Johnstons Creek (New South Wales)

Johnstons Creek from the footbridge between Federal and Bicentennial Parks.

Johnstons Creek was a natural waterway. It marked the Eastern boundary of the land granted to George Johnston, in the 1790s, which he named Annandale. The Annandale Estate was subdivided in the latter part of the 19th Century into what is now Stanmore and Annandale. To improve Sanitation in Sydney, Johnston's Creek was converted into a brick and concrete Channel in the 1890s[1].

The channel now forms a boundary of Annandale, Forest Lodge, Camperdown and Stanmore. Orphan School Creek feeds into Johnston's Canal[2].

There are road bridges over Johnston's Creek at Paramatta Road, Booth Street and the Crescent. There are two footbridges across the Canal. A former road bridge, connects Jubilee Park to Federal Park[3]. A former Tram Bridge provides a direct route from Minogue Crescent to Hogan and Spindler Park. A Heavy Rail viaduct, now used for Light Rail, passes over the Channel, between Jubilee Park and Federal Park. There is a small pedestrian and road bridge over the canal at Harold Park[4].

In 1898, the Johnston's Creek Aqueduct[5], was built above the creek to connect the Western suburbs to the Main sewer line. The Johnston and White's Creek Aqueducts were the first reinforced concrete structure in Australia[6].

A Salt Marsh wetland was constructed in 2001 to filter storm water before it enters Sydney Harbour via Johnston's Creek.

On 16 September 2009 a shark believed to be 1.8 metres long was sighted in Johnston's Creek by passers at Bicentennial Park, Glebe. Glimpses of what appeared to be a bull shark in the canal had been reported for several days. One theory is that it pursued schools of fish up the canal then got cut off in an isolated pool as the tide dropped off. Freelance photographer, Minas Aroney, was riding his bike when he saw a small crowd gathering around the canal. "I was quite blown away - the shark was a beautiful blue colour", he said. "Apparently it had been beached some way further up the canal, where it goes under Harold Park Raceway. It was swimming from side to side in the canal for a while before it found its way out." The shark was last seen swimming along the Glebe foreshore in the direction of the Anzac Bridge.

In 2011, the Harold Park Paceway was demolished.

External links

• Johnstons Creek Stormwater Channel
• Photographs from a walk to Johnston's Creek and the Federal Park wetlands
• Susanne Martain's photographs of Federal Park and Johnston's Creek wildlife (Eco-Annandale 2010 Exhibition)

See also

• Whites Creek