Oxley Creek is a major tributary of the Brisbane River. It is Brisbane’s largest catchment and much of the creek’s lower reaches are contained within the Brisbane boundary, so the creek has played a significant role in Brisbane’s growth, which has resulted in it being one of its most urbanised and polluted waterways.  Historically, this has included activities such as vegetation clearing, sand mining, wastewater treatment and industrial activities that have impacted on the creek's stability, water quality and ecological health.  Despite the considerable issues Oxley Creek faces, parts of the corridor still hold high ecological habitat and corridor values.

Because of the above, and Brisbane City Council’s recognition of the potential of the Oxley Creek Corridor, Council established the Oxley Creek Transformation Pty Ltd to guide and deliver the long-term vision to create a master planned legacy for Brisbane. Ideas to transform Oxley Creek into a world class green recreation corridor have been captured through local community and industry engagement, and informed by technical studies addressing biodiversity, flooding, stormwater, morphology, landuse, accessibility, economics and cultural heritage. These future visions of the creek have guided the preparation of master plan strategies which address the many challenges and opportunities ahead.  The paper presents a summary of the master plan, with specific reference to issues related to catchment, waterway, and water management, and the strategies to overcome these.