Mount Buninyong is an
extinct volcano
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the Crust (geology), crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth ...
in western
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
rising to
AHD. It lies within the Mount Buninyong Scenic Reserve, north of the town of
Buninyong and south of
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
Within mo ...
, on the regional city's rural-urban fringe.
Snow falls on Mt. Buninyong on average 6 days a year, and in heavy winters it may be snowcapped for a short period.
Location and features
The mountain was originally named Mount Bonan Yowing, which is said to derive from an
Aboriginal word meaning 'a man lying on his back with his knee raised'. It was from its peak that
Thomas Learmonth and a group of squatters first viewed in 1837 what would become the Ballarat district. It is one of the more recognizable landmarks in the entire
Goldfields region.
Mount Buninyong is located on crown land. Much of it is a public reserve with a substantial native forest that is a major
koala
The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...
habitat. It is an important piece of regional infrastructure as a site for multiple communications antenna for radio and television broadcasting. It is home to picnic areas and the observation tower at its summit is a local tourist destination.
Much of the mountain was cleared for agriculture or housing, but widespread protests during the 1980s led to the preservation of native forest cover on much of the upper portion.
Total annual rainfall for the Mount Buninyong area is .
[Mulcondry, E. (1990). Draft Management Plan : Mount Buninyong Victoria. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Ballarat C.A.E.] During the colder months growing conditions are restricted. Severe frosts and snow fall occur during winter.
The soils of the mount are very fertile and the high permeability and available water capacity makes these soils very favourable for agriculture.
Heritage
The Keyeet balug clan of the Wada Wurrung (or
Wathaurong) tribe occupied the Mount Buninyong area. An aboriginal burial site was located in the 1860s and more recently stone tools have been found.
[Centre for Environmental Management. (1997). Mount Buninyong Scenic Reserve: Final Management Plan. City of Ballarat.] Mount Buninyong is seen as a significant site for the recognition of the ongoing connection of Aboriginal people with the land through creation stories and cultural sites and is an ideal site for interpreting Aboriginal cultural history. There have been no records of Aboriginal archaeological sites for Mount Buninyong. There is no evidence that the area has been surveyed. Aboriginal Affairs Victoria has recommended that a survey should take place.
[
Mount Buninyong was an important navigation peak for the early colonisers heading west for pastoral occupation. Springs at the base of the mount were important sites for early settlement.][ Pound Creek Spring has remained as a public Water Reserve.
]
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buninyong, Mount
Ballarat
Mountains of Victoria (state)
Volcanoes of Victoria (state)
Extinct volcanoes