property's attractions.  That's a stark contrast to four decades ago when property near Merri Creek, at that time considered as a weed-infested drain, was so cheap that Councils were able to buy up properties to create parts of what is now the Merri Creek parklands.

How far from Merri Creek does today's positive effect extend? A terrific blog article (in April 2019), not by Merri Creek Management Committee, answers this question. Using on-line data to analyse real estate ads and generate maps, the author shows that properties up to 1.3km from Merri Creek include the word "Merri" in their description.  Read the full article here.  

Cool cultural burn at Bababi Djinanang July 2019Under the guidance of Uncle Dave Wandin and the Wurundjeri Tribe Council’s Narrap Team,⁠ Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) staff participated in their first cool burn at Bababi Djinanang Grassland, Fawkner in mid-July 2019. Cool burns, also known as cultural burns, are conducted using traditional Indigenous land management techniques.

They differ from our usual ecological burns which are normally done in mid-autumn, with a hot fire which moves fast due to the largely dried out vegetation. In contrast, cool burns are done following heavy rains, when the soil is wet and lots of green vegetation has resprouted. The cool fire moves slowly and burns a patchy mosaic, giving wildlife time to move to safe ground.

14 Group on MCCC bridgeMerri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) celebrated its 30th Anniversary with an afternoon walking tour along Merri Creek on 23rd May 2019.   

First stop was near CERES in Brunswick East, where the MCMC President, Ann McGregor, talked about some of the first plantings along Merri Creek in the 1970s. Then people walked downstream along the Northcote side of the Merri where Geoff Mabett talked about the  transformative works of the Northern Waterways Group in creating Merri Park in the late 1980s. The group was photographed on the footbridge between Merri Park and Sumner Park.

FOMC bus tour 1108 Merri at Merri Park cThe promise of a new Upper Merri Park linked to a Wallan Regional Park along the Merri is coming closer to reality. Both are critical parts of the Greater Wallan-Merri Park concept, a 2016 joint initiative of MCMC, Friends of Merri Creek and Wallan Environment Group to create A living landscape for a liveable Melbourne.  

The Upper Merri Park is one of five new 'suburban' parks the State Government has committeed to. A feasibility study for the Wallan Regional Park is also commencing. The park boundaries will be determined through consultation with stakeholders and community.  

MCMC had a very positive first meeting with the DEWLP project officers for the Upper Merri Park in mid-July 2019 - see below for key steps and time-lines for the park development process.

Powerful Owl upstream of St Georges Rd 7 5 19 AnnMcGregorOur President, Ann McGregor, photographed this Powerful Owl in a Peppercorn tree overlooking Merri Creek shared path in Fitzroy North, in May 2019. We believe this is the first time a Powerful Owl has been recorded along the Merri in the inner suburbs. 

Please let us know of your own wildlife sightings along Merri Creek by using the reporting form on our website.  A photo is of great help. All significant confirmed sightings are forwarded to appropriate databases such as the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas.

Merri Events Calendar