Welcome to the Merri Creek Management Committee website

Aitken Creek's Living Pathways

Aitken Creek in Craigieburn was a hive of activity as Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) helped to implement the ‘Aitken Creek’s Living Pathways’ project in 2018. This Friends of Merri Creek project has established pathways for blue banded bees to pollinate endangered Matted Flax Lilys. We invite you to learn about and help take care of this magnificent tributary of Merri Creek habitat corridor. You can use the new interactive on line map to tour the creek from home. View the map in the browser on any web-connected device. Or download the mobile app from the Google Play Store with your Android device.

Have you seen this Weed Orchid?

Spring is breeding season for the South African Weed Orchid, Disa bracteata, and the Special Weed Orchid Terminators are ready for action! Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) hosted three weekend events to help the Friends of Merri Creek’s SWOT team stop this weed invading Reservoir’s state-significant Ngarri-djarrang grassland reserve.

Each Weed Orchid flower can produce tens of thousands of tiny seeds which are easily spread on the wind, vehicles, tools and clothing, threatening native grasslands around Melbourne. Its fleshy leaves and tubers compete with indigenous wildflowers like orchids, lilies and other herbs for prime space between the grass tussocks.

Growth in Citizen Science

Waterwatch training group Citizen Science is a phrase that’s bandied about a lot at the moment. You might think it’s a new activity but it's not. Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) has been at the forefront of citizen science water quality monitoring. As early as 1992 we initiated a citizen science program that involved local schools in water quality monitoring of Merri Creek.

By 2017/18 MCMC's Waterwatch program had consolidated to support 30 volunteer monitors at 15 regular monitoring sites. In 2017/18 we also educated around 2,000 students at more than 20 educational organisations (from early years up to tertiary level) on waterway health. The data from our monitoring sites is lodged via the Waterwatch Victoria online data portal and is used by EPA Victoria for their Annual Report card of waterway health.

Two Big Wins for Merri Creek

Map of Spry St Coburg land Timely action by Moreland Council has saved two critical parcels of land next to Merri Creek from residential development. Excellent campaigns from the local community, Friends of Merri Creek (FoMC), Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) and in Fawkner, the Fawkner Residents Association led to this result.

Council negotiated a successful offer for a parcel of VicRoads land at McBryde St Fawkner. This significant piece of land abuts Merri Creek and has been an effective part of the open space corridor for many years. Council also made a successful purchase on the open market of a prominent block of private land at 2 Spry St Coburg North, next to the Merri Creek Trail and Merri Creek.

Latest grant successes

We congratulate our member group, Friends of Merri Creek, on gaining the following grants. Merri Creek Managment Committee staff assisted the Friends with the grant applications, using our extensive ecological, community and project management knowledge.

$21,635 from Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority for the project: Returning and Re-learning: bringing cultural burns and locally rare plants back to Fawkner grasslands. This project aims to return Traditional Owner management knowledge and rare plant species to Bababi Djinanang native grassland by Merri Creek in Fawkner.

$8,800 from Moreland City Council Arts Activation Grant program for the Merri Murnong group's Murnong Harvest 2018 by Merri Creek in Coburg. The Merri Murnong group is a sub-group of the Friends of Merri Creek.

$3,500 from Darebin City Council for the Friends of Merri Park project to plant Climate Change adapted plants in Merri Park Wetland, Northcote. The Friends of Merri Park is a sub-group of the Friends of Merri Creek.

$500 from Parks Victoria for buckets, gloves, geared loppers, flexi-tubs, and safety glasses for woody weed removal at Bababi Marning native grassland near Cooper St, Campbellfield.

Successful 2018 Environment Fund Appeal

Flame Robin Sincere thanks to the 71 generous donors to our 2018 Appeal to create more habitat for birds along Merri Creek. A total of $12,974 in donations was made to MCMC's Merri Creek Environment Fund. We look forward to letting you know about the creation of bird habitat in a future Merri e-News. If you want to know more about the Fund, check out the web page.