Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek

We're transforming a section of the Moonee Ponds Creek into a more natural and enjoyable community space.

In 2021, you told us what you love about Moonee Ponds Creek, how you use the space, and what future improvements were important to enhance the creek channel and make the surrounding area a more desirable open space for the community to enjoy. We used your feedback to develop three design concepts to revitalise the creek environment, and you voted on your preferred concept design. We are now working to turn that concept design into a reality!

Read how the project design was developed

Melbourne Water is leading the delivery of the project on behalf of the Chain of Ponds Collaboration Group and in partnership with Merri-bek City Council, Moonee Valley City Council, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

What we’re doing

Reimagining Your Moonee Ponds Creek project map. Click to enlarge.

A 360-metre section of the concrete-lined Moonee Ponds Creek is being transformed into a more natural, enjoyable community space. We’re doing this by:

removing the concrete walls along both sides of the creek and replacing this with rockwork
covering the concrete base of the channel with rockwork to create a meandering creek, to slow down flows and give it a more ‘natural’ look and feel
planting 43,000 native trees and shrubs
creating new shared paths and a new bridge
constructing a pond and terracing near Oak Park Reserve.

A cultural immersion trail along this section of creek is also being created. This experiential trail will highlight the cultural and natural values of the waterway, and celebrate Moonee Ponds Creek as a place owned, lived in and celebrated by Wurundjeri people. Using a mixture of signage, art and digital media, the project invites the community and trail users to learn from Elders and knowledge holders about aspects of Wurundjeri culture and history, and encourage people to become better connected and care for Country.

The re-naturalisation works will result in:

a more appealing creek-side environment where people can interact with nature in a cooler, healthier environment
improved water quality and waterway health by slowing water flows
improved biodiversity and habitat for native species
activation of open space and better active transport connections for improved community use and recreation in the area.

Project timeline and progress

We've got some exciting news.... Transformation works are almost complete!

We’re pleased to announce that the Strathmore side of the creek is now open and ready for you to enjoy! We’ve already noticed ducks, cormorants and other wildlife enjoying the space and making their home here, which is wonderful to see.

In this newly transformed space, we upgraded the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail which was widened and replaced with concrete, and relocated away from the waterway. We created a gravel path next to the creek for people who like to wander at a slower pace and enjoy the sights and sounds of the flowing creek.

We planted thousands of grasses, sedges, trees and shrubs, which are establishing well. We’ll be back in Autumn 2025 to do some more revegetation to fill in the gaps.

We invite you to explore the stepping stone crossing to hop over to the other side of the creek and perhaps spot some insects, water bugs, ducks and other birds along the way. Or you can use the new, wider bridge to venture to the other side.

New gravel path and revegetation on the Strathmore side of the creek which is now open for you to explore and enjoy.

Caring for the environment

Keeping the area clean is important for protecting the delicate ecosystems and making it enjoyable for everyone. Please be sure to keep to the designated paths and stepping stones. These paths allow you to explore safely without disturbing the plants and animals.

Please remember to pick up after your dog and dispose of waste responsibly. And to help look after our local wildlife, please keep your dog on a leash while enjoying the new space.

What's next?

Our major works on the Oak Park side are almost finished. The works to create stepped terracing on the banks have been the most complex part of the project to deliver, and have taken a lot longer than we anticipated. The good news is that these works are almost finished and we’re opening up some areas on this side of the creek over the holiday period. Temporary fencing next to the new shared path and boardwalk will remain in place until permanent fences are installed in January-February 2025.

Pond and terracing area on the Oak Park side of the creek

From mid-January 2025, we’ll be starting to pack up the site sheds and heavy machinery, and restoring areas affected by our works. There are some other minor activities we need to complete between January and March 2025, such as the installation of public safety fencing in the ponding and terracing area, line markings on shared paths, landscaping, and reinstatement of fencing around the oval. Installation of cultural elements for the immersive trail is expected to start in early 2025.

We’ll be back again in April-May 2025 to complete the planting when weather and ground conditions are more favourable. Plantings in the terracing space and boardwalk area will help to blend the rockwork and infrastructure in with the natural surroundings.

FAQs

Why was the creek lined with concrete?

Between the 1940s and 1980s, like many urban waterways, the Moonee Ponds Creek from Strathmore to Flemington Road was highly modified, realigned and concreted by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), to carry flood water away from properties in the most efficient manner possible – which was considered best practice at the time.

