Location: -37.8109630465695, 145.22483902527875
A new walking track runs alongside the creek in the Mullum Linear Park. A few years ago, "Friends of Mullum Mullum Valley" co-operated with Manningham City Council to make a linear park along the creek from Ringwood to the Yarra and have helped with a concept plan for the park. At present the council has completed a walking track on the west of the creek, in the section between Reynolds Road and Andersons Creek Road. As well as the track, the council is responsible for revegetation and weed control of the area. Melbourne Water has the care of the creek and have carried out erosion protection in the same section.
Walking through this park, of natural Australian bushland, used to be difficult in wet weather, as in areas, the ground became wet and muddy, now we have an all weather walking track and it has become very popular.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Major Newman's cattle used to come down from the hills to drink in the creek, for this was part of the Pontville grazing run. In the 1860s these leases were taken away for land sales. The land in this area was not sold so was included in the unsold land that became the Bulleen Farmers Common. Here farmers, for a fee of one shilling a quarter per head of cattle and two shillings for horses, could graze their domestic animals. Pigs, goats, sheep or geese were not allowed on the common.
In 1873 the land between Andersons Creek Road and the creek and was sold. Matthew Hoare purchased the lot at the Reynolds Road end. Hoare had been the publican at the Doncaster Hotel, postmaster and member of the Templestowe Roads Board. The next lot was purchased by John Anderson, a farmer and the land at the Andersons Creek Road end by George Mckinley, also a farmer. At that time the stream was called Deep Creek and the farms were part of the Deep Creek settlement. The Education Department built the Deep Creek School on the corner of Andersons Creek Road and Reynolds Road and a mounted mailman left mail for the settlement in a box nailed to a tree outside Henry White's farm farther up Andersons Creek Road.
By the 1920s, other people had occupied these farms, orchards covered the higher land but close to the creek the timbered area remained bushland where the farm horses grazed. During the 1970s, the land was subdivided and the area turned into a modern suburb. The subdividers gave the land along the creek to the council as the required land for recreation. At the same time the-creek was named Mullum Mullum Creek, to match its name at the Ringwood end.
The all weather track is built for walking or bicycle riders, a horse path has been cleared just up the slope on soft ground. The walking track gently curves alongside the creek where Manna gums and Swamp gums grow. Under the trees Black Wattle, Silver Wattle and Christmas mint bush enclose the winding creek. Between these bushes we see vistas of smooth water in the creek before it gurgles over low rapids.
Across Reynolds Road one can walk past the sports centre in Mullum Reserve, then, a gravel path travels alongside the creek to an open park-like area shaded by scattered trees.
The Mullum Mullum Linear Park adds to the wonderful collection of parkland areas that we can enjoy in the City of Manningham. Eventually the linear park with its walking track will follow Mullum Creek from the Main Yarra Trail and the Yarra Park through to Ringwood providing a connecting corridor for native life to move and survive in this populated area of Melbourne.
Source: Irvine Green writing in 1995 06 DTHS Newsletter - Historic Walking tracks through Manningham Parks No7
Mullum Mullum Creek Trail
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