Patterson Lakes is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Patterson Lakes recorded a population of 7,793 at the 2021 census. Patterson Lakes is a canal-rich suburb. It was built around the lower section of the Patterson River just upstream of the river mouth. The suburb consists predominantly of new housing developments, and is home to the most popular boat launching facilities in Victoria. The Patterson River is a popular boating portal for Port Phillip Bay. It includes four public launching ramps; joins the Tidal Canal system to Port Phillip; and includes the Patterson Lakes Marina and its facilities in Middle Harbour and Inner Harbour. History Early history After the melting of the last great ice age, sea levels were 1–2 metres higher than today. When sea levels subsided to their current levels, fresh water from the Dandenong Ranges flowed into low-lying regions. Carrum Carrum Swamp, an extensive coastal wetland, was created, encompassing an area some 5,000 hectares from present-day Mordialloc to Frankston and inland towards Dandenong. Prior to European discovery, the Patterson Lakes area was populated by Indigenous Australians known as the Kulin people. Inhabitants in the area were from the Bunurong language group, of the Mayone-Bulluk clan. Both the Mayone-Bulluk and Ngaruk-Willam clans would meet in the area of Dandenong often to hold ceremonies and trade. These gatherings were often attended by guests from other Bunurong clans or from neighbouring tribes, such as the Wathaurung and the Wurundjeri clans from the Woiwurong. As with most indigenous people of the world, Mayone-Bulluk cultural, ceremonial and spiritual life was dictated by the seasonal availability of natural resources. Through thousands of years of observation Bunurong People were able to predict the availability of their seasonal resources by certain changes in plant growth and animal behaviour. Europeans first set foot in nearby Frankston as early as 1803, thirty-two years before the founding of Melbourne (the first major European settlement in the then Port Phillip District). A commemorative plaque near the mouth of Kananook Creek marks the location of where Charles Grimes and his party went ashore searching for fresh water, and met with approximately 30 local inhabitants. The foundation of Patterson Lakes Early development was hampered by poor soils, distance from the Melbourne city centre, and the existence of a major swamp occupying much of the area between