Upper Stony Creek Diversions
1 like164 views
The presentation by Tony Smith discusses the industrial history and water management challenges of Stony Creek, highlighting its transformations and the impact of urban development on waterways. It emphasizes the need for restoration efforts to ensure healthy water flow and the engagement of traditional owners in managing local water resources, particularly in the context of the Yarra River and its tributaries. Key action items include developing integrated strategies for managing Melbourne's natural infrastructure to enhance ecological health and community access.
Upper Stony Creek Diversions
- 1. Upper Stony Creek Diversion Returning low flow to downstream? Presentation by Tony Smith to Friends of Stony Creek 1 July 2019 drawing on and updating presentations to Melbourne Emergence Meetup 13 September 2018, Spotswood & South Kingsville Residents Group 21 February 2019
- 2. The industrial history of Stony Creek has had my increasing focus over several years, more recently in the context of Waterways Priorities versus Priority Waterways for Healthy Waterways On Tuesday, 28th August, Victorian ministers on the banks of the Maribyrnong announced the formation of a Ministerial Advisory Committee to develop a “Waterways of the West Action Plan” Two days later, we woke to radio news of a fire west of Footscray closing off Somerville and Paramount Roads, making early ideas for improving low flow downstream of old diversions timely This brought forward already planned presentation to Melbourne Emergence Meetup on Stony Creek as a case study of “Urban Hydrology out of Sight” within wider Supervenience project Given this context, noted that Stony Creek was both constructed and later disconnected, especially in the maps, a product of minds and money, a work in progress, compromised, still much needed This presentation is restricted to Stony Creek above the fire site, the second part of the earlier versions becoming the basis for a complementary presentation on more direct industrial impacts
- 4. By 1860 Stoney Creek was on the map, at least as far as Anderson Road The gold rush paid for a railway line to Bendigo and beyond to the Murray Crossing then Stoney Creek required elegant archways, since obscured by adjacent lines for Tottenham freight yard, standard gauge and Regional Rail The archways fixed the course of the creek where it hadn’t been well defined 140 years later, when political manoeuvring divided the old City of Sunshine between the new cities of Maribyrnong and Brimbank, the short stretch of creek either side of those archways came to define part of their boundary In the interim, flooding of Australia’s then leading manufacturing industry, Sunshine Harvester Works, had provoked drainage works to divert flow ex St. Albans and North Sunshine into Kororoit Creek and Maribyrnong River While motivated by high flow events from increasingly urbanised impervious catchments, big new drainage tunnels also diverted normal low flow away from its old course, leaving Stony to start afresh in drains under Sunshine November 2014 presentation to Brimbank Heritage Advisory Committee The course of Stony Creek emerged from Victorian Volcanic Plains to serve pastoral, infrastructure, industrial and more recently suburban purposes
- 5. ➊ Orion townhouse estate with wetland at Stony Creek end ➋ City of Maribyrnong Sara Grove planting site ➌ Creek is municipal boundary Matthews St to Sunshine Rd ➍ Current Upper Stony Creek Transformation Project ➎ Historic course of Stony Creek through central Sunshine ➏ First diversion of Stony Creek via Anderson Road ➐ Higher capacity diversion via Kororoit Street ➑ Diversion from east side of North Sunshine to Maribyrnong ➒ August 2018 factory fire source of creek pollution event ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➒ Notes re potential restoration of low flow from Stony Creek above Sunshine to Stony Creek below became index for submission to Melbourne Water’s Healthy Waterways Strategy renewal process ➊ ➋ ➌ ➒
- 7. St. Albans East Drain runs beneath staggered series of omitted blocks and path south from Eisner Street
- 8. Sadly, the southern blocks are staggered so there is no back fence connection, the creek continuing of the line of the kink in Ivanhoe Ave. Larger Biggs Street Reserve at right on map and pictured next is rare higher spot beyond which water flows to the Maribyrnong.
- 10. Blocks, driveways and fences twisted to fit drainage easement at kink in Ivanhoe Ave.
- 11. Bonus short side trip to revisit vertical contrast of Maribyrnong Valley familiar from 2017-18 battle
- 12. St. Albans South Drain
- 14. Connection to Watford Road St. Albans
- 16. Novara Parade East St. Albans
- 17. Grantham Green East St. Albans
- 19. Laurel Street East St. Albans
- 22. Moonstone Circuit East St. Albans
- 25. Western Ring Road adjacent Club Italia
- 33. Sedimentation pond 15 March 2019
- 34. Treatment pond 27 June 2019
- 35. Storage pond outlet 15 March 2019
- 36. Storage pond 27 June 2019
- 40. Concrete channel unbroken 15 March 2019
- 42. Albion-Jacana Standard Gauge & Freight Railway
- 48. St. Albans Road Sunshine North
- 57. St. Andrews Drive Sunshine North
- 62. view from Dawson & Service Streets Sunshine
- 69. Recent demolition beyond playground across park from Stony Creek house
- 71. Recent excavation reveals Stony Creek flowing diagonally in parallel pipes
- 74. 368 days later
- 76. 368 days later
- 81. VicTrack Planting & Tile Change Braybrook Grasslands
- 85. Standard gauge freight rail to Newport
- 91. With MFB remaining Incident Controller, a community meeting was called for that first evening at Footscray Town Hall Already committed to nearby session with Uncle Jack Charles and the Moondani Balluk mob covering (mis)appropriation of Indigenous Intellectual Property by occupiers/colonisers Smoke plume dominated view from Tottenham Station Always was, Always will be Aboriginal Land (and Water)
- 92. Yarra Act 2017 Environmental Justice Australia Action Plan re other rivers Waterways of the West Ministerial Advisory Committee Traditional Owners Rivers of the West Melbourne Water Healthy Waterways Strategy Refresh Catchment Collaborations Moonee Ponds Creek behest of City of Melbourne Maribyrnong pilot City of Moonee Valley Chain of Ponds City of Moreland Stony Creek Fire Recovery phase City West Water Greening the West Upper Stony Creek project Critically endangered ecotype Victorian Volcanic Plains Basalt quarries used for landfill A few of the interested parties
