Cr Andrew Tilley

Brownhill Creek

There’s something special about a creek. Brownhill Creek in our case. Its waters flow from the ridges of Sheoak Hill along Waverley Ridge and the ridge line at Eagle on the Hill. The whole area located within the City of Mitcham. It was a particularly special area for the Kaurna people, serving as a camping, hunting and gathering ground. It was once known as Wirraparinga (meaning "scrub and camping place"), and up to 150 people inhabited the area. Now it’s become particularly special to us as we’ve made our homes along its banks and its floodplains dotted with magnificent old giant gum trees so significant and emblematic of our area.

In 1840, Mitcham Village was established on Brownhill Creek and named after Mitcham in Surrey, England. The District Council of Mitcham was formed in 1853. In 1880 Brownhill Creek was tapped to provide a pressurised water supply to Mitcham. By 1891 the Manure Pits were erected on Brownhill Creek to stop pollution of the water supply from horse manure left on the roads.

Brownhill Creek Recreation Park, one of Adelaide's oldest, commenced in 1841. In the early 1890s a swimming hole was created by a stone wall built across Brownhill Creek, removed in 1902 and rebuilt as a 90m swimming pool with a diving board and change rooms in 1929. It fell into disrepair after WW2 but its weir is still visible today and in 2024 this was converted into a stream gauging station. This site is now called ‘the Shelter Tree’ where a collaboration between the Brownhill Creek Association, National Parks and local schools have preserved and planted an area around an ageing River Gum known to be a resting place for Kaurna People.

In the urban area the creek has been relied on as a stormwater channel but urban development has created stormwater flows that now exceed channel capacity for severe storms exacerbated by climate change. It’s a challenge for all councils to balance this role with the environmental, habitat and recreational roles that streams and adjacent parks provide. Mitcham is making substantial investments in permeable pavements, kerb side-entry infiltration pits and detention basins in all urban stream catchments to help re-naturalise our city in line with Adelaide’s Green City commitments.

Mitcham is doing its part in supporting the Brownhill Creek Keswick Creek Stormwater Management Plan. In 2019 Brownhill Creek, Hawthorn Soldiers Memorial Reserve and JW Morris Reserve were redeveloped to reduce flooding and have improved flood protection and to some extent improved amenity within the bounds of Council’s current holdings. Work will commence this financial year at the Betty Long Gardens in Torrens Park with the aim to stabilise the banks and improve diversity of plantings. The section of Brownhill Creek from Cross Road to and including the Hampton Street Bridge will also be upgraded to increase flow capacity and property flooding risk.

Our job is to keep the creeks special…

This article may contain personal views or opinions held by individual Council Members, and may not necessarily represent the formal position of the Council