The Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek project is transforming a section of your much loved creek in Strathmore and Oak Park into a more naturalised waterway.
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), Greater Western Water, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
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:
A cultural immersion trail along this section of creek will also be 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 will invite trail users and the community 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:
Construction works started in early 2023 and are expected to be complete in mid 2024.
The new Brosnan Crescent concrete shared path (Moonee Valley Council side) is now open. We'll be installing safety fencing along some sections of this path over the coming months.
A new gravel path along the southern bank of the creek is now complete, however we need to keep this closed until the earthworks in this area are complete.
Due to delays with the design, the bridge will now be built in the school holidays after Term 2 from late June to mid July 2024. Some works to install the bridge footings will occur in April 2024.
The shared path on the northern side of the creek will be one of the last activities to be completed, after the pond and terracing works are finished (~August 2024).
Works to put the ‘pond’ back into Moonee Ponds Creek are now in progress, along with works to create stepped terracing (like a natural amphitheatre) on the creek banks. This is an exciting part of the project where we’re making better use of open space by creating public gathering spaces for the community to enjoy. These works are happening on the Merri-bek Council side.
This is one of the most complex activities that we’re delivering as part of the project. We expect these works to be complete by the end of August 2024.
Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation are currently working with design consultant Kelp Creative to create an experiential trail along the banks of the creek. This 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 will invite trail users and the community 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 Cultural Immersion Trail is scheduled to be completed in July 2024.
This project is supported by the Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action (DEECA) through the Port Phillip Bay Fund.
While we will make every effort to ensure inconveniences are kept to a minimum, there will be some local impacts:
For the safety of everyone, some shared paths will be closed during the works. Pedestrians and cyclists will be detoured along Mascoma and Odin Streets for the entire project (please see the detour map). Thank you for your patience and understanding of these short-term inconveniences as we work to improve your shared path network.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation while we carry out these works.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The concrete is being taken to a recycling facility where it will be crushed and then undergo a process called ‘thermal desorption’, which removes the PFAS through heat. The resultant clean concrete can then be re-purposed and used for other projects that need concrete.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you have questions or feedback on the project, please get in touch with the project team: