Rock Flat Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rock Flat |
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 Location of the Rock Flat Creek mouth in New South Wales
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| Other name(s) | Flat, Tolbar |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | Snowy Mountains (IBRA), Monaro |
| LGA | Snowy Monaro |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Australian Alps, Great Dividing Range below One Tree Hill 1,060 m (3,480 ft) 36°26′5″S 149°13′10″E / 36.43472°S 149.21944°E |
| River mouth | confluence with the Cooma Creek north of Cooma 719 m (2,359 ft) 36°7′27″S 149°11′21″E / 36.12417°S 149.18917°E |
| Length | 41 km (25 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Murrumbidgee catchment, Murray–Darling basin |
Rock Flat Creek is a stream that flows all year round, located in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a larger water system called the Murrumbidgee catchment, which means all the water flowing into it eventually joins the Murrumbidgee River. This entire system is part of the huge Murray–Darling basin, one of Australia's most important river networks.
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Where Does Rock Flat Creek Flow?
Rock Flat Creek, which is actually big enough to be called a river, begins its journey below a place called One Tree Hill. This area is on the lower slopes of the Snowy Mountains, which are part of the Great Dividing Range.
The Creek's Journey
The creek generally flows towards the north and west. It eventually meets up with the Cooma Creek. This meeting point is just before Cooma Creek joins another river to form the Numeralla River. The Numeralla River then flows into the Murrumbidgee River. The meeting of Rock Flat Creek and Cooma Creek happens north of the town of Cooma.
Over its 41-kilometre (25-mile) path, the creek drops about 336 metres (1,102 feet) in height. This means it flows downhill quite a bit from its source to where it joins Cooma Creek.
Crossing the Creek
The Monaro Highway, a major road, crosses over Rock Flat Creek. This crossing is near a small area known as Milton Park.
The Special Mineral Spring
Near where the Monaro Highway crosses the creek, there is a unique mineral spring. A spring is a natural place where groundwater flows out of the ground. This particular spring is on the bank of Rock Flat Creek, about 16 kilometres (10 miles) south-east of Cooma.
What Makes the Spring Special?
The water from this spring comes out from the base of a small rocky hill. This hill is made of a type of rock called quartzite. Around the spring, the ground is covered with a soft, chalky rock called tufaceous limestone. This limestone has been left behind by the spring water over many years.
The spring flows at a rate of about 245 litres (65 US gallons) per hour. The water tastes pleasant and has natural bubbles, like soda water.
History of the Spring
It is believed that this is the same spring that explorer Dr J. Lhotsky wrote about in 1834. He called it Richard Bourke's Spring. Dr Lhotsky thought the water was so good that he even took bottled samples of it with him on his trip back home.
In the past, the water from this spring was bottled and sold as 'Koomah Spa'. Early settlers in the area also used the spring water to make bread and a traditional Australian bread called damper. This was likely because the spring water contains natural baking soda, which helps bread rise.
By the late 1930s, the spring was mostly forgotten. A village called Rock Flat was planned around 1886 near the spring, but it was never built. Today, only one of its planned streets, Cooma Street, still appears on maps. The spring was open to the public until the 1970s, but it is now on private property, so people can no longer visit it.
