Site 2 Yarra Bend Park, Northcote & Collingwood - Merri Creek/Yarra River Confluence, Digitate Delta

This information has been developed from one or more of these publications:

Sites of Environmental Significance in the Flood Plain of the Upper Yarra Valley Region (1983) by Neville Rosengren, Douglas Frood and Kim Lowe (as part of a study of Sites of Environmental Significance by the University of Melbourne for the then Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Authority).

Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values.Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:	YARRA 5000/04.06 E23950 N16750
	Immediately upstream of Dights Falls by the Eastern Freeway crossing of Merri Creek.
Access:	Trennery Cr and Merri Path.
Ownership & Municipality:	Public Land (Dights Falls Park) City of Collingwood (west/right bank), City of Northcote (east/left bank).
Site Description:	At the confluence of the Merri Creek and Yarra River, a deltaic deposit of clay, silt sand and gravel has extended the course of the Merri Creek into the channel of the Yarra River just upstream of Dights Falls. The ponding of water by the falls reduced the velocity of the current of the Yarra River and Deltaic growth occurred as the faster moving waters of Merri Creek slackened and sediment was deposited. The natural delta was of digitate form and consisted of parallel “silt jetties”, with the eastern jetty being a prominent narrow extending for about 300 metres. The delta has been substantially modified by road and bridgeworks of the Eastern Freeway. The meander of the Yarra River into which the Merri Creek debouched has been truncated by these works and the linear deltaic form has been lost. Much of the apparent “deltaic” deposit at the site is actually artificial infill although pebbles of basalt and Silurian mudstone and sandstone in the creek channel illustrate the hard rock geology of the catchment of the two streams.
Significance Rating:	Local.
	This is a very disturbed site. Although a small deltaic form can still be discerned, the context of the site has been lost as a result of the Freeway engineering works.
Site Sensitivity:	Class 3.
	This is only a partly natural site and the sensitive elements have been substantially altered dye to channelisation of the creek and the road and bridgeworks. The major attribute of the site is that it forms a natural platform to view the outcrops of Silurian rock at Dights Falls.
References:	None are known.

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