A great egret looks for breakfast at Calamvale Creek

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Photo acknowledgment

Many historical photos of the Golden Pond wetland system on this website were kindly provided by Associate Professor Margaret Greenway and Research Assistant Carolyn Polson from the School of Environmental Engineering at Griffith University. We thank them greatly.

Aerial photographs came from the Department of Natural Resources.

We also thank Ross Bomf and any photographers whose names we do not know if we have used their photographs without specific acknowledgment.

Using our photos

Photos on this website are copyright. If you want to use any, email us at: creeklife@gmail.com

When water dries up

“Flooding and drying of wetlands, especially in the subtropics/tropics, is a natural occurrence and is necessary to maintain wetland vegetation and maximise nutrient cycling.”

“A constructed wetland with a diversity of plant species and macrophyte zones subjected to wetting and drying cycles, as well as open water zones, will maximise water treatment efficiency. It will also support a greater diversity of aquatic organisms. Deeper water zones will function as refuge habitats for these organisms during dry periods and allow rapid recolonisation of newly inundated zones. This is particularly important for the management of potential mosquito breeding since predators of mosquito larvae will already be present.”

From Stormwater Wetlands: Design criteria to maximise water quality improvement and minimise mosquito breeding.
(PDF 87 KB, opens in new window)

Critters of Calamvale Creek

Calamvale Creek during flood and drought

Calamvale Creek relies on stormwater runoff to top it up. So it is prone to flooding during heavy storms and drying up after long periods of no rain.

Here are photos of both occurrences.

Flood

boardwalk_smashed_after_storm (53K)

The photo above shows the boardwalk near Gowan Road smashed shortly after construction when a strong storm knocked trees on to it.

Flood_Jan_25_2007_1 (33K)

Above: The creek in flood after heavy rain on January 25, 2007.

Flood_Jan_25_2007_4 (34K)

The parkland surrounding the creek is a shallow bowl designed to hold and retard floodwaters so they won't flood nearby houses. The photo above shows the park along Matilda Way. Occasionally the waters have briefly reached road level, but they drop quickly when the rain eases.

Flood_Jan_25_2007_3 (38K)

The wooden bridge over the creek was temporarily cut off after the January 25, 2007 flood, although it was passable for those who didn't mind getting their feet wet.

Flood_Jan_25_2007_2 (39K)

Above: The western end of the wooden bridge. A small tree had fallen across the path from the heavy rain, hindering access to the bridge and boardwalk.

Drought

Drought_Oct_2004_1 (67K)

Above: In October 2004, the creek was the driest it had been for years.

Drought_Oct_2004_2 (62K)

Large parts of the creek had no surface moisture. Only the deeper water zones functioned as refuges for organisms that were later able to recolonize the wetlands and creek.

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