Blind Creek, a tributary of Dandenong Creek, follows a natural corridor from Scoresby Road to near Knox Lake, from which point it flows into an underground stormwater pipe under a depressed overland flow path, down through Lewis Park. Lewis Park itself is a Melbourne Water owned retarding basin, which provides amenity and recreation opportunities but also importantly manages flooding. The site is directly downstream of another naturalisation project just completed led by Melbourne Water as part of their Reimagining Your Creek program.
As Knox continues to grow and densify, this area will be an important space for communities to connect with the environment, recreate in, and to enhance biodiversity.
Council, in close collaboration with Melbourne Water, engaged Alluvium and REALM Studios to deliver this project from concept through to detailed design, with the following initiatives from the master plan:
- Two naturalised ‘daylighted’ creeks
- Wetlands for water quality treatment and habitat
- A water detention pond
- Landscaping elements such as pedestrian bridges, waterway crossings and boardwalks
- Stormwater harvesting opportunities.
The works cover an area of over 20 hectares that will improve biodiversity, habitat and water quality, and create a network of well-designed shared paths linking key places and offering enjoyable experiences.
As of August 2022, the detailed design phase is complete. The delivery of this project will be staged over several years given the scale of works, due to begin in December 2022.
