Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Regional Collaboration formally launched on the 4^th April, 2023. This is a new, important alliance focusing on protecting and improving the amenity, environmental and biodiversity values of the Gardiners Creek catchment.

The 16-member alliance includes: AFL Victoria, Bicycle Network, Boroondara City Council, Cricket Victoria, Deakin University, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, Football Victoria, City of Glen Eira, Golf Australia, KooyongKoot Alliance, Melbourne Water, City of Monash, City of Stonnington, Whitehorse City Council, Yarra Riverkeeper and Yarra Valley Water.

Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) is an urban waterway originating near Blackburn and flowing through Burwood and Malvern East before following the Monash Freeway to the Yarra River (Birrarung). Gardiners Creek was originally known as KooyongKoot, meaning ‘Land of the Waterfowl’. The catchment is the traditional land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, and it covers 112 square kilometres and spans across most of the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

It plays an important role in providing open space, offering highly valued active and passive recreational opportunities as well as water and biodiversity values. The wider catchment includes Scotchmans Creek, Damper and Back Creeks.

The Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Regional Collaboration has a long-term shared vision, agreed to by members of the Collaboration, that:

• KooyongKoot and its catchment is protected, vaued and loved, supporting diverse uses and thriving biodiversity.
• As custodians of our natural environment, Traditional Owners have a key role in its management.
• Community and all stakeholders are working together to heal, strengthen and ensure the resilience of the KooyongKoot and its catchment

A Prospectus for the Collaboration ( PDF 11.44MB) has been developed that identifies some of the projects and programs that the Collaboration are going to concentrate on in the immediate future.

The Collaboration is seeking to form strategic and/or funding partnerships with a diverse range of government, business, community, educational and not for profit organisations to support the delivery of the projects and programs.

The projects and programs included are:

• Broad-based strategic plan for the catchment
• Cultural values study and program (with Traditional Owners)
• A data strategy, to collect baseline health data (biodiversity, water quality etc)

For further information contact: Leonie Gibson – Coordinator Natural Environment and Strategy