EXPOSING DEVELOPERS WHO FAIL TO APPRECIATE AND RESPECT COMMUNITY, ENVIRONMENT AND SPIRIT OF THE LAND
Moonee Ponds Creek (Melways 43A8)
Bye Bye Moonee Ponds Creek? (Photos taken November 2001).
This act of destruction has been sanctioned by the Department of Infrastructure - The Ministry of John Thwaites and the Premier Steve Bracks. It will be for the so-called benefit of Melbourne Ports Corporation. The great plan for the site means that the existing creek as seen in this photo, will be covered over, land filled and redirected in the approximate same direction as the 'City Stink Bridge' in the background of the photo. This means that Moonee Ponds creek will be diverted further upstream into the Yarra River - located outside this photo and to the right.
It has been proposed that perforated plastic lining will line the bottom of the new creek diversion. This plastic will not be good fish habitat. Engineering of the site is not supposed to reduce hydrological capacity of Moonee Ponds Creek upstream.
Moonee Ponds Creek is habitat and a breeding ground for Bream. There are often large congregations of Bream and Mullet of all sizes in the creek during Spring, where traditionally the fish move up the estuaries where the water is more brackish. Spring rain will often trigger Bream to spawn. Bream have been sighted in Moonee Ponds Creek as far upstream as Macaulay Railway Station (Melways Reference 43 B3).
This salt marsh habitat will be completely destroyed and probably covered with bitumen and concrete. This habitat is probably the closest of its type to the Melbourne CBD
Potentially contaminated soil lies next to Moonee Ponds Creek waiting to wash away following rain.