Creating a web of green

  South-East Queensland with Brisbane is the fastest growing
  region in Australia and also is one of the most biodiverse areas
  of Australia. You can hop off a plane in Brisbane and within 20
  minutes you could be discovering a remnant natural area with
  intact original ecosystems and wildlife. This is unique for a
  modern capital city in today’s world.

  The Brisbane city comprises the Brisbane River and over 30
  creek catchments. Ten of these creek catchments have
  organised catchment committees and are assisted with paid
  coordinators by Brisbane City Council.

The creek catchments are small, e.g. Bulimba Creek is only 122 square km and is the 2nd largestin Brisbane. They are impacted by urban development, tree clearing, damaging land uses and weeds. Brisbane hasn’t been planned well; and infrastructure, services and inappropriate land use, including filling and building on flood plains and waterway corridors are a problem.

Bulimba Creek is located in the eastern and south-eastern areas of Brisbane and generally flows northwards into the Brisbane River.

The Bulimba Creek catchment comprises a complex network of creeks and major tributaries, some of which are unnamed, occupying 122 square kilometres, or about 10 per cent of Brisbane’s area. The catchment area extends from the southern suburbs of Kuraby and Runcorn to Hemmant and Murarrie in the north. About 120,000 people call this area home.

The catchment is ringed by significant remnant forest and has extensive areas along the creek corridor that can be restored. The catchment area contains 16 bushland remnants, seven freshwater swamplands and 10 significant riparian remnants.

The upper reaches of the catchment contain undulating hills with narrow valley floors, while the central and downstream reaches feature a wide flat floodplain. Land is currently used for residential, rural-residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and open-space purposes. There are also remnant bushland and wetland areas, with about 10 per cent of the catchment containing bushland vegetation and wetlands.

Bulimba Creek Catchment Map (download .gif map, outline of catchment)

History of Bulimba Creek (external link)

Brisbane City Council's 'Know your Creek' book - click on Bulimba Creek (external link)