A Ribbon of Nature in Melbourne's North

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 twenty photographers, many of them locals who have been part of the Creek’s regeneration, demonstrate the vibrant flora, fauna, and history of the creek.

A wonderful gift, for Christmas or otherwise, this limited edition run can be purchased through the Friends of Merri Creek online shop.  Pick-up can be arranged by calling or emailing our offices in Brunswick East, and it is also available for purchase in-store at the Ceres Bookshop. 

“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.”

Birds of Merri Creek Calendar

If you know someone who enjoys getting amongst the birdlife at the creek, these calendars are a fabulous Christmas gift!

https://www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au/online-shop

Birds of Merri Creek 2023 Calendar - Friends of Merri Creek – Merri Creek Protectors Friends of Merri Creek is a community volunteer group activity working to restore and protect Merri Creek. Help with hands on activities, become a member and attend events. www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au

$30 (A4 size)

Merri Creek Calendar

If you know someone who enjoys getting amongst the birdlife at the creek, these calendars are a fabulous Christmas gift!

https://www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au/online-shop

$30 (A4 size).

Birds of Merri Creek Calendar

Adi Tudor's beautiful Birds of Merri Creek 2021 Calendar is now available for pre-order.  

  

This will make an ideal Christmas gift at $27.50 or $35.50 (incl. postage and packaging). The calendars sold out early last year so get in quick!  Complete the order form below in your reply email and send to me at friendsofmerricreek@gmail.com .

Half the profits from the sale of the calendar go directly to the Merri Creek Environment Fund to help continue the work to protect and conserve the diversity of the Merri Creek corridor for current and future generations to enjoy and cherish.

Feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Monica Williamson 
Membership Secretary 
on behalf of Friends of Merri Creek

Become a Member here follow us on Facebook and Instagram  #merricreek #friendsofmerricreek

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ORDER FORM Birds of Merri Creek 2021 Calendar
Name
Email
Contact Phone No
Quantity
	@ $27.50	TOTAL	$
	@ $35.50 (incl. post)	TOTAL	$
Contactless Pickup from Thornbury	Yes / No
Delivery or Postal Address

Please make Direct Deposit Payments to:-

 Account Name Friends of Merri Creek Inc

BSB 633000

Account No 143872729

Description - CALENDAR [Your Surname]

Email your receipt to friendsofmerricreek@gmail.com

Merri Creek Fun

Hello, All.

A local textile artist Lara Cameron (who has a printing studio at Abbotsford Convent) has created a beautiful new line of fabric inspired by the plants along the Merri Creek.

https://shop.inkandspindle.com/collections/fabrics/products/merri-creek-in-earth

Lara has also included these free download colouring pages to keep the kids (and adults) busy during isolation.

http://inkandspindle.com/downloads/merricreek_activities.pdf

You can also follow her on Instagram @inkandspindle_

Weed Killing

Hello everyone.

I was enjoying walking a pooch alongMerrii creek trail in Fitzroy North (just before Kirkdale Reserve around 9am Friday 29th) when I came upon two men dressed in high vis protective clothing. I asked them if they were spraying and they said yes. I asked them if it was glyphosate and they said yes. I very quickly left the area. I wouldn't want my pooch to become ill and if I had children I wouldn't want them anywhere near the sprayed area, where the spray mist can travel or they could play unknowingly where it was sprayed.

I am quite shocked that this poison and controversial carcinogen is being used in a habitat that is sensitive and, I believe, has been rehabilitated painstakingly over years.

Don't they know how toxic this substance is, to humans, animals, insects and yes, even plants?

Has the UN not banned it yet? Many states in the US and parts of the UK/EU have now banned glyphosate use?

Does the council know there are ecological solutions to killing weeds? 

What do people think?

KT.

Thank you for a successful creek clean up this Sunday

Thank you to those from the Newlands community who came to this Sunday's creek clean-up!

This is how we feel about litter in the Merri 

So we did this 

Then each took a big bag of recyclables to our recycling bin and left these for Council to pick up

So after this great start clean-up, the plan is. for the next flood, whenever that is, to do a clean-up the following Sunday. Litter will be easier to spot!!!
We could even have a (small) prize for the quirkiest item found.

Creek clean up between Murray rd and Bell St this Sunday 22nd - 9am start

CREEK STILL LITTERED?

 MEET at the base of the new De Chene bridge for clean up Murray to Bell

SUNDAY 22^nd JANUARY 9 am start to 11-12 finish 

Bring sturdy footwear (even gumboots), gloves, suitable sun protection, and tools to hook out litter.

Bring bags for litter as this is a wholly volunteer organised event. We will try to recycle too.

Children are very welcome to this educational opportunity. They must be actively supervised particularly near water... or sharps.

If others wish to organise to clean up other sections, please go ahead!

Water Works

For those who use the Merri Creek path between Bell St and Normanby Rd. 

Just wanted to let you know that Melbourne Water are going to be conducting works at Merri Creek, near Edna Grove, Coburg from mid-February till the end of March. This will mean closure of the bike path along this section of the creek between the hours of 7am-6pm Monday to Friday during the works. I have attached a proposed detour plan that will be set up daily to ensure cyclists are aware of the closure of the path.

