Wetlands
Glen Eira had many documented wetland areas scattered across the municipality. Some of these wetlands would have been fairly permanent in holding water, only drying up in the most server droughts. Others would have held water intermittently relying on the flooding of local creeks to renew there waters. These wetland would have been fringed by many vegetation types, ranging from open woodland to closed scrub. Many native animals would have depended on these wetland for a permanent supply of water.
From the earliest days after white settlement, Glen Eira's wetlands were seen as an important natural resource both for the fresh drinking water for humans and cattle. They were also valuable for their ability to supply water & organic peat for the market gardens that were moving into the area to exploit the nearby sandy loams. Early documentation records from around 1866 shows a bailiff named Farquhar was appointed to restrict the mining of peat to the eastern end of Paddy's Swamp (now Caulfield Park) with the western half being reserved for public recreation. He reported that he had trouble stopping people swimming in the swamp; they escaped him by swimming to the island in the middle of the swamp beyond his reach, or hid in the rushes. He did allow fishing, some duck-shooting, bird nesting (taking of eggs) yabbying & rafting. Later, as the population of Glen Eira grew, the wetland became polluted with sewage. This became a health hazard & severe outbreak of Typhoid near Paddy's Swamp in the 1880's was the beginning of the end of Glen Eira's wetlands. Clean water was piped to Glen Eira from protected catchments far away. The wetlands were drained, filled & sold & developed for housing or in many cases they became parks or reserves.
Unfortunately the story of wetland degradation is common throughout Australia. Wetlands are still suffering from being drained for development, polluted or starved of their lifeblood as river waters are diverted for crop irrigation. Australia being the driest inhabited continent it seems madness to to drain our wetlands. Fortunately moves are afoot to redress some of this neglect & wetlands are again beginning to be thought of as integral links in our natural environment, both in rural regions & also in suburbia.
New wetland areas have been recently created close to our suburb of Glen Eira. These new wetland areas will act to slow and filter the flood waters of Elster, Gardiners, & Scotchmans creeks, easing flooding in the downstream flood prone areas. They also do, and will provide interesting vegetated passive recreation areas for people to enjoy, as well as provide significant habitat for waterbirds, fish & tortoises.
Edithvale Wetland 2002
The wetland areas in Glen Eira most likely looked similar to this one. The roll over image is of a new wetland being created on Scotchmans Creek. Photo taken June/2002Wetlands have a diverse & interesting flora & a myriad of insect life, providing food for many migrating birds. The tall reeds shelter migrating birds such as Latham's Snipe & provide nesting places for Lewin's Rail. Kangaroo & wallabies feed at lush swamp edges & shelter in the surrounding woodland.
