Crystal Waters

The Crystal waters Estate and adjoining Elizabeth Cl Urban Woodland and John Lardner Reserve are located on the eastern edge of Drouin. The area is another very worthwhile location within Drouin for some ‘nature bathing’.

The Elizabeth Cl woodland consists of approximately fifty mature gum trees and many more younger trees and some understory wattles. The gum trees are mostly Mountain Grey Gums and some Messmates. Many of the older eucs contain small hollows, making them especially valuable wildlife habitat trees. 

The west boundary of the Crystal waters estate, an old road reserve, contains around forty Mountain Grey Gums and nine rare Strzelecki Gums. Some years ago, a few of the larger trees were lopped for safety reasons. It is hoped that our shire planners are these days are a little more cognizant of the issues that arise when developers submit subdivisions that abut stands of large trees.

 

White-faced Herons regularly nest in the canopy of the Elizabeth Cl woodland and the hollows are eagerly sought after by Rainbow Lorikeets, Galahs, etc in late winter and spring.

East of the estate, the John Lardner Reserve is a small patch of native bush containing mostly remnant eucalyptus species, and understory such as Prickly Currant, Dogwood and Clematis. In 1982, Drouin Primary School students helped plant a considerable number Spotted Gums, Angophoras and Mountain Ash. 

This area is enjoyed by numerous bushland birds – Eastern Yellow Robins, Brown Thornbills, White-browed Scrubwrens, etc – and no doubt possums, gliders and bats would avail themselves of the hollows. At night, when the very nearby freeway is quietest, the mournful ‘mo-poke’ call of the Southern Boobook is often heard.

The lake in the middle of the estate is man-made and designed to take runoff and provide flood mitigation for the top end of Gum Scrub Creek. The ‘puddle’ as at least one local refers to it, is a haven for the usual suite of ducks and waterbirds. The reed beds are habitat for Little Grassbirds and in spring, the Reed Warblers arrive. Cormorants, Great Egrets and Pelicans are regular visitors. 

 

The woodlands, bush and wetlands within the Crystal Waters estate are precious areas of biodiversity within urban Drouin.