[5] Although the precise circumstances of the re-naming of Rapid Creek remain obscure, the name must have been applied by Surveyor-General George W. Goyder's surveyors not long after the arrival of the 1869 Northern Territory Survey Expedition.

The outline of the creek, running from Marrara swamp to the sea between Casuarina Beach and Nightcliff, is present on Goyder's map, though no name appears on it.

There is an entry in Goyder's diary for the latter date which records that surveyor George MacLachlan was sent out to Rapid Creek to check on the availability of fresh water and good feed for the horses.

In a book published in 1882, William Sowden described travelling from Palmerston (Darwin) to Casuarina Beach passing "Rapid Creek, which rushes swiftly along its bed during the wet season, but at other times during the dry.....its waters are clear and crystal".

There are also food stalls selling dishes from a variety of cuisines including Indian curries, Malaysian Laksa, Vietnamese rice paper rolls and Thai papaya salad.