Landcare Northern Territory engaged Mulloon Consulting in 2025 to assess Mitchell Creek, Rapid Creek, Sandy Creek and Ludmilla Creek, which all flow into Darwin Harbour.
These creeks and their catchments have significant ecological value with large areas of mangroves and riparian vegetation as well as significant cultural value to the Larrakia People. However, there have been rising concerns and pressure placed on these delicate ecosystems from the surrounding urban areas and new developments, and locals have reported increasing erosion, weeds, sediment and reduced water quality.
In August 2025, landscape planners Henry Burt and Lance Mudgway spent a week engaging with local Landcare groups, conducting community walks and assessing impacted areas. These findings were translated into conceptual catchment plans and preliminary designs for priority sites to align practical, nature-positive interventions that restore flow pathways, stabilise erosion hotspots, protect cultural and ecological values, reduce sediment runoff and improve water quality across the Darwin Harbour system.
In February 2026, two workshops were presented to a diverse group of environmental professionals, local Landcare groups and community volunteers. The first workshop focused on the Mitchell Creek catchment and had 30 participants.
This was followed by a second workshop that included the Sandy, Rapid, and Ludmilla Creek catchments, which attracted an attendance of 40 people. The workshops focused on presenting the findings and recommendations in the reports, followed by a tour of the catchments and various key sites.
These discussions aimed to enable the designed interventions to be correctly implemented and for these landscapes to be sustainably managed over time as new issues arise.
Pictured right: Rapid Creek in the dry season.
Landcare NT received funding over four years from 2025 to 2028, from the Australian Government’s Urban Rivers and Catchments Program to undertake the Darwin Harbour Catchment Waterways Project. The project aims to improve water quality, support native species and boost biodiversity in four major catchments of the Darwin Harbour:
- Sandy Creek (Casuarina Coastal Reserve)
- Rapid Creek
- Ludmilla Creek
- Mitchell Creek
The project is a collaboration with local Landcare groups, environmental organisations and Larrakia traditional land and water managers. Focal issues are weeds, vegetation health, habitat condition, litter, water quality, fire management and erosion.
Pictured above: Erosion in the Mitchell Creek catchment.
Pictured above: Erosion in the Sandy Creek catchment. .
Pictured above: Mangroves in the Sandy Creek catchment. .
Pictured above: Discussing drainage infrastructure in a park in the Sandy Creek catchment.