Waterway management and drainage approaches have evolved over time to better recognise the environmental and social value of natural waterways, and for these values to be managed in harmony with the drainage services they also provide. Current thinking now better recognises the value that restoring previously engineered stormwater channels to more natural systems (creek naturalisation) contributes to liveable communities and waterway health.

Why was this section of Moonee Ponds Creek chosen to ‘reimagine’ over other sections?

The Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek project covers a 360-metre section of the most northerly concreted section of the creek in Oak Park and Strathmore. Through community feedback that informed the Chain of Ponds Strategic Plan in 2018, this particular section of the creek was identified as a priority area as it was the last section of the creek to be concreted, and represents the most upstream section of concrete channel.

Why is only a 360 metre section of creek being naturalised?

The naturalisation of large concrete channels like Moonee Ponds Creek can unfortunately be very costly. This is primarily due to the significant excavation required to remove the concrete and reshape the waterway to recreate a more natural form, making strong delivery partnerships essential in the delivery of large naturalisation projects. This project was also a pilot to demonstrate how Moonee Ponds Creek could be naturalised more cost-effectively in the future, so it was important to start small.

Why can’t all the concrete be completely removed?

Due to low levels of PFAS in the soil beneath the concrete base of the creek channel (something we discovered during preliminary investigations for the project in 2021), a decision was made to leave the concrete base in place, essentially locking the PFAS in the soil. This decision was mainly based on the high additional costs associated with the transport and disposal of contaminated soil off site at a designated waste management facility, and making the best use of the funds we have.

By installing rockwork on top of the concrete base, rather than removing the concrete, a similar ‘naturalised’ look will still be achieved.

What is PFAS – is it harmful?

PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of manufactured chemicals. All of us are exposed to small amounts of PFAS in everyday life. This is through exposure to dust, indoor and outdoor air, food, water, and contact with consumer products that contain PFAS, such as clothing, carpets and non-stick cookware. In the past, fire-fighting foams also contained PFAS. There are low levels of PFAS in soil, sediment, water and animals across most of Victoria. This is unlikely to be harmful to human health, and recent studies show people's exposure to PFAS in the general environment is reducing. However, there are still many unknown factors about how PFAS affects human health. This is why the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) takes a precautionary approach and advises Victorians to take care and reduce their exposure to PFAS.

What’s being done with the concrete that’s removed?

Upon testing, it was revealed that soil in the project area contains fragments of non-friable asbestos. Non-friable asbestos is lower risk compared to other types of asbestos as it is more difficult to become airborne. In line with contamination handling guidelines, a licenced contractor wearing recommended safety equipment will undertake the removal to ensure that the risk remains negligible. While not required by regulations, Melbourne Water will take a conservative approach and engage a health and safety consultant to monitor air quality in the area to ensure that it remains at safe levels to the public.

Are there future plans to naturalise more sections of Moonee Ponds Creek?

The Chain of Ponds Collaboration Group sets a long term strategic plan to progressively transform Moonee Ponds Creek into an iconic waterway for Melbourne that provides high social, cultural and environmental benefits.

The Collaboration has developed a prospectus identifying a number of priorities for advocacy and delivery. Working groups have been established around these priorities, determining ways to deliver projects using a catchment-wide approach. More information on key projects that are currently underway can be found here: https://chainofponds.org/

It is envisaged that if the Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek project is successfully delivered and shows a good return on investment with strong community support, that this will help to leverage funding for naturalising other sections of the creek in the future.

What about asbestos?

Upon testing, it was revealed that soil in the project area contains fragments of non-friable asbestos. Non-friable asbestos is lower risk compared to other types of asbestos as it is more difficult to become airborne. In line with contamination handling guidelines, a licenced contractor wearing recommended safety equipment will undertake the removal to ensure that the risk remains negligible. While not required by regulations, Melbourne Water will take a conservative approach and engage a health and safety consultant to monitor air quality in the area to ensure that it remains at safe levels to the public.

Reimagining Your Creek Program

Melbourne Water’s Reimagining Your Creek Program works collaboratively with councils, communities, Traditional Owners and local residents to transform stormwater drains and concrete channels into natural waterways and desirable open spaces.

The program has seen the transformation of sections of Taralla Creek in Croydon, Arnolds Creek in Melton West, and Blind Creek in Boronia. Works are currently in progress for the program’s biggest project along Blind Creek from Scoresby Road to Lewis Park in Wantirna South.

Comprehensive flood modelling is always undertaken to ensure that there will be no increased flooding risk to the local community or downstream users as a result of these projects.