Rock formation at Melville Caves in Kooyoora State Park

Melville Caves
Huge granite boulders once used as a hideout by the bushranger Captain Melville
When we think of caves we usually think of limestone caves with beautiful formations. The Melville Caves are not limestone. They are a collection of huge granite boulders sitting on the top of a massive granite tor in the Kooyoora State Park. It is the spaces between these huge boulders which form the 'caves' or 'cavities'. However, the cavities are, in fact, a series of large fissures which have formed in the weathered granite. They are located 205 km north-west of Melbourne via the Calder Highway and 21 km west of Inglewood (for information on the caves and the park, consult the entry under 'Things to See').

Prior to European occupation, this area was inhabited by the Jaara Aboriginal people who took shelter amidst the rock formations of the area (including, it is believed, Melville Caves) and relied on natural springs and wells for their water supply. Scarred trees around the park's rock shelves indicate the removal of material from the trees by the Jaara for usage as shields and bowls. The recovery of an array of spear-heads, chisels and quartz flakes, provides further evidence of their former presence.

The first known whites in the area were the party of Thomas Mitchell during his Australia Felix expedition of 1836. European settlement of the district began in the 1840s. Gold was discovered north of Melville Caves, near Wedderburn, in 1852. Prospectors flooded into the area causing the large pastoral estates to be broken up into smaller holdings.

During this period, bushranger 'Captain Melville' (nee Frank McCallum) is thought to have used the caves as a camp and a vantage point owing to their elevation which facilitates excellent views down over the flat plains to the south, along which gold-bearing coaches travelled. He conducted raids at numerous points throughout western and south-western Victoria and once made off with five billy-cans full of gold dust which were never recovered. They are thought to be buried at Mt Arapiles west of Horsham. 'Melville' was caught on Christmas Eve, 1852, and was found dead in his cell in 1857.

From 1852 to 1883 the region yielded 369 nuggets weighing over 1.5 kg. The bulk were found between 1854 and 1857, including the Blanche Barkly nugget at Kingower, weighing 49.5 kg. Two other nuggets weighing over 30 kg were found at Rheola, to the immediate south of the Caves. Goldmining occurred within the bounds of what is now Kooyoora State Park and relics of the associated settlement are to be found in the eastern section.

The White Swan Quartz Mine operated in what is now Kooyoora State Park during World War II, producing industrial and ornamental quartz. The 'Caves' were listed as a geological monument in 1980. In January of that year a 240-gram nugget was found and that started a minor goldrush which turned up a 2.4-kg nugget. The World Orienteering Championships were held here in 1985 and the Park was declared that same year.

Things to see:  

Kangderaar Vineyard
To access Kooyoora State Park and Melville Caves head west from Inglewood via Kingower (see entry on Inglewood). 15 km from Inglewood is a turnoff on the right signposted for Kangderaar Vineyard and Melville Caves. After a further 3 km there is another signposted turnoff on the right into the driveway of Kangderaar which is a small vineyard and winery situated within Kooyoora State Park. Established in 1980 it specialises in chardonnay wines although, in most years, there are small quantities of a very dry riesling and traminer blend. There is also a cabernet sauvignon, cabernet and merlot blend while a fruity red and a sparkling chardonnay are in the pipeline. They are open daily, tel: (03) 5438 8292.

Melville Caves and Kooyoora State Park
If you continue along the main road, instead of turning into the winery driveway, it soon leads to another signposted right turn into Melville Caves Road. 2 km along this good-quality dirt track you will see the Melville Caves Picnic Area to the right. There are toilets, information boards, picnic tables and water.

A 420-metre walking track leads from here to the lookout and the Caves which can clearly be seen atop the nearby hill. It is 750 metres return via the loop track.

The main road continues on past the camping area (a further kilometre) to the Caves (so you don't have to walk up the steep hill!) where there are two picnic tables and a lookout over the plains to the south. If this site was used by bushranger Captain Melville (see general introduction) it was principally because of the elevated perspective it offers over the plains which the gold coaches once traversed.

Just below the lookout, on the side of the hill, are the 'Caves' which are in fact substantial fissures that have appeared when the weathered granite atop the tor split to create cave-like openings.

Between the Melville Caves Camping Area and the Melville Caves Lookout there is a turnoff on the right which heads off Melville Caves Road. It leads to a carpark in the eastern section of the park from whence you can undertake the Eastern Walking Circuit. 700 m along the track there is a rock lookout on the right which offers good views of the valley into which you are about to descend. The track continues on past Long Rock down to a fenced bush paddock, across a creek, down through some more strange rock formations, giant granite slabs and balancing rocks, before climbing out of the valley and back up the carpark.

All in all, Kooyoora State Park offers opportunities for sightseeing, walking, rock-climbing, picnicking, nature studies and camping. You can also undertake horseriding in the eastern section. Fossicking and gold detecting is only permitted in certain areas and only by those with a current license.

The Park features many typical north-central Victorian forest communities, including red gum, yellow box, grey box and red ironbark. There are also many colourful native orchids and some rare species. The open forests are home to arboreal mammals and tree-nesting birds such as the kookaburra and swift parrot. Wedge-tailed eagles dwell among the granite tors and rainbow bee-eaters make homes in the granite soils. Kangaroos and wallabies inhabit the grasslands and ground-dwelling animals such as the marsupial mouse live amidst the scrubby understorey and ground litter. There are over 130 bird species in the park.

For further information contact Parks Victoria on 131 963 or ring the Inglewood office on (03) 5438 3066. The human history of the park is outlined in the general introduction to Melville Caves at the top of this entry.