A black duck swimming in water that is reflecting leaves and the sky from above. banner image

Water

Water plays an important role at the Garden. We have designed the site to enhance the different water features. These features include natural creeks and a series of artificial lakes. These provide habitat for wetland plant communities and water-loving animals.

Water is a significant feature of the Garden, whether it's still or moving, natural or man-made. It adds the dimension of space and light and illustrates the different plant communities that inhabit wet areas.

Creeks

Deep Creek provides the central axis of the Garden. We have planned most of the site's development around this feature. Upstream Deep Creek Dam releases about 60,000 litres each day so Deep Creek's water flow is continual.

Some tributaries only flow during or straight after rain then become static pools of water and wet areas.

Rehabilitation

As you wander through the Garden, you'll notice that previous rainfall has disturbed some of the creek lines. We have implemented a rehabilitation program to control the resultant erosion. These rehabilitation measures demonstrate some of the natural resource management techniques we use.

We also designed the development along the creek system so that it prevents further damage to the creek lines.

Island in the lake

We created a small lake in the centre of the Garden by damming an ephemeral creek. The lake area has been further developed as part of the display gardens.

Opposite the lake is an amphitheatre with tiered seating. We designed this space for ceremonies, community entertainment or as an outdoor classroom.

Ponds

The ponds featured around the Garden have varied and overlapping functions. They act as display areas for wetland flora, either growing in the water or on the boggy margins. These plants play an important role in the ecosystem, as they:

  • improve water quality
  • stabilise soil banks
  • provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for: reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, insects and birds.

We have designed some of the Garden's ponds to act as silt traps. This design prevents flood debris from washing into the main ponds, which disrupts pond life and reduces water depth.

Contact us

If you have questions about the role of water in the Garden, you can contact us at: