The Dandenong Creek (Aboriginal Bunwurrung: Narra Narrawong^[1] or Dandinnong^[2]) is an urban creek^[3] of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the eastern and south-eastern Greater Melbourne region of the Australian east coast state of Victoria. The creek descends approximately 550 metres (1,800 ft) over its course of 53 kilometres (33 mi)^[1] before joining the Eumemmerring Creek to form the Patterson River (of which it can be considered the de facto main stem) and eventually draining into the Beaumaris Bay.

Quick Facts Dandenong Dand-y-non, Tanjenong, Etymology ...

Dandenong Dand-y-non, Tanjenong[1]
Dandenong Creek as a canalized urban stream in Dandenong Park, Dandenong
Location of the Dandenong Creek mouth in Victoria
Etymology	Aboriginal Bunwurrung: "high" or "lofty"[1]
Native name	Narra Narrawong, Dandinnong[1][2]
Location
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Region	South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), Greater Melbourne
Local government area	City of Monash
Physical characteristics
Source	Dandenong Ranges
2nd source	Bungalook Creek
• location	near Heathmont
• coordinates	37°50′8″S 145°15′25″E
• elevation	556 m (1,824 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the Eumemmerring Creek to form the Patterson River
• location	southwest of Bangholme
• coordinates	38°02′30″S 145°10′34″E
• elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Length	53 km (33 mi)
Basin features
River system	Port Phillip catchment
Tributaries
• left	Corhanwarrabul Creek, Blind Creek, Old Joes Creek, Dobsons Creek
• right	Mordialloc Creek, Mile Creek, Heatherdale Creek, Bungalook Creek, Little Bungalook Creek
[3][4]

Close

Together with its distributary Mordialloc Creek and the culvert-linked Kananook Creek and Elster Creek, the so-called "Dandenong Catchment" has an overall catchment of approximately 882 km² (341 sq mi).^[5]

The traditional custodians of the land surrounding what is now known as the Dandenong Creek were the indigenous Bunurong people of the Kulin nation who referred to the creek as Narra Narrawong; while others gave the creek the name Dandenong, sometimes spelled as Dand-y-non or Tanjenong by early settlers, believed to mean "high" or "lofty".^[1]

The first European to see the creek near its source was in 1839 and is believed to be Daniel Bunce, a botanist.^[1]

Dandenong Creek has its headwaters in the Dandenong Ranges near Olinda, sourced by a series of springs and small runoff streams within the Dandenong Ranges National Park. The creek can be roughly separated into three sections:

• The Upper Dandenong starts at the Olinda town center and first flows westwards between Mount Dandenong and The Basin, picking up its first significant tributary, the Dobson Creek, near a retarding basin just west of the junction among The Basin, Kilsyth, Kilsyth South and Boronia. It continues further west as the boundary between several adjacent suburbs, picking up Little Bungalook and Tarralla-Bungalook Creek before turning southwards at the junction between Ringwood, Vermont and Wantirna, roughly where EastLink crosses.
• The Middle Dandenong starts at the mouth of the small Heatherdale Creek just west of EastLink, and then flows meandrously to the south, joined by the Blind Creek (near Jells Park). It then crosses over to the east side of the EastLink, joined by the Corhanwarrabul Creek (at the Tirhatuan Wetlands), and then courses southeast towards the western edge of the Churchill National Park, crossing the namesaked Dandenong Valley Highway (Stud Road) in the process. After draining a series of greenspace reserves known as the Dandenong Valley Parklands, the creek reaches a former police paddock in Endeavour Hills and turns more southwardly again as the boundary between Dandenong North and Endeavour Hills. The riparian zones and associated runoff catchment surrounding the tri-suburban junction between Dandenong North, Dandenong and Doveton are known as the Dandenong Wetlands, which include a 0.8 km (0.5 mi) section of Heatherton Road just west of Monash Freeway that functions as a floodway. The creek then continues further south as the northern half of the boundary between Dandenong and Doveton.
• The Lower Dandenong starts just upstream of the Clow Street bridge in Dandenong East, where the creek becomes concrete-lined throughout almost its entire course within Dandenong. It first turns southwest at Dandenong Park, looping shortly northwest before crossing Princes Highway and the Pakenham/Cranbourne railway line, then continues further westwards south of the Dandenong town center until it picks up the Mile Creek (its last de jure tributary) about 350 m (380 yd) upstream of the Dandenong Bypass bridge. It then turns straight south again and courses alongside the EastLink's east side as the boundary between Dandenong South and Keysborough, crossing over to the west side of the EastLink again about 1 km (0.62 mi) before giving off Mordialloc Creek near the tri-suburban junction with Bangholme at the Perry Road bridge. It then flows southwest into Bangholme for another 1.4 km (0.87 mi) before reaching its confluence with the Eumemmerring Creek to form the partly man-made Patterson River, which continues southwest through Bangholme, Patterson Lakes, Bonbeach and Carrum and drains into the Beaumaris Bay, a small eastern bight of Port Phillip Bay north of the Mornington Peninsula.

The series of open space reserves along the Dandenong Creek and its tributaries provide important habitat for many urban wildlife in the outer eastern/southeastern suburbs. The creek is also the home of one of the largest remaining populations of Yarra Gum,^[6] and a series of linear parks, nature reserves and wetlands are located along it. A bike path known as the Dandenong Creek Trail runs alongside for a significant distance.

The health of the creek in these urban areas ranges from moderate to very poor and has been the focus of a number of clean-up campaigns in recent years.^[7] An industrial wastewater stream known as Old Joes Creek flows into Dandenong Creek, with its confluence in Bayswater.^[8] This drain runs underground for much of its course, running in a westerly direction and servicing several industrial estates in the catchment of Dandenong Creek.^[9] The tributary is commonly contaminated with plastic litterings and heavy metals, and authorities have made several attempts to prevent pollution which spreads downstream into Dandenong Creek.^[10][11]

The list below notes current bridges that cross over the Dandenong Creek. Some are road and rail bridges, whilst others are pedestrian and equestrian crossings.

• List of rivers of Australia § Victoria