Badger Creek

Did a horse really get stuck in Badger Creek? Well, that’s one story about how this place, Badger Creek, got its name. We’re standing just a short distance from Healesville, about 53 kilometers northeast of Melbourne. Badger Creek isn’t just a creek. It’s a settlement, both rural and urban, nestled next to the Healesville Sanctuary and the former Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. Now known as Coranderrk Bushland, this land holds a significant history. Badger Creek itself was surveyed as a village settlement back in 1894. They offered blocks of 8 hectares to settlers hoping to make a life here. The name “Badger Creek” has a couple of origin stories. One suggests that early settlers, perhaps unfamiliar with the local wildlife, mistook wombats for badgers. The other tale involves a horse, aptly named Badger. Owned by one of the Ryrie brothers, pioneers of the area, this horse apparently got bogged down in the creek. Before Badger Creek became a village settlement, this area was home to the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. Established in 1863, a year before Healesville itself was surveyed, the station encompassed a vast 1963 hectares. The aboriginal population peaked at 148 in 1878. By 1922, just before its closure, the number had dwindled to 42. A primary school at Coranderrk opened in 1890. It was later replaced by the Badger Creek school in 1899. This new school educated both Aboriginal and white children, reflecting the changing demographics of the area. In 1909, a weir was built on Badger Creek to contribute to Melbourne’s water supply. This weir now feeds the Coranderrk aqueduct, which eventually joins the O’Shannassy aqueduct flowing to the Silvan Reservoir. You can still find the weir in the Badger Creek reserve. By the 1920s, Badger Creek boasted a post office, a church, several boarding houses, and a saw mill. The Black Friday bushfires of 1939 brought the community together. Meeting in the Progress Hall, the residents of Badger Creek formed their own fire brigade. Today, Badger Creek remains a blend of old and new. Alongside numerous residential allotments and a caravan holiday park, the school still stands. Badger Creek, a place with a rich history woven into the landscape, continues to thrive.