Deep Creek Road runs off Maroondah Highway for almost one kilometre before becoming Loughnan Road after passing over Eastlink.
Deep Creek Road.
An unusual plant seen in one garden was a pure-white protea, the first one I had seen in any garden.
White protea and a $10 cyclamen about to be planted
On the corner with Maroondah Highway is the large
Antonio Park. It boasts a playground, bbq facilities, playground and bushland. It extends for half the distance on the west side of Deep Creek Road. Two plovers were seen in the grassy area next to the bush area.
Antonia Park showing the undercover bbq area and the bush along the road.
I've seen plovers from both sides.
The east side is all residential with many nice gardens. Most of the older blocks have front fences and well-established gardens, many with camellias starting to blossom. A particularly striking bush was one of white chrysanthemums – must be approaching Mother's Day.
Camellias.
Pure white.
Older gardens tend to have a good display of Australian natives, such as grevilleas, bottlebrush, gumnuts and the unusual heath banksia.
Grevilleas.
Bottlebrush and gum nuts.
Heath banksia.
Many varieties of wattle trees are blooming, adding a pleasant splash of colour, particularly on dull days.
Wattle blossoms.
A highlight of this walk to me was photographing a little wattle bird in a bottlebrush bush, happily ignoring me. Other birds seen were magpies and a crow.
Little wattle bird.
Magpie and crow.
The bright red masses of small berries are starting to appear on cotoneaster bushes adding colour to the hues of leaves turning to autumn. A few orange berries were identified as firethorn plants.
Cotoneaster berries and the colours of autumn.
Firethorn bush.
Most of the garden ornaments I saw were in the same garden, a statue of a girl, a frog on a toad(stool) a Buddha and other eastern structures. The only garden lamp seen was on a wall and with its shadow made an interesting photo.
Quite a collection.
Simple but attractive.
Several walkers were encountered, both coming and going.
Coming and going.
No picket fences or lych gates but there was one interesting fence. A row of hanging baskets hung from a balcony and a wheelbarrow was seeing out its retirement a plant receptacle.
Fence, hanging baskets and wheelbarrow.
Towards the end of Deep Creek Road is
Schwerkolt Cottage on spacious grounds. Well worth a sidetrack to explore.
Schwerkolt Cottage.
Opposite Schwerkolt Cottage is a path to Mullum Mullum Park and the Eastlink Trail.
An entrance to Eastlink Trail & Mullum Mullum Park.
Deep Creek Road crosses over Eastlink and gives good views of the Melba and Mullum Mullum tunnels which pass under the creek.
Nearing the end of Deep Creek Road & the tunnels on Eastlink.
This could be a time-consuming walk if you are sidetracked to explore the parks along the way.
The creek is really not deep.
