Melbourne Water - Wetland educational videos
Drainage story of the wetlands
A short video with images and photos to present the Edithvale-Seaford Wetland, a
remnant of the original Carrum Carrum Swamp, which was drained for grazing and
housing development.
Speakers
Narrator – N1
Speaker 2 – S2 (Graham Daff)
N1: Melbourne Water, along with local councils, manage the stormwater drainage
system across the Melbourne area, and the Edithvale wetlands works as a part of this
system. Stormwater flows in here when it rains.
[on-screen text: Drainage story of the wetlands]
N1: This is Graham. He works for Melbourne Water and knows all there is to know about
stormwater drainage in this area.
[on-screen text: Graham Daff, Melbourne Water Drainage Engineer]
S2: The Carrum Carrum Swamp is the area at the bottom of the catchment which waters
came from Dandenong Creek, Eumemorang Creek, and also from Boggy Creek. The
water, once it got into Carrum Carrum Swamp could not get into the bay because there’s
a sand dune that runs parallel with the beach.
N1: Without an outlet into Port Phillip Bay, all the water from the creeks slowly filled the
areas between the sand dunes and became a big wet swampland, stretching from
Frankston to Mordialloc and all the way out to where Dandenong is now.
S2: In the late 1800s, they decided to drain the swamp and the way they decided to do
that was to put a cut through the sand dune where Patterson River is now. This cut was
made in 1879 and it was 30 feet wide. Two years later there was a very large storm, and
the cut ended up 300 feet wide.
N1: Over the next 100 years, engineers continued to drain the swamp by creating creeks
like Mordialloc Creek and Eel Race Drain, to carry all the water away from the area. All
this work eventually dried up the land, making it useful for grazing and housing
development. Thankfully, two portions of the swamp were preserved, and became the
Edithvale and Seaford wetlands that we know today.
S2: It is essential for the wetlands to remain because they are an important
environmental site. They are very important to the drainage system in that it stores
flood-waters and prevents the housing from flooding.
N1: There are plenty of ways you can help ensure the stormwater that flows into the
wetlands is healthy. Check that your car isn’t leaking oil or petrol that could escape down
the drain. If your dog does a poo, pick it up and put it in the bin. And if you have any
litter, also put that in the bin and make sure the lid is on secure and tight.
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It’s pretty simple, and that will help keep our wetlands healthy.
Because, not only is this wetland a beautiful home for birds and animals, but it also plays
a significant role in our drainage system.
[Melbourne Water logo; tagline ‘Working with council & community to manage
stormwater drainage’]
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