Swamp Wallabies, Wood Ducks, microbats, platypuses and pardalotes are among the many animals that are set to benefit from the recent awarding of over $800,000 in grant funding for four Merri community groups: Merri Creek Management Committee (with Friends of Merri Creek), Friends of Edwardes Lake, Merri-bek Council (with Friends of Edgars Creek) and the Wollert Community Farm.

“We are thrilled that the Victorian Government has recognised the incredible value that one of the best-loved creeks in Melbourne’s north gives to people and creatures alike,” said Merri Creek Management Committee Executive Officer Bernadette Thomas.

Minister for Water, Regional Development, and Equality Harriet Shing MP, announced the funding in March 2024, part of a $10 million investment to “improve habitat, water quality, and provide cool green spaces for communities around our urban creeks, rivers and waterways.”

In November last year, friends, neighbours, volunteers, activists, writers, photographers and scientists, bound by a shared love of the Merri Creek, came together to celebrate an incredible story of restoration and transformation – a story told within the pages of Merri Creek: A Ribbon of Nature in Melbourne’s North. The book is artfully designed and beautifully written to reminisce on a half-century of achievement for our much-loved creek. A Ribbon of Nature first came to life as the vision of the four directors of the Merri Creek Environment Fund (which funds some of the work carried out by Merri Creek Management Committee) stewarded by Ann Sanson, but soon became a passion project for many people revelling in the telling of this inspiring story.

On 8th March we celebrate' the contribution of women on International Womens Day. Across our beautiful city are the stories of women making a difference to the green spaces where Melburnians connect with nature. Today, on International Women’s Day, we recognise and celebrate the contribution of women and female-identifying changemakers to the restoration of these spaces, both in the broader urban conservation community and along the banks of our much-loved Merri Creek.

Women play a critical role in the protection and restoration of green spaces across Australia, a truth that is understood by our friends at the annual Women in Conservation breakfast and Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA). Women bring a unique perspective at every level of conservation, whether through the keen eyes of a scientist, the engaging voice of an environmental educator or the leadership of a philanthropist who supports this work. The social impact of biodiversity and habitat loss are felt by women just as they are by others, which is why it’s essential that women and female-identifying people contribute equally in the solution to those problems.

The dusk light is fading and a small group, gathered at the edges of a wetland,   switch their spotlights on and cast beams across scattered grasses and ponds. The February night is warm and still – perfect for spotting frogs. The group, three surveyors from Merri Creek Management Committee and Merri-bek Council, are scouring a new wetland at Moomba Park, Fawkner, for the presence of the Growling Grass Frog,which until recently, hasn’t been seen locally for over 50 years.

The Growling Grass Frog is a ground-dwelling tree frog that was once abundant along the Merri Creek, but whose calls went largely unheard in the area in the 1970s. The species is now listed at both state and federal levels as vulnerable, having disappeared entirely from some areas, including the extent of the Australian Capital Territory. In 2019 however, Merri Creek residents were thrilled to report the distinctive call was being heard locally once more.

Metro Trains, a customer of MCMC, was recognised with a High Commendation award in the Excellence in Environmental Outcomes Category at the annual Infrastructure Sustainability Council awards on 7 September, 2023. The Biodiversity Manager of Metro Trains, Ben Roberts, said "I feel the award is a great recognition of the skilled and dedicated effort that MCMC have contributed since the inception of the biosite program. Throughout the program, MCMC have provided a consistent and reliable service which has resulted in the MCMC managed sites steadily recovering over this time, including improving site conditions which have significantly increased threatened species abundance."

Achievements made by Metro Trains at the Biosites include: 314% increase in abundance of threatened species; recovery of three Threatened Ecological Commuities; the return of five previously unrecorded threatened species; and the introduction of regular cool season eco-burns as a "business-as-usual" practice.
 Also see the video of our work with Metro Trains on remnant rail reserves in this segment on Gardening Australia in 2021.

This beautiful full colour book, Merri Creek: a ribbon of nature in Melbourne’s North, celebrates 50 years of community efforts to protect and restore one of Melbourne’s most popular waterways. Contributions from more than 20 photographers demonstrate the vibrant flora, fauna, and history of the creek. 
Based on a series of banners developed for Merri Creek Management Committee in 2015, the book highlights the outstanding community achievement since 1975 in transforming the Merri Creek from a weed-smothered drain to a much-loved waterway running through a bushland corridor.

