Welcome to the November edition of our Blackburn Creeklands newsletter.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the park, with long sunny days inviting you to relax, explore and reconnect with nature. The warmer weather brings plenty of opportunities for picnics, walks, exercising, exploring and outdoor fun in the park. Whether you’re unwinding under the shade of a ‘coolabah’ tree or sharing time with family and friends, the park offers a refreshing escape and a chance to make the most of the warmer weather.

In this edition, we have:

• Ducklings in the park
• Canopy cover in Blackburn
• CROWAG forum
• KKA Clean Waterways Expo
• New Blackburn Creeklands brochure
• Oak tree update
• Little Corellas
• Insect of the year – Winner!
• Litter display
• Illegal park-ing
• Sightings

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Family of ducks enjoying a quiet stroll around the Creeklands!

Wood ducks are among the Creeklands’ most devoted parents. Both the mother and father take an active role in guiding, guarding, and warming their ducklings, moving as a tightly knit family. In contrast, Australian Black Ducks rely on the mother alone to shepherd her brood. Without a partner to help defend and distract predators, the ducklings are far more vulnerable. It’s why you may notice a brood of ten one day, then only six or fewer, just days later. The difference in survival highlights how remarkable the shared parenting of wood ducks really is, and why their fluffy flotillas often stay intact. Fingers crossed all nine of these little cuties survive to adulthood.

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More info on canopy cover in Blackburn

In our article on Canopy Cover in Whitehorse (Box Hill and Blackburn) in last month’s newsletter, we displayed Council maps showing the changes in tree canopy cover measured between 2018 and 2023. 

We followed up with Council, anticipating you would be interested in seeing a map of the actual canopy coverage.

The darker coloured hexagons around Blackburn Creeklands, Blackburn Lake, Wandinong Sanctuaries and surrounds comprise the beating green heart of the municipality.  It is clear to see that the southern half of central Blackburn is critical to  maintaining the biodiversity in the municipality, keeping our cities cooler and our natural defence against climate change. We acknowledge the importance of many mature trees in central Blackburn that provide significant habitat to a vast majority of animals that thrive and utilise the natural tree hollows which can take 50 to 100 years to develop!

Incidentally, part of the area to the north of the Creeklands is currently under investigation for conversion to higher density living by the State Government under its new Activity Centres program.  You can find out more here.

The Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) are a new type of residential zone, designed to support sustainable urban development and increase medium-density housing near key transport infrastructure such as in Box Hill and Blackburn. Whereas the Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO) is a planning scheme that identifies, protects, and enhances the visual and aesthetic qualities of specific areas. The SLO applies to various residential zones and includes controls on tree protection and landscape character. Councils in Victoria, such as Whitehorse, have adopted SLOs to manage land use and development in a way that preserves the natural environment and community character.

We have made a submission to the Department of Transport and Planning (see link below) asking that the SLO 1, SLO 2 and SLO 4 significant landscape areas be excluded from the high-density housing zone primarily because of the likely adverse effects on local biodiversity and habitat for wildlife – including breeding sites for the now officially endangered Gang-gang Cockatoo and other birdlife.  These areas need to maintain their tree canopy and bushland character in order to continue to function as part of the wildlife corridor following Gardiners (KooyongKoot) Creek.

Any areas re-zoned as HCT will also intrinsically lose their “bush character” protection (because that protection comes from their current zone definitions).

The red line in the map below highlights the boundary of the investigation area south of Whitehorse Road (Maroondah Hwy) which could become the high density HCTZ that clearly impinges on a large portion of the SLO 2 areas and one part of the SLO 1 area that we have highlighted as being very important for nature.

Time is ticking on submissions as Phase 1 consultation closes on 30 November 2025.

To help keep overdevelopment out of Blackburn and the Bellbird Area please complete the 2-minute survey by following the steps outlined below:

1. Go to the survey website by clicking this link from any device. No need to provide your details or login.
2. Select “Blackburn” as the activity center and complete the multiple-choice questions.
3.  Under “other feedback” you could write something like that the future of the Blackburn Creeklands with its great biodiversity is dependent on keeping the SLOs providing protection for vegetation around the park. Creeklands wildlife depends on a wide green corridor to thrive not just the narrow parkland. You could also write “I support the Whitehorse Council Submission!  Keep the Activity Centre boundary outside the SLO areas”…. in your own words if possible.
4. You don’t need to enter your email address unless you want a copy of what you have submitted.
5. Don’t forget to click “Submit” and you’re done!

Please forward the link to all family and friends as we need as many responses as possible by this SUNDAY!

We have made a submission to the Department of Transport and Planning that can be viewed here.

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CROWAG forum a full house

What does Blackburn’s new “Activity Centre” mean for you?

The community forum held by CROWAG on 9 November was a great success with over 200 local residents in attendance to hear experts and local residents speak about the potential implications of the proposed Activity Centre’s proposals for medium density housing across much of Blackburn. Presentations and Q&A sessions helped residents understand key issues and discuss how to respond during the government’s upcoming consultation phase. Attendees raised concerns about the loss of tree canopy and landscape protection, increased building heights, reduced amenity and greenspace, sustainability challenges and urban heat impacts, the removal of appeal rights leading to poorer design, pressure on existing infrastructure, and insufficient planning for social infrastructure and social housing.

