Caring for our waterways

The City of Stonnington is home to two of Melbourne’s most important urban waterways, the Yarra River (Birrarung) and one of its major tributaries, Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot).

With the majority of public open space in the municipality located along these waterways, they are vital to supporting local biodiversity and highly valued green corridors for both active and passive recreation.

Council is committed to supporting and improving the health of both the Birrarung and the KooyongKoot and their catchments, through existing internal initiatives, as well as through its participation in the below regional collaborations.

Yarra River (Birrarung)

The Yarra River (Birrarung) is an iconic and deeply treasured waterway that runs from Mt Baw Baw in Yarra Ranges National Park, winding through Warburton, Healesville, Warrandyte, and then the suburbs of north-eastern and inner-metro Melbourne, until it discharges into Port Phillip Bay.

A small but important and highly valued section of the Birrarung, about 4.5 km long, flows through the City of Stonnington. The section between Grange Road and Punt Road is managed by Council and is a vital biodiversity corridor, home to one of the city’s most loved and used shared paths, the Main Yarra Trail.

Yarra River Biodiversity Project

In 2010, Council began works along the Yarra River (Birrarung), kicking off one of the biggest regeneration projects in the river’s history.

By the time the project was completed in 2019, Council had spent almost $10 million to enhance biodiversity, increase habitat connectivity, improve water quality, and provide recreational and educational opportunities for the community along this landmark river.

Works undertaken included extensive indigenous revegetation, a new wetland (Grange Road Wetlands), bio-retention ponds, Indigenous artwork, shared path upgrades, educational signage, and opportunities for the community to connect with nature in an increasingly urban area.

In 2018, the Yarra Biodiversity Project won the Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable Cities Award for Protection of the Environment.

Take a look at our Yarra River Biodiversity Project video.

Yarra Strategic Plan

Burndap Birrarung Burndap Umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan) is a collaborative plan to protect and enhance the Yarra River (Birrarung) and its parklands.

The Plan recognises the Yarra River (Birrarung) as one living and integrated natural entity, and both supports and builds on the landmark Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017 and Yarra River 50-year Community Vision.

Forty actions across areas of revegetation, habitat restoration, waterway health improvement, community engagement and education, and the recognition, celebration and protection of Aboriginal cultural and heritage values make up the Plan. The collective aims of these actions are to protect the river and its parklands from the impacts of climate change, increasing urbanisation, and population growth.

The Plan has been endorsed by eight local councils (including the City of Stonnington), seven state government agencies, and six committees of management. Together, these organisations make up the Yarra Collaboration Committee. Collectively, we have committed to implementing the Plan in partnership with the Traditional Owners of the land through which the Birrarung flows, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong.

This collaborative approach is reflected in the title of the Plan, Burndap Birrarung Burndap Umarkoo, which means 'what is good for the Yarra is good for all' in Woi-wurrung language.

Melbourne Water acts as the lead agency for implementation of the Plan. Council maintains an active and ongoing role as part of the Yarra Collaborative Committee.

For more information or to read the Plan, visit Melbourne Water.

Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot)

Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) is waterway located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne that has vital environmental, cultural, social, and recreational value for the communities through which it flows and for the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people.

The KooyongKoot is a particularly significant waterway within Stonnington, extending 8.7km in length and featuring rich areas of biodiversity, as well as many sports grounds, recreation hubs, a key commuter cycling route, 45 per cent of the city’s open space, and the Malvern Valley Golf Course.

Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Masterplan

The Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Masterplan was adopted by the City of Stonnington in 2020, setting out a long-term vision for the revitalisation of the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) corridor through vegetation and biodiversity improvements, water sensitive urban design, shared path upgrades, and enhancing opportunities for active and passive recreation.

Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Regional Collaboration

As part of the Masterplan, Council recognised the need for a collaborative, catchment scale approach to improving the health of the creek. Following a series of workshops coordinated by Council in partnership with Melbourne Water, the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Regional Collaboration (GCRC) was born. The GCRC is an alliance of five local councils (including the City of Stonnington), state government agencies, and community groups working together to protect and enhance the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) catchment. The GCRC has a long-term shared vision, that:

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

Officially launched in 2023, the GCRC has developed a Prospectus that outlines who we are, how we are going to work together, and some of the projects and programs that we are going to work on in the immediate future. We are also currently working on developing a Strategic Plan, as well as a number of other exciting projects.

Download the Prospectus(PDF, 11MB) .