Know Your 'Hood - Darebin Creek (Plenty Road to Yarra River)
Know Your 'Hood - Darebin Creek (Plenty Road to Yarra River)
The Know Your 'Hood project mines your streets’ local history memory for stories of your predecessors, and the changes that have given character to your neighbourhood.
Summary
The Know Your 'Hood project mines your streets’ local history memory for stories of your predecessors, and the changes that have given character to your neighbourhood.
Description
Click on this link to see the full stories for this walk:
https://bit.ly/2FQMPR4 Know Your 'Hood - Darebin Creek
This walk meanders along the Creek from its intersection with Plenty Road all the way to the Yarra River Trail. Along the way there are stories that belong to children, to the dispossessed, to bike riders, migrants, quarriers, shoppers, golf players and others. The Darebin Creek has experienced enormous changes over the last 180 years in its landscape, flora and fauna, and in its relationship with local residents. Some of these changes can be understood through the stories in this walk.
1559 Views
Points of Interest
1. Bundoora Park
The basalt rock underlying this region is a product of age-old volcanic explosions. In the last several thousand years we've used it to make stone tools, grand houses and major city infrastructure.
2. Darebin Creek - defining communities
The one thing constant about this creek has been its role as a border for local communities and governments alike.
3. The children's creek
'the creek was a retreat, from which to escape the boredom of chores, siblings and school... it was a perfect place to wag.'
4. The Nissen huts
In the 1950s a field of Nissen huts was created alongside the Thornbury side of the creek to house post -war migrants
5. 'A complete air-conditioned shopping city'
Northland was 'designed for the Mums of Melbourne... we now have a clear picture of the shopping future of Mrs Melbourne': modern, sophisticated, removed from the distractions of natural surroundings
6. Being supported by the Creek.
Many people only ever learnt to swim because of the local creek. For many others, evicted from their homes in the Great Depression, its banks offered a camping spot, fresh water and privacy.
7. Different perceptions. Ford and Green Streets - early 1950s
Opinions of the Creek are shaped as much by past experiences and new expectations as anything else. Two completely different views are offered here from local residents in the 1950s.
8. Livingstone Street
The blast of stone quarrying interrupting play, local lads swimming 'in the nuddy', and the nearby mud slides from Belmont Road that finished in the creek to clean up.
9. Rockbeare Park
This horseshoe bend offered much to children and their mothers and was 1 of only 3 places in the state for the endangered Quoll, despite concern in the '30s of Mont Park hospital effluent in the Creek
10. Dairy cows and susceptible vegetable gardens
Dairy farming was common along the Darebin Creek valley and roaming cows were regular, unwanted, visitors to private gardens. One local remembers his mum going 'bonkers' at their visitor
11. From stone to rubbish to parkland
Once a farm, then a huge quarry providing stone and employment to local residents, it was later used as landfill then fought for by locals conservationists. It is now a place of peace and beauty.
12. Latrobe Golf Club
This broader area was once Lucerne Farm and a majestic property with balls, parties and picnics; a Chinese market garden area; and a treeless second-rate golf course on a flood plain.
13. Darebin Yarra Bridge
After 25 years of campaigning to remove the 'dead end' at Heidelberg Rd and create just 2 km of track the Darebin Creek trail now extends from Whittlesea in the far north to the south-eastern suburbs.
