Subiaco Creek
| Subiaco | |
| Creek | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | New South Wales |
| Municipality | Sydney |
| Part of | Parramatta River |
| Tributaries | |
| - right | The Ponds Creek |
| Source | |
| - location | Ermington |
| - coordinates | 33°48′41″S 151°3′23″E / 33.81139°S 151.05639°E |
| Mouth | Parramatta River |
| - location | Rydalmere |
| - coordinates | 33°48′59″S 151°1′52″E / 33.81639°S 151.03111°E |
| Length | 5 km (3 mi) |
Subiaco Creek, a northern tributary of the Parramatta River, is a creek west of Sydney Harbour, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Ecology
The source of the creek is in the suburb of Ermington. The creek then flows westwards though Rydalmere before turning south for a short distance and draining into the Parramatta River. It is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long.[1]
The Ponds Creek is a tributary of Subiaco Creek, having its source in Dundas Valley and flowing though Dundas.
Origin of name
Subiaco Creek is named after a convent and boarding school for girls, which was established in the area by Benedictine Nuns. They named the school 'Subiaco', after the Italian town of Subiaco in which Saint Benedict established his religious order.[2]
The Ponds was the name given to a chain of freshwater ponds which formed the headwaters of The Ponds Creek. They were described in 1789 by Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench, who wrote "the Ponds, a name which I suppose it derived from several ponds of water".[2]
History
The area around Subiaco Creek and the Ponds was one of the earliest areas settled by European colonists in Australia, the first land grant in the area being made in 1791. This was the fourth land grant by Governor Phillip, the governor of the newly founded colony of New South Wales, and it was made to Phillip Schaeffer. He created a property called 'The Vineyard'. After a succession of owners the property was purchased by Hannibal Macarthur in 1813. Macarthur went on to build a mansion, called 'The Vineyard' in 1836. This was the mansion which became the Benedictine school, from which the name Subiaco was derived.[2]
Geography
To date the majority of Subiaco Creek has been spared from development, with much if its length contained within a network of reserves and parks. The art historian Bernard Smith recounts memories of picking "great bunches of wildflowers" along Subiaco Creek in his youth.[3] Some sections of the creek near Cowells Lane Reserve have been placed in culverts and covered over.
References
- ↑ "Estuaries in NSW: Parramatta River". Department of Water and Energy of NSW.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Ponds/Subiaco Creek Reserve". Parramatta City Council. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ↑ Smith, Bernard (2004). The Boy Adeodatus: The Portrait of a Lucky Young Bastard. Queensland: University of Queensland Press. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-7022-3459-0.
See also
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