Currawong Bush Park

Currawong Bush Park is an important riparian bushland park, located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne on the borders of Doncaster East, Warrandyte and Donvale, on the eastern bank of the Mullum Mullum Creek. The park is important for a number of reasons, it comprises 59 hectares of remnant bushland and hosts many archaeological sites concerning the pre-European inhabitants of the area.The major threats to the park's ecology are introduced species of flora and fauna such as foxes, rabbits, dogs and cats. It is a popular destination for school and community groups and is frequented by local bush walkers. It once housed a group of kangaroos in its wildlife enclosure, however due to funding cuts, the park can no longer be managed full-time by a park ranger and the enclosure was closed.HistoryAn archaeological survey of aboriginal sites within City of Manningham by Ellender in 1991, discovered evidence of the presence of the Wurundjeri people in the park, in the form of four scarred trees. Scarred trees are trees from which bark or heartwood has been removed to make a wooden artefact such as a shield, canoe or container. An aboriginal stone artefact was also found along the Mullum Mullum Creek. The Wurundjeri were part of the Kulin nation, comprising the main tribes living within about a 150 km radius of Melbourne. The Wurundjeri are of the Woiworung tribe, one of five Kulin tribes, each of whom had their own land and language.