Community Clean Up

Community Clean Up

11TH APRIL 2015 

10-11AM 

Please come and help us on 11th of April 2015, as we have organized a community clean up day in response the great work of the children at the Coburg Children's Centre. The children had raised the issue of rubbish being sighted in and along the Merri Creek between De-Chene Reserve and Edna Grove on our weekly walk down to the Coburg Bush kinder. 

This issue was taken to our local MP Kelvin Thompson and as a result an official clean up day will take place on the 11th of April 2015 between 10– 11am. Kelvin Thompson will also be attending on the day. 

All members of the community are welcome and we would love to see you all there. 

We need your help!

Merri Creek Management Committee

Creeks Bike Riders‏

One trick when encountering illegal bike riders on our local creeks, is to take a picture. You can actually take a picture or just pretend to (with the phone you left at home!) No need to get close or confrontational. They do know it is illegal and once they are aware that the locals care enough to take action, they move on. 
If you do manage to take a shot, you can offer it to the police.

Public Talk on Macroinvertebrates

Dear Friends of Merri Creek supporter,

 You may be interested in the following event:

 Waterwatch is presenting a free public talk on macroinvertebrates (waterbugs) in the Merri Creek.

Come along and find out about their life cycles, biology and importance to stream health.

Also see live examples of many of these fascinating creatures.

 Wednesday 10^th April  6.30-8.00pm

Carlton Library, 667 Rathdowne St. Nth Carlton

 Bookings – Contact Trevor Hausler  email: trevor.hausler@mcmc.org.au or 9380 8199

 Regards,

Trevor Hausler

Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Coordinator

Merri Creek Management Committee

2 Lee St. East Brunswick VIC 3057

ph 9380 8199 / fax 9380 6989

Mobile : 0458 257 611

Developing and delivering waterway and biodiversity community engagement programs

Merri Creek needs your help NOW!

Merri Creek ACTION ALERT

We need your help on this issue, which is the biggest problem we have ever faced.

Badly planned urban expansion threatens fauna and flora

Victoria's Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has released the final North Growth Corridor Plan to extend Melbourne's suburbs 15km from Craigieburn north to Wallan. The package includes yet more expansion of the urban growth boundary into the green wedges and around Wallan, and fast-tracked Precinct Structure Plans to facilitate development of large slabs of developer-owned land at Lockerbie, Lockerbie North and Merrifield West.

However the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, which is supposed to prescribe the conservation measures for threatened species and communities, has not been released.

Our alternative has been ignored

The Friends of Merri Creek have been advocating for many years for a conservation reserve network across the upper Merri catchment that would protect and sustain the wildlife, native wildflower grasslands, ancient River Red Gums, wetlands and waterways corridors. It seems that our proposals, and comments on the draft Growth Corridor Plan, have been ignored by the State Government and the 'planners' at the Growth Areas Authority (whose role is to facilitate urban growth, not conservation).

You can help by writing now

We urge you to write a letter to metropolitan and/or local newspapers, your local (State) MPs, and the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke, expressing your concerns at the lack of conservation provisions in the growth plan.

Letter writing hints:

You could refer to some the bad aspects of the plan:

·         The Growling Grass Frog (GGF) conservation corridor along the Merri will be narrowed to only 50m wide and straddled by the town centre of Lockerbie. This is likely to lead to the loss of the most important populations of this endangered species in the Merri catchment, according to researcher Dr Geoff Heard.

·         No new conservation reserves are shown on the growth corridor plan.

·         There is no sign of a promised extensive grassy woodland (i.e. Red Gum) reserve.

·         A token east-west "potential biodiversity link (to be further investigated)" extends across only part of the growth corridor and is not even continuous, being interrupted by quarry zones.

·         A dense grid of new freeways and 6-and 4-lane arterial roads, with no new rail line, will lock in unsustainable car dependence for residents and workers in the new suburbs.

·         Large areas within the extended urban growth boundary around Wallan are quite unsuitable for urban development, being flood-prone (the former Hernes Swamp), or steep land with highly erodible soils.

·         Between the draft and final corridor plans, even more land has been moved from green wedge or rural conservation zonings to residential or urban, in an apparent effort to maximise developer profits.

Please write ASAP.

Regards,

Ray Radford,

Secretary, Friends of Merri Creek

Vote for Friends of Merri Creek in the National Landcare Awards

Vote for Friends of Merri Creek in the National Landcare Awards

As the winner of the 2011 Victorian Urban Landcare Award, Friends of Merri Creek will represent Victoria at the 2012 National Landcare Awards in Sydney on 4 September.

FoMC President, David Redfearn, will be at the awards on our behalf, but we’re up against some pretty big heavyweights and David will need more than a slingshot to beat those goliaths. Luckily, you can give him some support by voting for us in the People’s Choice Award. Just look for the Urban Landcare category and cast your vote for Friends of Merri Creek at: www.landcareonline.com.au/nationalawards

We believe that what makes us special as an Urban Landcare group is our intimate involvement in the organisation that manages our asset (ie: Merri Creek Management Committee), and our works to protect threatened species like Growling Grass Frog, Golden Sun Moth, Murnong, and Dianella amoena.

We look forward to receiving your vote.

Ray Radford

Secretary, Friends of Merri Creek