Darebin Creek Reserve (Heidelberg West)

The 8km long Darebin Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians. It follows Darebin Creek through the inner and outer northern suburbs of Melbourne. The reserve forms an important wildlife corridor connecting the Upper Darebin Creek in Whittlesea to the Yarra River.

Activities in the park include walking/bike trails and wildlife observation.

History

European style agriculture in the Darebin Creek valley provided food for Melbourne residents during the 1800s and early 1900s. A government surveyor investigated the Darebin Creek area in 1837, declaring land to the east of the creek Keelbundoora, and to the west, Jika Jika (both local Aboriginal names). The two sides of the creek were developed separately as government orders prevented land grants on both sides of a watercourse.

Flora and Fauna

This stretch of the Darebin Creek is in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion, and has many ecological vegetation communities listed as endangered under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Its vegetation communities are escarpment shrubland, riparian woodland/stream bank shrub land mosaic and plains grassland.

The trail is lined with indigenous plants, including austral indigo, cut-leaf daisy and common everlasting.