Olinda Creek

Olinda Creek
River
Olinda Creek Main street crossing from pedestrian footbridge
Name origin: Named after Alice Olinda Hodgkinson, daughter of Deputy Surveyor-General Clement Hodgkinson
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Region	Central Victoria
City	Melbourne
Source	Mount Dandenong
- location	Great Dividing Range, Victoria
- elevation	580 m (1,903 ft)
Mouth
- location	Yarra River, Coldstream, Victoria, Australia
- elevation	76 m (249 ft)
Length	21.4 km (13.3 mi)

Olinda Creek is a major tributary of the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. Its origins are in the Dandenong Ranges, and it is notable for passing through the settlement of Lilydale (now a suburb of Melbourne) before joining with the Yarra near Coldstream.^[1][2]

History and Toponomy

When Europeans first entered this area of southern Australia, they moved up the valley of the Olinda Creek (then called Running Creek because it was a perennial stream). The formal naming process began with the survey of Lilydale township by John Hardy in 1859-60. At the same time that he named Lilydale, Hardy renamed the creek ‘Olinda’ after Alice Olinda Hodgkinson, daughter of Deputy Surveyor-General Clement Hodgkinson.

Lillydale Lake

Between 1988 and 1990 a dam was built on the creek just south of Lilydale, creating Lillydale Lake. The lake provides flood mitigation to areas downstream. It incorporates extensive wetlands and is a community recreation facility.^[3]

References

Coordinates: 37°40′56″S 145°21′16″E / 37.6822°S 145.3544°E / -37.6822; 145.3544