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Back Creek is a watercourse running through central and southern Boroondara.
History
Regular flooding in the early development of Boroondara caused significant issues. Culverts, fences and other features were often swept away, such as in the 1866 and 1885 floods.[1]
Back Creek provided irrigation water for the farms around Hartwell, Camberwell and Burwood. However, regular flooding caused transport to be halted and many culverts, bridges and other items to be damaged or destroyed. As a result, the first agenda item of the newly-formed Boroondara District Road Board was to built a bridge over the Creek on Camberwell Road (then Ballyshanassy Road) in Hartwell.[1]
As development intensified and the population increased during the early 20th century, increasing amounts of stormwater and runoff were flowing into local creeks. Several cases of diphtheria and typhoid were reported to Camberwell Council in the late 1910s.[1]