The creek was the site of heavy industrial use throughout much of the 20th century, being home to quarries, landfills and accepting waste runoff from neighbouring factories.

Recent decades have seen some regenerative planting and the foundation of several community groups dedicated to protecting and regenerating the creek's ecology.

It flows through, or forms a part of the borders between the suburbs of Wallan, Kalkallo, Donnybrook, Craigieburn, Wollert, Epping, Somerton, Campbellfield, Lalor, Thomastown, Fawkner, Reservoir, Coburg North, Coburg, Preston, Thornbury, Brunswick East, Northcote, Westgarth, Fitzroy North, Clifton Hill and Fairfield before meeting the Yarra River just upstream of Dights Falls.

including dandelion, dock, fennel, jerusalem artichoke, numerous brassicas, blackberry nightshade, sorrel, catsear, sowthistle, nettle and many others.

Caution is advisable when harvesting fennel and other members of the family Apiaceae, as poison hemlock has been found growing in some areas of the creek.

The large number of pre and post-contact archaeological sites demonstrate a heavy usage of the area by Indigenous Australians.

Both site types exhibit traces of the hunting and gathering lifestyle of pre-contact Victoria, and are a fragile and non-renewable historical resource.

This treaty was declared invalid by Sir Richard Bourke, the Governor of N.S.W., who was unwilling to recognize and allow the Indigenous people the right to use and control their own land as they saw fit - thus implementing the doctrine of terra nullius.

An estimated 800 people journeyed to the district to witness important judicial proceedings carried out according to traditions of Aboriginal law.

In the early history of Melbourne, numerous quarries were established along the creek to extract bluestone for the construction of many of the city's buildings and paving for roads and lanes.

Today it is a popular destination for residents taking walks and other leisure activities, and is considered a "green oasis" in the northern suburbs.

At times of low flow, water is sustained in the creek through treated outfall from the Craigieburn sewage treatment plant, [1].

The Merri Creek Trail shared pathway has been established along the banks to take advantage of the improving environment, but the path is broken at Westgarth and North Fitzroy, necessitating traversing St George's Road.

The CERES Community Environment Park - a community-run farming initiative with plenty of public spaces, cafes and markets - is a popular destination for Melburnians located adjacent to the Merri Creek.