Government is helping to deliver more green open spaces for families in Melbourne’s outer east, with what has called the Green Heart of Knox reaching a major milestone.
Member for Bayswater Jackson Taylor joined local community members at Lewis Park in Wantirna South on 7 December to celebrate the completion of the Reimagining Blind Creek project.
Member for Bayswater Jackson Taylor said it’s an exciting time for locals in Knox with public spaces like Blind Creek and Lewis Park being completely transformed from an old drainage area into over 19 MCGs worth of green open space for the local community to enjoy.
Government invested $2.5 million towards the project which has revitalised Blind Creek and nearby Lewis Park with three new wetlands, a pedestrian bridge, waterway crossings, a boardwalk, and 6.3 kilometres of new shared paths to improve waterway health and create a green space for the community.
Minister for Water Harriet Shing said as the population grows, we’re investing in the liveability of our towns and cities by protecting our water security and providing new green public spaces for the community to get active and connect with nature.”
The project was a collaboration between government, Melbourne Water, Knox City Council and Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
More than 1.65 kilometres of a formerly underground concrete channel has been turned into a naturalised waterway, with the surrounding Lewis Park now a cooler, greener space and haven for biodiversity.
Blind Creek flows from the base of the Dandenong Ranges to the Dandenong Creek, just downstream of the Knox Central Activity Centre and Lewis Park.
The Blind Creek corridor forms an environmental ‘spine’ through the City of Knox, providing the community with an important amenity and connection to nature.
Through the series of wetlands, the project is designed to harvest and treat over 250 megalitres of stormwater annually for irrigation use on local sports ovals and community gardens.
Melbourne Water’s Reimagining Your Creek Program works collaboratively with councils, communities, Traditional Owners, and residents to transform stormwater drains and concrete channels into natural waterways and enjoyable open spaces for local communities to enjoy.
The program has seen the transformation of sections of Tarralla Creek in Croydon, Arnolds Creek in Melton West, and an upstream section of Blind Creek in Boronia. Works are also currently in progress along Moonee Ponds Creek in Strathmore and Oak Park.
For more information, visit melbournewater.com.au.
