Mount Buninyong

Mount Buninyong is a hill overlooking Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Formed from an extinct volcano, it rises to above sea level. 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. It was from the peak that Thomas Learmonth and a group of squatters first viewed the Ballarat area in 1837.

Mount Buninyong, located in Buninyong is one of the more recognizable landmarks in the entire Goldfields region and is used as an antenna site for radio, TV and telephone equipment. The summit has been a minor tourist destination and picnic spot for over 140 years. The major part 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.

Climate

Total annual rainfall for the Mount Buninyong area is 779 millimetres (Mulconry 1990). During the colder months growing conditions are restricted. Severe frosts and snow fall occur during winter.

Soils

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 (Centre for Environmental Management, CEM 1997). Mount Buninyong is seen as a...
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