Our waterways are the lifeblood of the Coast. By protecting them, we keep our community thriving and full of life.
Once a stretch of mudflats, this entire area has been reshaped by urbanisation. It’s hard to imagine now that, from where you stand through to Spreyton Primary School, the land was once underwater with each incoming tide.
Starting in the 1800s, settlers relied heavily on these waterways for their livelihoods. Reclaiming a large area of the flats for farming, milling, orchards, rubbish tips and factories-while essential for community growth-left a lasting impact on the natural ecosystem.
The riparian zone is the riverbanks and the vegetation that surround it. This zone plays a critical role in sustaining the rich biodiversity of this area. This creek and the adjoining Mersey River are home to countless species of flora and fauna that depend on these delicate ecosystems for survival.
Today, local teams are dedicated to protecting the estuarine environment and vulnerable coastal saltmarsh communities. As you walk along this path, take note of the revegetation efforts, and see if you can spot some of our threatened species.
The importance of these waterways has remained constant. By understanding the connection between these waterways and our community’s well-being, we can all play a part in preserving them for future generations.
The threatened species below are all native to Spreyton. Have you seen any? What other creatures might be hiding along the pathway—in the riverbank vegetation, Mersey River waters, or treetops of Kelcey Tier’s dry forests?
Tasmanian Azure Kingfisher – Ceyx azureus diemenensis
Swift Parrot – Lathamus discolour
Wedge-Tailed Eagle – Aquila audax fleayi
Central North Burrowing Crayfish – Engaeus granulatus
White-Bellied Sea-Eagle – Haliaeetus leucogaster
Eastern-barred Bandicoot – Perameles gunnii gunnii
The Hidden World beneath our feet.
Beneath our feet, tucked away in muddy banks and peaty soil, lives one of nature’s quiet mysteries: the Central North Burrowing Crayfish (Engaeus granulatus).
Found only in southeastern Australia, this remarkable little creature spends its life within intricate underground burrows, rarely surfacing except on the dampest of nights. With granulated claws and a narrow, compact body, it’s uniquely adapted for life below ground, where its vertically opening claws allow it to navigate the tight tunnels it calls home.
Like all crayfish, this hidden treasure depends on water to survive, carefully digging down to the water table in dry seasons, sometimes burrowing as deep as three meters to find the life-sustaining moisture it needs. Its diet consists of decaying leaves and twigs—nature’s recycler, quietly tending to the forest floor from below.
At the entrance to each burrow, you may find a little “chimney” of mud pellets, sometimes reaching up to 40 cm high. We don’t fully understand why these delicate towers are built, but they are unmistakable signs of the crayfish’s presence, a tiny monument to its secret life below.
As spring arrives, females carefully protect their eggs and hatchlings, sheltering them beneath their tails in a hidden pocket, passing on life in a delicate cycle that plays out beyond our view.
These quiet creatures, each with their unique needs for soil, water, and vegetation, play an important role in our ecosystem. Their lives beneath the ground are fragile, and when their habitats disappear, it becomes harder for them to survive. By looking after them, we help protect the hidden, natural world right under our feet.