Yarran Dheran

Yarran Dheran
The Mullum Mullum Creek running through Yarran Dheran
Type	Public Park
Location	Melbourne, Australia
Coordinates	37°48′27″S 145°12′16″E / 37.80750°S 145.20444°E / -37.80750; 145.20444Coordinates: 37°48′27″S 145°12′16″E / 37.80750°S 145.20444°E / -37.80750; 145.20444
Area	7.2 hectares
Operated by	City of Whitehorse
Status	Open
Paths	Mullum Mullum Creek Trail, Unsealed bush paths
Terrain	Remnant and regenerated riparian Bushland
Water	Mullum Mullum Creek and various gullies
Vegetation	Eucalypts, Acacias, River Red Gums
Connecting transport	Car, Bus (nearby)
Landmarks	Mullum Mullum Creek
Facilities	Visitors Centre, Toilets, Picnic areas

Yarran Dheran is an important riparian bushland park, located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne in Mitcham on the border of Donvale, on the banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek. The park comprises 7.2 hectares and hosts a mix of remnant and regenerative bushland, and many native species of wildlife, particularly birds, of which there are over 85 species living in the park. The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail runs through the park and there are many small unsealed bush tracks through the native bushland. There is a visitors centre near the middle of the park, toilets and many mown grassed areas for picnics and seating.

In 1865 August Schwerkolt built a cottage for his family from stone taken from the Mullum Mullum Creek about 2 kilometres upstream from what is now Yarran Dheran. A bullock track was cut along the banks of the creek for carting stone which extended as far as the crown land which was set aside for a stone quarry which occupied a large part of the park. In later years, a private contractor and the Nunawading Council worked the quarry until 1963 when the Council operated a tip in the old quarry. The 1962 Melbourne bushfires destroyed part of the natural vegetation and also a pine plantation planted in the 1930s by Mitcham Primary School. In 1967 it was declared that the crown land would be the site for a public park.

Following presentations from the local residents and the Blackburn Tree Preservation Society, the site was chosen for a native plant park and the name Yarran Dheran, roughly meaning Wattle Gully, was chosen. In April 1971 a committee of management was established and over 40,000 trees and shrubs were planted over the following 10 years. In 1973 a landscape designer was appointed to prepare a master plan and two hectares of additional land was purchased, increasing the size of the park to 7.2 hectares. In 1975 major earthworks began, a waterfall and fern gully were completed in 1979 and the information centre in 1980.