Geotourism

Geotourism is ‘a form of tourism that specifically focuses on the geology and landscapes which shape the character of a region’. Victoria is bursting with a huge diversity of sites, trails and regions, each with their own distinct geological, biological and cultural flavour. When you visit geological features (peaks, caves, waterfalls, etc), go on guided tours or walk on ‘geo-trails’ you are doing Geotourism.

Geological Heritage

Victoria’s rich array of geological and geomorphological features are under threat from natural processes such as weathering and human processes resulting from development and need protection. This is the role of conservation and geological heritage. Significant sites are identified as having either International, National, State, Regional or Local Significance based on a criteria that includes ‘type-localities’ of rock units, fossil localities, unusual occurrences of features or minerals, representative landform types or geomorphological processes as well as how vulnerable sites are to damage.

Sites of International Significance

1. Anticline Cave, Murrindal.
2. Beaumaris Miocene-Pliocene fossil site, Beaumaris.
3. Bryo and Stauro gullies, Ordovician Lancefieldian graptolite sites, Romsey.
4. Dinosaur Cove, Cretaceous fossil site, Johanna.
5. Eagles Nest and Flat Rocks, Cretaceous fossil site, Cape Paterson.
6. Genoa River Gorge and Devonian tetrapod prints, East Gippsland.
7. Jan Juc Creek to Point Addis, Tertiary stratigraphic sequence, Anglesea.
8. Koonwarra Fish Beds, Cretaceous fossil site, Koonwarra.
9. La Trobe Valley brown coal deposits, Gipsland.
10. Lake Boga granite quarry, type mineral locality (ulrichite, bleasdaleite).
11. Lakes Gnotuk and Bullenmerri volcanic complex, Camperdown.
12. Limestone Road, Silurian Baragwanathia site, Yea.
13. Nuggetty Reef, Maldon, type mineral locality (maldonite).
14. Mitchell River silt jetties, Bairnsdale.
15. Murchison meteorite fall site, Murchison East.
16. O’Sullivans Permian glaciated pavements and roche mountonee, Mia Mia.
17. Permian glacial localities, Heathcote area.
18. Raak Boinka, grounwater discharge landform, Nowingi.
19. Red Rock volcanic complex, Anakie.
20. Snobs Creek Road, Devonian rhyolite with iron-dominated cordierite, Eildon.
21. Skipton lava cave, Skipton, bat guano type mineral locality (newberyite, hannayite).
22. Tower Hill nested maar, Koroit.
23. Westernport Bay, tidal watershed.
24. Mount Wycheproof granite quarry, type mineral locality (wycheproofite, selwynite).
25. Yallerong Creek Reserve zeolite sites, Flinders.

Sites of National Significance

1. Barfold Gorge, Redesdale.
2. Bass River Delta, floodplain and terraces, South Gippsland.
3. Ben Dhui Creek, Ordovician/Silurian transition, Darraweit Guim.
4. Baw Baw Plateau.
5. Berry Consols Extended deep lead dumps and Berry No1 mine site, Smeaton.
6. Bogong High Plains, Falls Creek.
7. Cave Ridge Cave, Mumbannar.
8. Cloggs Cave archaeological site, East Buchan.
9. Cobberas – Mount Wombargo rock rivers, Benambra.
10. Corner Inlet coastal barriers, tidal entrance and delta; Snake Island, Clonmel Island and associated features.
11. Dry Creek/Maribyrnong River, Quaternary fossil site, Keilor.
12. Gippsland Lakes, coastal lake and barrier system.
13. Glenelg River karst area, including vertebrate fossil cave localities, Nelson.
14. Grange Burn and Muddy Creek, Lake Tertiary exposures, Hamilton.
15. Hanging Rock, trachyte volcano, Woodend.
16. Jindivik, Older Volcanics zeolite occurence, Drouin.
17. Kerang salinas and lunettes.
18. Kow Swamp human fossil site, Gunbower.
19. Labertouche granite cave, Drouin.
20. Lady Julia Pery Island, volcanic site, Port Fairy.
21. Lake Boga granite, mineral site.
22. Lake Elizabeth landslide lake, Forrest.
23. Lake Keilambete maar, Terang.
24. Lake Purrrembete maar, Terang.
25. Lake Purrembete quarry and maar, Weerite.
26. Lake Tali Karng, Licola.
27. Lake Tyrrell and lunettes, Sea Lake.
28. Lancefield quarry, graptolite site, Lancefield.
29. Moroka River Gorge, Licola.
30. Mortons Quarry, Permian glacial sequence.
31. Mount Buffalo, Bright.
32. Mount Eccles volcanic complex and Tyrendarra basalt flow.
33. Mount Napier, Byaduk Caves, Wallacedale tumuli, The Great Barrier, Harman Valley flow features, Byaduk.
34. Mount Noorat volcanic site, Terang.
35. Mount Porndon volcanic complex, Stonyford.
36. Mountain Creek graptolite site, Tubbut.
37. Mount Elephant, Derrinallum.
38. Mount Leura volcanic complex, Camperdown.
39. Moyhu glaciated pavements.
40. Pioneer Bay, Quaternary stratigraphy.
41. Point Lewis, Cretaceous dinosaur locality, Apollo Bay.
42. Port Campbell National Park, Peterborough.
43. Redmans Bluff – Mitchell Plateau, Mafeking.
44. Rocky Camp fossil site, Murrindal.
45. Taylors Creek silcrete cave, Keilor.
46. Telegraph Point, sandy foreland, Mallacoota.
47. The Grampians, Halls Gap.
48. The Potholes, vertical caves and doline field including Exponential Pot, Murrindal.
49. Tulloch Ard Gorge, Gelantipy.
50. Tyrendarra lava flow including the Darlot Creek crossover, Tyrendarra.
51. Wannon Falls vivianite occurrence, Hamilton.
52. Waratah Bay and Cape Liptrap, Walkerville.
53. Wilsons Promontory National Park, Tidal River.
54. Yallock Creek, swamp sediments.

Sites of State Significance

1. Mount Kororoit, near Diggers Rest.
2. Buchan-Murrindal impounded karst.
3. The Organi Pipes, Sydenham.
4. Bay of Islands Coastal Park, Peterborough.

Sites of Regional Significance

1. Royal Park railway cuttings, Melbourne.
2. Black Rock Point, Black Rock.

For more information on Geotourism, explore these resources: