The image below is of a painting by Constance Gordon-Cumming of 'Ginnindarra Creek looking to Murrumbidgee hills, Murray County, N.S. Wales, 30th Aug., 1875'.
Image National Library of Australia (here)
Crace was a pastoralist who owned the extensive properties of Ginninderra, Gungahlin and Charnwood Stations around Canberra. He arrived in Australia in 1865 and by the 1870's had acquired 30,000 acres of land in the 'Limestone Plains' (Canberra) district. The Ginninderra Station creek however can be a wild, dangerous torrent and crossing the creek in heavy weather was fraught with danger. After constantly crossing the creek for more than twenty years things suddenly turned to grief. In 1892 at the age of 48, whilst trying to cross a flooded and angry Ginninderra Creek, both Crace and his overseer perished in the floodwater.
The Canberra Times, Monday 6 November 1939, page 2
National Library of Australia (here)
Ginninderra Creek flows across the Ginninderra Plain and through the Gungahlin and Belconnen regions of Canberra. The creeks catchment covers approximately 32,000 hectares and now handles a quarter of Canberra's suburban storm water. The water is today fed through the man-made 'Lake Ginninderra' used as a settling pond before finally discharging into the Murrumbidgee River. That same storm water continued to provide quite a hindrance to travel in the district during stormy weather as there were no bridges to afford a safe crossing. Some years after Crace's death Mr P. F. Blewitt nearly suffered the same fate...
The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 2 March 1909, page 8
National Library of Australia (here)
Seventeen years after Blewitt's experience with the Ginninderra Creek, and nearly thirty-five years after Crace's demise, a bridge was finally constructed by the Federal Capital Commission and operational in 1926.
The Canberra Times, Thursday 16 December 1926, page 9
National Library of Australia (here)
An image of the old bridge...
Image National Archives of Australia (here)
The creek today...
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Those recent images look a little sad, does this creek ever have more water flowing than this?
ReplyDeleteThe flow of the creek is dependent largely on the weather. Good rain significantly increases the flow. The nearby Murrumbidgee River is different however... since the construction of the Tantangra Dam in the Snowys 50% of the flow has been diverted. Like the Ginninderra Creek, when it does flood though it does so with a vengeance.
ReplyDeleteThanks Le Loup
after the recent deluge of rain the creek has swelled into a huge, gushing river. The foot bridge over the creek in the centre of Ginninderra dve, not far from the Charnwood shops, was submerged for a few days and is still closed. During a dry summer this same foot bridge stands high above the creek, which reduces to a trickle. If you want to see a swollen and gushing river, check out the Ginninderra ck over the next couple of days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your efforts Dave -
Helen
Thanks Helen. I'll make a trip (from southside) and take a few pictures. I have been getting quite a few with all this wet weather! Cheers Dave.
ReplyDelete