For more information and to access a video of the presentations and slides, please click on link below.

https://www.crowag.com/activitycentre

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KKA Clean Waterways Expo

The Blackburn Creeklands Advisory committee is a valued member group of the KooyongKoot Alliance, an umbrella organisation comprising twenty-two bushland friends and advisory groups in the catchment of KooyongKoot (aka Gardiners Creek). Significantly, we are in the eastern headwaters of this important catchment.

On Saturday, November 29th, the KooyongKoot Alliance is running a Clean Waterways Expo in Glen Iris from 10am – 2pm.

There will be various activities and informative talks by representatives of Melbourne Water, the Yarra Riverkeeper, the EPA, SnapSendSolve, Native Fish Australia & others. See the agenda here.

Come and learn how we all can help to keep our precious urban waterways clean and healthy!

Scan the QR code for more information and to register for free tickets.

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New Blackburn Creeklands brochure

Following on from a recent post, we are pleased to share with you our latest park brochure that is now available for downloading here. We plan to display it permanently in our noticeboard along with some hard copies available in the holder. If it is empty, then please download it to your mobile device via the QR code that will soon be on display. Other hard copies will be on display at local venues such as the Whitehorse libraries (Box Hill, Blackburn and Nunawading) and shops so please keep an eye out and let us know what you think?

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Oak tree update

In mid-spring, we alerted Council to our ongoing concerns about the poor growth of the old Oak tree in Kalang Park (see first image below). Following an initial inspection, Council’s arborists noted signs of possum activity, which may have contributed to the decline, and committed to monitoring the tree over the following weeks and months.

We’re pleased to report that the Oak has now made a full recovery and is flourishing, thanks to recent rain and warmer temperatures (see second image below). Thanks to all who expressed their concerns to us, and to Council for responding promptly and supporting the tree’s recovery.

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Little Corellas

The Little Corellas have arrived, and true to form, they’re living up to their reputation of being highly social and very noisy. Recently, a small flock of them swirled in as a loud, white cloud, settling into the Silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) before setting to work, eating the seed pods and stripping leaves with enviable enthusiasm. On the ground or high in the branches, they feed in busy flocks, chattering nonstop, rather noisy in flight, noisier when perched, and utterly unapologetic about the mess they leave behind.

Their antics caused a moment of confusion on Main Street recently when three ladies stood staring, puzzled at the carpet of chewed leaves scattered across the footpath. As Geoffrey passed by, he couldn’t resist but say “Look up ladies”, he told them with a grin on his face. And there they were, the Corellas being noisy, messy, and ‘living their best life’!

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Insect of the year winner!

The graphic flutterer dragonfly has been crowned Australia’s 2025 Insect of the Year, earning 25.7% of the 23,915 public votes in ABC’s national poll. Its bold yellow-and-brown, tiger-striped wings and impressive hunting skills made it the clear favorite among six finalists selected by an expert panel. The greengrocer cicada placed second with 18.7% of votes, followed by the duck-billed Christmas beetle with 16%. The recently described bird dropping beetle, the giant rainforest mantis and the mountain katydid rounded out the list (see images in last month’s newsletter).

The graphic flutterer dragonfly was nominated by Museums Victoria senior entomologist Ken Walker, who hopes the attention will spark broader interest in Australia’s rich but under-studied insect fauna. Around 70% of the nation’s estimated 200,000 insect species are yet to be formally described, highlighting the need for greater research and community engagement.

2025 Insect of the Year poll results (23,915 votes):

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Litter in the park

Thanks to Graeme for producing ‘A little litter goes a long way’ displayed in the back of the noticeboard this month. By definition, litter is any waste material that is improperly disposed of in an open or public space, rather than being placed in a rubbish bin or recycling system.

Litter harms our parklands in many ways. Discarded rubbish can injure wildlife, contaminate soil and waterways, and introduce toxins that disrupt delicate ecosystems. Animals may mistake litter for food or become entangled in plastics, leading to injury or death. Litter also encourages pests, spreads disease and increases the cost of park maintenance, diverting resources away from conservation and improvements. It diminishes the natural beauty of our open spaces, making them less enjoyable for visitors and the community. By understanding the serious impacts of litter, we can all take responsibility for protecting the health, safety and long-term sustainability of our parklands.

Thanks also to Anthea for helping out with this month’s display. Please take a moment to look at the presentation and if you see any litter in the park, please pick it up. TIA!

On display in the noticeboard is Leunig’s take on litter…

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Illegal parking in the park

A friendly reminder to all visitors to please park their vehicles in designated car spaces only. Let’s all do our part to keep the park safe and enjoyable for everyone. There are multiple carparks located around the park (eg. Scout/guide hall, bowling club, cricket club etc.) so please take note of where they are and use them 😉

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Sightings

We thank our wonderful photographers for sharing their amazing images with us. If you would like to contribute, please send your photos to: blackburncreeklands@gmail.com

Click on image to enlarge photo and then scroll through gallery.

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For more information, please visit our website at https://blackburncreeklands.org/ or email blackburncreeklands@gmail.com

Catch you next month. Time to plan for the big ho ho ho day!