The dry sullivan

Tetranitrate said :

It’s kind of a pity it’s culverted. Imagine how nice it would be as a real creek?

It’d probably get eroded pretty badly. Especially once the willows (which were planted on the banks of all similar creeks in Canberra) were massacred.

I spent many hours as a kid playing around the creek that runs through Haig Park in the 70’s and 80’s. Catching tadpoles, frogs, leeches, tubifex worms, earth worms … I thought it was my own slice of paradise. There was always some water to be found, even if it was only a few stagnating pools for the dogs to use as perfume. Good times they were.

Bank erosion was not a significant issue back then, but it was mainly due to lots of trees along the banks. Looking back at it now though (hindsight is always 20/20) I recognise many of those trees holding the banks together as pest species (catoneaster, pyracantha etc). Sullivans would indeed look awesome if it were heavily planted, even if only to hide some more of that awful concrete corridor from view.

poetix said :

Somehow I think it’ll be white water tonight!

Yep, driving home in the middle of the storm last night it was well over the top of the concrete banks.

I bet there’s plenty of water in it now.

I suspect after the deluge it is once again a kayaker’s wet dream

Somehow I think it’ll be white water tonight!

and sad to think that this lovely stream which inspired the Cashew’s ‘Down by Sullivan’s Creek’, should have declined to such an uninspiring state.

johnboy said :

your mileage may vary.

Damn straight YMMV, JB. I was at Lyneham high not too long ago in the grand scheme of things, and it was pretty much always dry. This is five or so years ago, but I still don’t think you can call it a rare event.

Chop71 said :

It sure can flow fast after a big rain event. I remember the guys from Ursula College going down it from ANU Bar to Burgman Collage in a canoe and being bitten by a water rat.

Holy crap, that’s terrible. I hope the poor thing was OK, and didn’t need too much medication or counselling. What an experience for a rat to undergo.

Tetranitrate said :

It’s kind of a pity it’s culverted. Imagine how nice it would be as a real creek?

It’d probably get eroded pretty badly.

Total Concrete Management has been out of fashion for Civil Engineers for decades now. There are plenty of more attractive and enviromentally friendly designs for such waterways that work just fine. Of course, none of them are as much fun to ride your bike in ….

It’s kind of a pity it’s culverted. Imagine how nice it would be as a real creek?

It’d probably get eroded pretty badly. Especially once the willows (which were planted on the banks of all similar creeks in Canberra) were massacred.