Pecks Dam Reserve (Montmorency)

Pecks Dam Reserve is a 1.04 hectare reserve which is part of a series of smaller reserves throughout Montmorency that form a habitat corridor link. Its main attraction is the dam. It is a mix of conservation and recreation areas.

Activities in the park include walking/bike trails and wildlife observation.

History

During the 1890s, the area was a favourite painting place for Heidelberg School artist Walter Withers.

The dam was dug out in the early 1900s to service the surrounding farmland. It is named after the Peck family who lived in a mud brick house next to the dam from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The dam is approximately 8 m deep when full. Over the years it has been used for swimming, fishing, yabbying and boating. In 2015, Banyule City Council and Melbourne Water completed a project that uses storm water as a rain garden. Rainwater is collected from the streets above the dam and is filtered through the garden. The goal is to replenish water to the dam, which has suffered from drought and water diversion in the past.

Flora and Fauna

The vegetation community here is grassy dry forest/box-stringybark woodland. The remnant vegetation is home to small mammals and birds that shelter and gather food.

Many water birds use the reserve because of the dam. Many frog species have been heard calling from around the dam.