$65 from the Friends of Merri Creek on-line shop

“For thousands of years, the Creek and surrounding lands were a source of food and culture which sustained the traditional custodians, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. But by 1970 the Merri was in crisis. Heavily polluted, with much of the native vegetation and wildlife gone, it had become a drain and a dumping ground. Over the past few decades, the story of the Merri has been one of transformation. […] Today, the Merri Creek is flourishing again, but there are many challenges ahead and there is still much work to be done. We invite you to join in this community effort.”

Luisa Macmillan, MCMC's Manager for over 20 years, was awarded the 2023 Environmental Sustainability Award at Merri-bek City Council Community Awards on 31 October. Luisa was honoured for her leadership in overseing the ecological restoration of Merri Creek parkland in Merri-bek and beyond, making it one of the area's most popular and valued environmental assets and an inspiration for other degraded urban waterways in Melbourne.

Luisa played a key role in developing and maintaining relationships with Merri-bek and the five other Councils on the MCMC, as well as with state government agencies, research and education institutions, and community organisations – particularly Friends of Merri Creek. She has been an effective advocate for  the health of the Merri and tributaries through membership of advisory committees, strategic planning processes, advice on planning permit applications, and appearance at VCAT and Planning Panels. Importantly, she raised awareness of the risks of development on sodic and dispersive soils in the upper Merri catchment, which result in sediment-laden creek flows downstream when disturbed.

Luisa gave thanks to Ann McGregor who nominated her and accepted the award on behalf of: Merri Creek itself; the hundreds of volunteers who have supported Merri Creek over many decades; her work colleagues past and present at MCMC; and Council officers and councillors; all who have been a vital part of Merri Creek’s revitalisation.

Photo: Luisa Macmillan with the 2023 Mayor of Merri-bek, Cr Angelica Panopolous

The apparent decline of eucalypts along Merri Creek is caused by a boom in psyllids - an insect that feeds on sap and secretes a sugary 'lerp'. These insects occur naturally and cause these sort of effects from time to time - one of the natural cycles that thin out the mass thickets of young eucalypt saplings and allow a smaller number of gum trees to mature and dominate. This issue extends throughout greater Melbourne to north of the Great Divide, but along the Merri, it tends to mostly affect River Red Gums, leaving other gums, like yellow gums and manna gums, much less affected.

However, the scale on which it is now occurring is highly unusual. Around Melbourne, this boom may be partly caused by more favourable conditions, such as flowering plants in our gardens providing a reliable source of nectar for larger, more aggressive, nectar-eating birds, such as Noisy Miners and Rainbow Lorikeets. These large birds are displacing some of the smaller insect-eating birds such as Pardalotes, which would feed on the psyllids. Other factors, such as warmer weather, unseasonal rain, other effects of climate change, and changes in hydrology from urban development, may also cause further stress on the gums.

MCMC's Executive Officer, Bernadette Thomas, recently participated in two water network events:

Melbourne Biodiversity Network:  This series of workshops was launched by the University of Melbourne and design studio, OFFICE to create a network of public spaces forming a bio-diverse web of ecological corridors throughout Melbourne. MCMC shared information about our history, strong community involvement, engagement with the diverse Merri community, partnering with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, and our ideas for how collaboration works well. The Network's aim is to link these underutilised spaces with existing corridors, like Merri Creek, and so improve biodiversity within our city.

Working with Water:  This event series, hosted by Regeneration Projects and La Loyka, involved five workshops focused on how different waterway organisations worked to address climate change, biodiversity, and habitat loss. MCMC joined Kooyongkoot Alliance, and again highlighted the long history of community involvement, participation, and leadership in bringing Merri Creek back to life. The focus was on the importance of connection to nature, learning from people using the creek and those working to restore it, and the interconnections between urban biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, and community wellbeing – all core to MCMC’s vision. Download a summary of this event.

Our Administration Officer, Monica Wiilliamson, retired from MCMC in October 2023 after 15 years of being the go-to person in the office for all things admin, organising, community, committee, and much more - including 10 years of taking the Minutes at our Committee meetings and seeing us safely through the COVID lockdowns.

Among Monica's many achievements was organising MCMC's 20th Anniversary Celebration, a photographic exhibition of beautiful black and white photos of Galada Tamboore by local photographer David Tatnall. Highlights included working with and learning from Aboriginal Elders, Uncle Dave Wandin and Uncle Jack Charles, and hearing their stories of growing up along the Merri. She also fielded many calls from the public, including one report of seeing a crocodile in the creek!

Many thanks to Monica for her commitment and contribution to MCMC over many years. We'll miss her but we'll still stay in touch, as she voluntarily looks after the Friends of Merri Creek on-line shop - where you can also buy a number of Merri Creek gifts.