Burpengary Creek facts for kids

Burpengary Creek is a tidal creek located in the Moreton Bay Region of Queensland, Australia. It's about 40 kilometres north of Brisbane. The creek's water collection area, called a catchment, covers a huge 7,960 hectares.

Burpengary Creek is part of the bigger Deception Bay catchment. This area includes two main creeks: Little Burpengary Creek and Burpengary Creek. Both flow into Deception Bay, just south of the Caboolture River mouth and south of Bribie Island.

Burpengary Creek starts high up in the D’Aguilar Ranges, about 340 metres above sea level. It flows down the mountains, through Narangba, and past pine forests. Then it goes through the towns of Morayfield and Burpengary before reaching southern Deception Bay.

History of Burpengary Creek

Burpengary means place of the wattle trees. This area was very important to the Aboriginal communities who lived along the creek. They used it for camping, fishing, and making canoes from the trees. It also gave them easy access to the coast.

A respected Aboriginal man named Menvil Wanmurarn, also known as Jacky Delaney, was buried next to the creek when he died in 1900. He was known as the King of Stoney Creek, which was the name for the upper part of Burpengary Creek. His burial site is now a special historical landmark in the Moreton Bay Region.

In 1842, explorer Robert Dixon created the first map of this area. He called Burpengary Creek "Cuthbertson Creek." By 1851, people had settled around the creek. They used the land for grazing cattle and growing crops like sugar cane and bananas.

Later, the dairy farming stopped, and many farmers sold their land. Large areas were bought to plant pine trees. By 1958, over 20,000 hectares of pine forests were growing here. Today, much of this land is used for new homes and suburbs. This means more bushland is being cleared, which can affect the local plants and animals.

Animals and Plants of Burpengary Creek

Sadly, less than 7.5% of the original plants in the Burpengary Creek area are left. It's very important to protect the remaining trees and plants.

Near the coast, you can find mangroves along the shores of Deception Bay. In the freshwater wetlands, there are tea trees and paperbark forests. Most of the area has open eucalypt forests. You can also find smaller groups of vine forests and riverline forests along the creek's edges.

The biggest undisturbed Tea Tree and Scribbly Gum forest in south-east Queensland is in Freshwater National Park. This park is next to Deception Bay Road. Other trees here include Smooth Barked Gums, Stringy Barks, Iron Barks, Hoop Pine, and Cedar. Protecting these plants is vital to keep the area a safe home for its many animals.

Even with all the development, Burpengary Creek is home to many native animals. Over 150 types of birds have been seen here. Some common birds include the eastern whipbird, noisy friarbird, galah, sulphur-crested cockatoo, tawny frogmouth, laughing kookaburra, kingfishers, honeyeaters, Australian king parrot, and Australian magpie.

The creek area is also home to the giant barred frog, which is an endangered species in Australia. This frog lives in moist forests, hiding under leaves and soil during the day. At night, it comes out to find food. Other frogs found here are the ornate burrowing frog, the rocket frog, and the whistling tree frog.

Several types of snakes live in this area, like the brown tree snake, green tree snake, carpet python, and Australian coral snake. You might see them from October to January. Other reptiles include Burton’s legless lizard, eastern water dragon, bearded dragon, and the lace monitor.

Native mammals in the area include the northern brown bandicoot, red-necked wallaby, platypus, ringtail possums, brush tail possums, and the grey-headed flying-fox. You can also find native bees in the Burpengary Creek catchment.

Environmental Challenges

Burpengary Creek faces challenges from people, plants, and animals. As more people settled along the creek, native plants were cleared. Pipes were built underground, and homes were constructed in flood areas. This led to soil erosion and changes in the creek bed.

In the past, horses, cattle, and pets were brought to the area. These animals damaged the natural plants and sometimes harmed native wildlife. Also, new plant species like camphor laurel and privet bush have taken over, harming the native vegetation.

The water level in Burpengary Creek has risen more than 2cm in the last 20 years. This trend is expected to continue.

Fun Activities at Burpengary Creek

Burpengary Creek is a great place for fishing. There are boat ramps nearby, making it easy to get onto the creek. You can find boat ramps at O’Leary Avenue in Burpengary and at Uhlmann Road, which leads to the Caboolture River, just a short trip from Burpengary Creek. The lower parts of the creek are also known for having lots of mud crabs.

Parks along the creek have grassy areas perfect for family picnics. You can fly kites or play outdoor games like Boules or cricket. Another fun option is bird-watching at the Caboolture Regional Environmental Education Centre (CREEC) on Rowley Road in Burpengary.