Green Valley Creek (Sydney) Explained

Green Valley Creek is a stream situated in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1] A tributary of Orphan School Creek, the creek is one of the five significant creeks that are found within the Fairfield City Council LGA.

Course

Green Valley Creek is piped upstream of North Liverpool Road and is generally subterranean around this area, with reedy natural channels. Though it travels downstream within a riparian waterway for approximately 7km to its confluence with Orphan School Creek. Having a 7.4km2 catchment area, the creek traverses Bonnyrigg, St Johns Park, Cabramatta West and Canley Heights, where it meets the Orphan School Creek at Endeavor Sports Park to the east (just south of Fairfield West). To the south of St John's Road and Chisholm Park in Canley Heights, the creek becomes intermittent due to its heavily marshy and reedy nature, where it would only fill during heavy rainfall events, although streams of water can be found irregularly in its course.[2]

There is a minor level of flood interaction and backwater at the Orphan School Creek/Green Valley Creek confluence, which can affect low-laying areas, as minor flood spill had occurred in Edensor Road at Edensor Park.[2]

Bush restoration

The original vegetation on the floodplains that bounded these creek was the River-flat eucalypt forest and Coastal Swamp Oak Forest, which were vastly cleared as Sydney's metropolitan area grew larger and is now listed as an endangered community. Within the past few decades, Fairfield Council has been restoring the riparian vegetation near the creek, with a 2019 regeneration project been conducted at Barook Park, where over 4,700 plants were planted within the Green Valley Creek corridor.[3]

Crime

In May 2022, the creek gained local notoriety after a body of an 18 year old girl, who had been missing for a month, was discovered on its streambed.[4]

See also

-33.878°N 150.931°W

Notes and References

  1. L.J. Wiles, Fairfield City Council (January 1982) Green Valley Creek Drainage Study. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  2. https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/documents/plan_build/flood-maps/3tribsoct08part1.pdf Flood Study for Orphan School Creek, Green Valley Creek and Clear Paddock Creek
  3. https://georgesriver.org.au/news/green-valley-creek-restoration Green Valley Creek Restoration
  4. https://7news.com.au/news/nsw/body-of-missing-teenager-found-in-creek-bed-in-canley-vale-c-6984996 Body of missing teenager found in creek bed in Canley Vale