The organ pipes formation in the Organ Pipes National Park

Keilor (including the Organ Pipes National Park
Old coach stop with historical links, now a suburb of Melbourne
Keilor is a city and suburb at the north-western edge of metropolitan Melbourne, 21 km from the city centre via the Calder Highway. It is essentially a residential area with large industrial developments in adjacent suburbs.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area was occupied by the Woiwurung Aborigines. The first white settlers took up land in the area in 1836 and the settlement emerged in the early 1850s as the first stopover for coaches bound for the new goldfields of Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo. It is named after a Scottish town - 'keilor' being a Gaelic word for 'plenty'.

Keilor subsequently became an agricultural district until after World War II when new industries began to emerge and the population ascended rapidly. It was declared a shire in 1958 and a city in 1961.

Important archaeological finds were located in a sandpit along the Maribyrnong River when a prehistoric skull was accidentally uncovered in 1940. Later carbon-dated at 13 000 years old, it was the oldest bone fragment found in Australia until the discoveries at Lake Mungo. A contemporaneous femur was uncovered in the early 1950s and stone artefacts have also been uncovered, made of quartz, quartzite and chert. These have been dated at between 20 000 and 40 000 years. The bones of extinct megafauna have also been found at a deeper level.

Another excavation site, 2 km south of Keilor in the Maribyrnong Valley Area, yielded the remains of a human burial, along with stone implements, presumed hearths and faunal remains.

Things to see:  

St Augustine's Roman Catholic Church
St Augustine's Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest surviving churches in the district. Built c.1858 to replace an earlier timber building, it is a Gothic Revival bluestone structure with an octagonal tower capped by a small spire on a belfry. The doorways, windows, buttresses and detailing are of note. It is located adjacent the highway.

Overnewton
Keilor's oldest building is 'Overnewton' homestead. The one-storey section was built c.1849 and is supported by a verandah on timber columns. The two-storey section was erected in 1859 with stuccoed walls, roof turrets of patterned slate and stepped gables. Nearby is a single-storey gatehouse (also 1859). These buildings were conceived in the style of a Scottish country house by Scottish pastoralist William Taylor. The panelled interior of the billiards room was constructed by Scottish craftsmen. It is located on the old Calder Highway.

Box Girder Bridge
The wrought-iron box girder bridge over the Maribyrnong River was erected on bluestone abutments in 1868 to replace the 1854 original. It was modified in 1963 but is a substantial span which has survived well and it is a prominent feature of the townscape.

Brimbank Park
The entry road into Brimbank Park departs from Keilor Park Drive at East Keilor. This reserve of red-gum woodlands and open grasslands is situated at the foot of the substantial basalt banks of the Maribyrnong River. There is a visitors' centre, walking and cycling trails, a picnic area with toilets, a playground, barbecues and conference facilities. For cars, entry into the park is from 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., extending to 8.00 p.m. during daylight savings. The exit gates do not close so cars which have entered before closing time can get out at any stage. Pedestrian access is unlimited, tel: (03) 9336 3911.

Horseshoe Bend Farm
Horseshoe Bend Children's Farm offers children the opportunity to interact with farm animals in an authentic farm setting. There is a cottage with tearooms, farm outbuildings, a picnic area with toilets, disabled facilities and parking. Pony rides are offered on weekends. It is open daily from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and there is an open day every third Sunday of the month, tel: (03) 9336 3911. The farm is located in Horseshoe Bend Rd. To get there turn off Keilor Park Drive into the old Calder Highway then into Bonfield St which provides access to Horseshoe Bend Rd.

Rosehill Park
Rosehill Park is a recreational area on Rosehill Rd at East Keilor. There is a picnic area with barbecue, parking, toilet and playground facilities.

The organ pipes formation in the Organ Pipes National Park

Organ Pipes National Park
The entry road into Organ Pipes National Park (85 ha) heads east off the Calder Highway 8 km to the north-west of Keilor. It leads to a picnic area with toilets.

People visit the National Park to go bushwalking and to inspect the extraordinary formation known as the Organ pipes. These pipes are actually columns of volcanic basalt and are located near Jacksons Creek. They were formed approximately one million years ago when lava, which had flowed into the valley from surrounding volcanoes, started cooling. It naturally took the form of hexagonal columns. The park also has other interesting volcanic formations including the 'Rosette Rock' and the 'Tessellated Pavement'. The latter was formed when some of the basalt columns were levelled by water erosion.

The Rosette Rock in the Organ Pipes N.P.

Fossils in the park's sedimentary rock date back 400 million years, indicating that the sea once covered this land. The heavy clay soils produced by the basalt have cultivated remnant areas of grassland which were once common on the western plains but are now rare owing to grazing and agriculture. In fact early European settlers drastically changed much of the landscape in the park but, thanks to the Friends Group, it is now considered one of the best examples of a restored landscape in Australia.

Flora in the park includes wallaby grass, variable spear grass, river red gum along the creek's banks, and acacias such as silver wattle, lightwood and bloodwoods, tel: 131 963.

	Motels
	Keilor Motor Inn 765 Old Calder Hwy Keilor VIC 3036 Telephone: (03) 9336 3011 Facsimile: (03) 9336 4982 Rating: ***1/2
	Restaurants
	Don Dominico Wood Oven Pizza Restaurant Old Calder Hwy Keilor VIC 3036 Telephone: (03) 9331 5233
	Keilor Hotel Old Calder Hwy Keilor VIC 3036 Telephone: (03) 9334 0400
	Keilor Pizza Restaurant 12b Kennedy St Keilor VIC 3036 Telephone: (03) 9336 7772
	New Dragon Restaurant Calder Hwy Keilor VIC 3036 Telephone: (03) 9336 4064