Mount Buninyong

Mountain in Victoria, Australia

Mount Buninyong

Location in Victoria

LocationBuninyong, Victoria, AustraliaClimbingFirst ascentBCE

Mount Buninyong /ˈbʌnɪnjɒŋ/ is an extinct volcano in western Victoria, Australia rising to 745 metres (2,444 ft) AHD. It lies within the Mount Buninyong Scenic Reserve, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of the town of Buninyong and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Ballarat, 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'.^{[citation needed]} 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 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 779 millimetres (30.7 in).^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

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.^[1] Pound Creek Spring has remained as a public Water Reserve.

References

^ ^a ^b Mulcondry, E. (1990). Draft Management Plan : Mount Buninyong Victoria. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Ballarat C.A.E.
^ ^a ^b Centre for Environmental Management. (1997). Mount Buninyong Scenic Reserve: Final Management Plan. City of Ballarat.

Mountains in Victoria, Australia

Grampians

William (1,167 m or 3,829 ft)
Difficult
Wilson
Zero (364 m or 1,194 ft)

Victorian Alps

Bogong High Plains	Nelse West (1,893 m or 6,211 ft) Nelse North (1,885 m or 6,184 ft) Fainter South (1,883 m or 6,178 ft) Hotham (1,862 m or 6,109 ft) McKay (1,849 m or 6,066 ft) Cope (1,837 m or 6,027 ft) Spion Kopje (1,837 m or 6,027 ft) Jim (1,818 m or 5,965 ft)
Cathedral Range	Lake (1,482 m or 4,862 ft) The Green Hill (1,241 m or 4,072 ft) Sugarloaf (904 m or 2,966 ft) The Cathedral (801 m or 2,628 ft) South Jawbone Peak (761 m or 2,497 ft)
Cobberas Range	Cobberas No. 1 (1,810 m or 5,938 ft) Cobberas No. 2 Moscow Peak Middle Peak Cleft Peak
Cobbler Plateau	Speculation (1,648 m or 5,407 ft) Cobbler (1,628 m or 5,341 ft) Koonika (1,545 m or 5,069 ft) Despair (1,460 m or 4,790 ft)
Other	Bogong (1,986 m or 6,516 ft) Feathertop (1,922 m or 6,306 ft) Loch (1,865 m or 6,119 ft) Buller (1,805 m or 5,922 ft) Wills (1,755 m or 5,758 ft) Gibbo (1,750 m or 5,741 ft) Stirling (1,749 m or 5,738 ft) Howitt (1,742 m or 5,715 ft) The Horn (1,723 m or 5,653 ft) Buffalo (1,723 m or 5,653 ft) Wellington (1,634 m or 5,361 ft) Buggery (Alpine) (1,598 m or 5,243 ft) Baw Baw (1,567 m or 5,141 ft) Saint Phillack (1,567 m or 5,141 ft) Torbreck (1,516 m or 4,974 ft) St Gwinear (1,509 m or 4,951 ft) Mueller (1,460 m or 4,790 ft) Selma (1,456 m or 4,777 ft) Useful (1,435 m or 4,708 ft) Tambo (1,430 m or 4,692 ft) Selwyn (1,411 m or 4,629 ft) Terrible (1,325 m or 4,347 ft) Donna Buang (1,250 m or 4,101 ft) Buggery (Wangaratta) (1,153 m or 3,783 ft) Bulla Bulla (906 m or 2,972 ft) Dom Dom (740 m or 2,428 ft) Brumby Point Pine

Other
mountain ranges

Central Highlands	Macedon (1,001 m or 3,284 ft)
Dandenong Ranges	Dandenong (633 m or 2,077 ft)
Pyrenees Ranges	Avoca (747 m or 2,451 ft) Warrenmang (537 m or 1,762 ft)
Strzelecki Ranges	Tassie (740 m or 2,428 ft)
Other	Matlock (1,377 m or 4,518 ft) Ritchie (1,259 m or 4,131 ft) Toorongo (1,247 m or 4,091 ft) Horsfall (1,130 m or 3,707 ft) Kaye (998 m or 3,274 ft) Elizabeth (941 m or 3,087 ft) Ghiran (924 m or 3,031 ft) Disappointment (794 m or 2,605 ft) Riddell (781 m or 2,562 ft) Beenak (745 m or 2,444 ft) Alexander (744 m or 2,441 ft) Buninyong (719 m or 2,359 ft) Hanging Rock / Diogenes (718 m or 2,356 ft) Warrenheip (714 m or 2,343 ft) Franklin (648 m or 2,126 ft) Beckworth (634 m or 2,080 ft) Corhanwarrabul (628 m or 2,060 ft) Tarrengower (556 m or 1,824 ft) Warrenmang (526 m or 1,726 ft) Teneriffe (444 m or 1,457 ft) Napier (440 m or 1,444 ft) Briggs Bluff (420 m or 1,378 ft) Arapiles (369 m or 1,211 ft) You Yangs (352 m or 1,155 ft) Leura (313 m or 1,027 ft) Noorat (310 m or 1,017 ft) Elephant (240 m or 787 ft) Warrnambool (216 m or 709 ft) Budj Bim (178 m or 584 ft) Wycheproof (148 m or 486 ft) Cooper (137 m or 449 ft) Fraser Hopeless Typo Jack Hills