Ponds and Subiaco Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ponds/Subiaco |
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Rock Feature at the Ponds leg of the creek
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| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | Northern Suburbs |
| District | Parramatta City |
| Municipality | Sydney |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Carlingford and Ermington 33°48′41″S 151°3′23″E / 33.81139°S 151.05639°E |
| River mouth | Parramatta River Rydalmere 33°48′59″S 151°1′52″E / 33.81639°S 151.03111°E |
| Length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Parramatta River |
| Tributaries |
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Ponds/Subiaco Creek is a cool waterway in Sydney, Australia. It's also known as The Ponds or Subiaco Creek. This creek flows into the Parramatta River and is located north-west of Sydney Harbour. A fun walking path called 'The Ponds Walk' follows the creek's journey.
Contents
The Ponds Walk: Explore the Creek!
The Ponds Walk is a 7.7-kilometre (about 4.8 miles) path. It follows The Ponds Creek from Eric Mobbs Memorial Park to Jim Crowgey Reserve. You can walk or bike through several Sydney suburbs like Carlingford and Ermington. You can even bring your dog, but it needs to be on a leash!
Ecology: Plants and Animals of the Creek
The Ponds Creek starts in Carlingford and flows through Dundas Valley. It then joins Subiaco Creek. This area is full of amazing plants and animals. You might spot turtles, ducks, rabbits, and even snakes here.
Endangered Forests Along the Creek
The forests along Ponds/Subiaco Creek are very special. They include Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest. These types of forests are super rare. They are listed as critically endangered by the New South Wales government. This means they need special protection to survive.
Bird Life at the Ponds
Many different birds call this creek home. Keep an eye out for:
- White-faced Heron
- Wood Duck
- Pacific Black Duck
- Australian White Ibis
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
- Galah
- Magpie
- Noisy Mynah
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- King Parrot
Subiaco Creek also gets water from Ermington. It then flows west through Rydalmere. Finally, it turns south and empties into the Parramatta River. It's about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) long.
History: How the Creek Got Its Name
The name "The Ponds" comes from a chain of freshwater ponds. These ponds were at the start of The Ponds Creek. In 1789, Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench described them. He wrote that the name likely came from these ponds.
Subiaco Creek flows through one of the first areas where European settlers lived in Australia. This land was given to Phillip Schaeffer in 1789. He named his property 'The Vineyard'. A nearby creek, Vineyard Creek, still carries this name today.
Later, in 1813, Hannibal Macarthur bought the property. He built a large house called 'The Vineyard' in 1836. This mansion later became a Benedictine convent and a boarding school for girls. The nuns named the school 'Subiaco'. This name came from a town in Italy called Subiaco. It's where Saint Benedict started his religious order.
Geography: Parks and Reserves
Most of Subiaco Creek is surrounded by parks and nature reserves. An art historian named Bernard Smith remembered picking "great bunches of wildflowers" there when he was young. Some parts of the creek near Cowells Lane Reserve have been put into underground pipes.
