2. Blackburn Creek

Did you know the original name for Blackburn was Blackburn Creek? 

  • The first significant building in the Blackburn area was a hotel on “White Horse” Road, built in 1861, where Blackburn Creek crossed the road.
  • The Blackburn Creek Post Office opened in 1876 and was renamed Blackburn in 1883.

george king

We’ve highlighted Blackburn’s central water courses shown on this excerpt from the 1864 Nunawading parish plan:

nunawading 1864

The water course in red which crosses “White Horse” Road is Blackburn Creek and a tributary that ran more-or-less along South Parade just south of today’s railway station.

The dotted box shows where the Blackburn Creeklands park fits.  Most of Blackburn Creek is now underground – excepting the last leg where it joins Gardiners Creek.

blackburn creek on map

You can see it behind the former Guides Hall near the start of the path that heads up to Blacks Walk hill.

blackburn creek emerges

What’s in a Name ?

We should report that there are different views of what water course is actually Blackburn Creek.  Another commonly held view is that Gardiner’s Creek ends at Middleborough Road and that all of the remainder is “Blackburn Creek” – including the branch that travels up to Blackburn Lake.  By the way, another very romantic name issued by the MMBW for the latter is “Drain No. 4891” – small wonder locals preferred an alternative.

This alternate view no doubt explains why the forerunner of today’s Blackburn Creeklands Advisory Committee (BCAC) was called the Blackburn Creek Conservation Group (BCCG).