Upper Merri Creek Catchment Tour 2026: The lands and waters of the wallan wallan Regional Parkland

Explore the lands and waters of the proposed wallan wallan Regional Parkland

Sunday 15 November 2026, 8:30 am – 5.30 pm (Register by Monday 9 November)

Join Friends of Merri Creek for an investigative journey from Wallan to Woodstock, showing the Merri Creek, but not as you know it. We will see the Merri Creek and its tributaries, and remnants of the vast Herne Swamp. We'll see how the ancient basalt lava flows, also known as stoney rises, created the current features of the creeks and wetlands 800,000 years ago. These places will form the eastern half of the wallan wallan Regional Parkland.

The creeks and the swamp have survived 190 years of white settlement. In some places the Merri has been turned into a linear agricultural channel, to literally drain the swamp. In other places, land managers have protected parts of the wetlands and the Merri Gorge, which still have remnant sections of native vegetation. We can see how the creek looked when the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung were the sole carers for Country.

The tour will be led by Michael Longmore, Ecological Restoration Manager at Merri Creek Management Committee, and by Paul Macgregor, ecological historian and President of BEAM Mitchell Environment Group. Michael will talk about the ecological communities along the Upper Merri, including the rare seasonal herbaceous wetland. Michael has been managing MCMC's conservation efforts in some of the public and privately owned lands in the Upper Catchment. Paul has been researching how land use changes in the last two centuries have led to the current state of the landscapes and waterways.

Together, Michael and Paul will show how changes in land management approaches can lead to expanded protection and restoration.

This tour is part of our campaign for the creation of the wallan wallan Regional Parkland. Find more details at wallanwallanrp.org.au

Bring your own picnic lunch and water bottle, sun/rain protection and closed-in, preferably waterproof shoes or boots.

Please note:

- This tour may involve short walks on uneven, rocky or muddy ground.

- Children are welcome but must be in the company of, and under the direct supervision of, their parent or guardian at all times.

- Please don't attend if you are feeling unwell and have any cold or flu-like symptoms.

- Further details of the itinerary will be provided to ticket holders closer to the event. The tour will include toilet stops. A light afternoon tea will be provided.

For any queries email friendsofmerricreek@gmail.com

Friends of Merri Creek respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional and ongoing custodians of the Merri Merri. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded.