Sullivans Creek, a
partly perennial stream of the
Murrumbidgee catchment within the
Murray–Darling basin
The Murray–Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary o ...
, is located in
Canberra,
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
,
Australia.
Location and features

Sullivans Creek rises close to the border between the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, north-east of
Kenny, and north-west of
Watson
Watson may refer to:
Companies
* Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals
* A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa
* Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center
* Watson Systems, make ...
. The creek is formed by runoff from
Mount Majura,
Mount Ainslie
Mount Ainslie is a hill with an elevation of that is located in the northeastern suburbs of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Mount Ainslie lies within part of the Canberra Nature Park.
Location and features
Mount Ains ...
,
O'Connor Ridge and
Black Mountain
Black Mountain may refer to:
Places Australia
* Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory), a mountain in Canberra
* Black Mountain, New South Wales, a village in Armidale Regional Council, New South Wales
* Black Mountain, Queensland, a loca ...
. Sullivans Creek flows generally south-west, through a small channel within a much larger older gully system in its upper reaches; and through a series of urban sealed stormwater channels in its middle reaches; before reaching the grounds of the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, towards its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...
with the
Molonglo River
The Molonglo River, a perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Monaro and Capital Country regions of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia.
...
near
Acton. Molonglo River is now dammed as
Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after W ...
. The creek has a catchment area of and is approximately long.
[
The creek was originally called Canberry (or Canburry) Creek, since early European settlement in the area, from 1823. During the 1850s, William Sullivan and his family acquired grazing land surrounding the creek, and at some stage thereafter, the creek name was changed to Sullivans Creek. Within the grounds of the Australian National University, the creek's original ]course
Course may refer to:
Directions or navigation
* Course (navigation), the path of travel
* Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
has been altered to accommodate growth of the campus and enhance the natural landscape. Within the Acton campus, two bridges cross Sullivans Creek; MacPherson's Bridge, that was named after the original landowner, John MacPherson, and Canberry Bridge.[
Following heavy rains during 2012 that caused minor flooding of Sullivans Creek, it was reported that people were ]raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrel ...
ing along the course of the creek, within the grounds of the Australian National University.
After flooding was caused by heavy rains in 2018, all of the books on the lower levels of the ANU's Chifley Library were destroyed by the overflow.
See also
*Rivers of Australia
This is a list of rivers of Australia. Rivers are ordered alphabetically, by state. The same river may be found in more than one state as many rivers cross state borders.
Longest rivers nationally
Longest river by state or territory
Althoug ...
* History of Canberra
References
External links
*
Rafting on Sullivans Creek at ANU
posted on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
, 2012.
Geography of Canberra
Rivers of the Australian Capital Territory
Murray-Darling basin
Australian National University
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