Maribyrnong River
SOURCE: MELBOURNE WATER Some Maribyrnong River History Maribyrnong River’s name comes from the Aboriginal phrase Mirring-gnay-bir-nong , meaning ‘I can hear a ringtail possum’. It was originally called Saltwater River due to the seawater that entered from Hobson’s Bay, into which it directly flowed. The Wurundjeri people have always had a deep connection to the area. The river was of great importance and used for a variety of purposes: drinking water building material transport medicine – including edible plants that grew on the river flats food – fish and eels thrived in the river, and big game like kangaroos and emus lived on the plains, along with smaller animals like echidnas, possums, lizards and water birds. In 1857 Victoria’s first irrigator, David Milburn, settled in the area. He developed a way to draw water from the river using a hand pump, and grew fruit and vegetables to sell to diggers travelling to the goldfields. This was the start of Keilor’s market gardening traditio