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Geological History of the |
Some History of the Brisbane RangesThe ranges were formed about a million years ago when a line of weakness, or fault, developed in the earth's crust, uplifting the land lying to its west.The Wathaurong Aboriginal tribe occupied the area around Geelong and small clans regularly occupied the Brisbane Ranges. European settlement resulted in a decline in the Wathaurong population. Squatters took up pastoral runs around the Brisbane Ranges soon after the founding of Melbourne in 1853. They concentrated their farming activities on the fertile land to the east and south along the Moorabool River. The goldrush here began in 1851 when gold was discovered in the Anakie Hills. In 1855 many gold reefs were found near what became the town of Steiglitz with more than 600 miners in the area by 1862 . The town's fortunes slumped between 1876 and 1890, revived briefly until the early 1900s and then declined to the present ghost town status. The gold years had a considerable impact on the ranges as much of the forest was cut to provide mine props, building timber and firewood. In the 1870s, the ranges played a new and vital role - supplying water to Geelong. 3000 ha of the Brisbane Ranges was reserved as a catchment area. In 1973, 1132 ha was set aside as a National Park and enlarged to its present size of 7718 ha in 1995. The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative based in Geelong is responsible for Aboriginal heritage in the area.
History of the Brisbane Ranges National Park - An historical exploration of land utilisation in the area which is now incorporated in the Brisbane Ranges National Park was the subject of a Thesis by Sophie Boland. Please note - This is a large file (nearly 3mb), an old document of 102 pages and the photos and text are not high quality.
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