Enhancing Bungalook Creek in Heathmont

We’ve improved the vegetation in Bungalook Creek to enhance biodiversity in the area.

As part of the first stage of the ‘Enhancing Our Dandenong Creek’ program , we heard that the community wanted to see improvements to vegetation along Dandenong Creek and its tributaries.

We used that feedback to design a project that will enhance biodiversity values by re-establishing indigenous vegetation (plants that originated from and are suited to the local area) along Bungalook Creek near the confluence of Dandenong Creek in Heathmont.

These works complement the ‘daylighting’ project, where a previously piped section of Dandenong Creek was transformed into the more naturalised waterway that you see today.

What we’ve done

We’ve removed large woody weeds along both sides of the creek including Box Elder, Desert Ash, Sweet Pittosporum, Blackberry and other exotic weeds.

These weeds have been replaced with 10,000 indigenous plants, including 1,500 Mountain Swamp-gum and Blackwood trees, and a variety of shrubs and grasses. This will create a much healthier waterway, making it easier for our native plants, animals and insects to thrive.

Timing

To reduce impacts to birds, fish and other animals that call Bungalook Creek home – and to minimise disturbance to park users – major works have been delivered in a gradual and staged approach.