- 93. Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017 Woiwurrungbaluk ba Birrarung wanganyinu biikpil Yarrayarrapil, manyi biik ba Birrarung, ganbu marram-nganyinu Manyi Birrarung murrondjak, durrung ba murrup warrongguny, ngargunin twarnpil Birrarungwa nhanbu wilamnganyinu Nhanbu ngarn.ganhanganyinu manyi Birrarung Bunjil munggany biik, wurru-wurru, warriny ba yaluk, ba ngargunin twarn Biiku kuliny munggany Bunjil Waa marrnakith-nganyin Balliyang, barnumbinyu Bundjilal, banyu bagurrk munggany Ngarn.gunganyinu nhanbu nyilam biik, nyilam kuliny – balit biik, balit kuliny: balitmanhanganyin manyi biik ba Birrarung. Balitmanhanganyin durrungu ba murrupu, ba nhanbu murrondjak! We, the Woi-wurrung, the First People, and the Birrarung, belong to this Country. This Country, and the Birrarung are part of us. The Birrarung is alive, has a heart, a spirit and is part of our Dreaming. We have lived with and known the Birrarung since the beginning. We will always know the Birrarung. Bunjil, the great Eagle, the creator spirit, made the land, the sky, the sea, the rivers, flora and fauna, the lore. He made Kulin from the earth. Bunjil gave Waa, the crow, the responsibility of Protector. Bunjil's brother, Palliyang, the Bat, created Bagarook, women, from the water. Since our beginning it has been known that we have an obligation to keep the Birrarung alive and healthy—for all generations to come. The Yarra River is of great importance to Melbourne and Victoria. It is the intention of the Parliament that the Yarra River is kept alive and healthy for the benefit of future generations. This Act recognises the intrinsic connection of the traditional owners to the Yarra River and its Country and further recognises them as the custodians of the land and waterway which they call Birrarung. In the Woi-wurrung language of the traditional owners, Wilip-gin Birrarung murron means "keep the Birrarung alive". The following statement (in the Woi-wurrung language and in English) is from the Woi-wurrung.
- 94. Wilip-gin Birrarung murron (Keep the Birrarung alive) Actions Action 24 Timing: Short term MELBOURNE'S NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE TASKFORCE Establish a Taskforce that brings together the skills of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) with the Traditional Owners, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, VicRoads, Environment Protection Authority, and local governments to: • Investigate the benefits of combining waterway management, open space, bay and coastal parkland management for greater Melbourne. • Establish ongoing collaborative governance arrangements between DELWP, Traditional Owners, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water and local government to: - deliver an integrated vision and strategy for Melbourne’s natural infrastructure that increases the amount and quality of publicly accessible open spaces (including the bays, waterways and parklands) - realise the synergies from coordinated delivery of related projects from the updated Plan Melbourne, Water for Victoria, Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Yarra River Action Plan - establish long-term funding arrangements for developing and maintaining urban natural infrastructure • Report to the Victorian Government on an improved integrated institutional model for delivery of major natural infrastructure in Melbourne. Action 25 Timing: Short term URBAN NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY Develop an integrated vision and strategy for Melbourne’s open spaces, including its waterway corridors and coastal parklands to improve the liveability and ecological health of the growing city. Action 26 Timing: Short - long term MAP TRADITIONAL OWNER CULTURAL VALUES Work with the Traditional Owners to map tangible and intangible cultural values along the Yarra River, over a number of years, starting with the highest priority reach. Action 27 Timing: Medium term PROTECT THE MARIBYRNONG RIVER Use the landscape assessment methods applied along the Yarra to establish stronger planning controls to protect the Maribyrnong River and its environs. Action 28 Timing: Medium term PROTECT OTHER URBAN RIVERS AND THEIR PARKLANDS Review the reforms to protect the Yarra River and consider protection of other major Melbourne rivers and their open spaces (such as the Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers). Action 29 Timing: Short - medium term RIVER CORRIDOR FOOTPRINTS Identify the preferred open space footprint of Melbourne's key waterway corridors and in particular those under sustained growth pressure (e.g. Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers) and develop a plan to secure this. Action 30 Timing: Short term PARKS CHARGE REVIEW Undertake a broad based review of the Melbourne Metropolitan Parks Charge to define the strategic goals/services it delivers and identify the funding available for supporting priority projects identified in the Yarra Strategic Plan. Action 27 PROTECT THE MARIBYRNONG RIVER Use the landscape assessment methods applied along the Yarra to establish stronger planning controls to protect the Maribyrnong River and its environs. Action 28 PROTECT OTHER URBAN RIVERS AND THEIR PARKLANDS Review the reforms to protect the Yarra River and consider protection of other major Melbourne rivers and their open spaces (such as the Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers). Action 29 RIVER CORRIDOR FOOTPRINTS Identify the preferred open space footprint of Melbourne's key waterway corridors and in particular those under sustained growth pressure (e.g. Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers) and develop a plan to secure this.
- 95. Cynefin meets the Maribyrnong and Moonee Ponds Creek Tony Smith, Melbourne Emergence Meetup, 13 July 2017 Site Visit to Fish Ladder at Brimbank Park ▼ Innovative Collaboration Methodology Inclusions in Maribyrnong Catchment ▶
- 96. Suggestions! Questions? Mill Stream Stellenbosch Western Cape during 2007 workshop on Philosophy of Complexity