Victorian Volcanic Plains Tour

This three-day Signature small group personalised tour lets you discover the geology, extinct volcanoes, waterfalls, lakes, lava tubes, Aboriginal and early European cultural impacts on these plains to present day Australian lifestyle.

The undulating plains of western Victoria are the third largest volcanic plain in the world and are formed of lava flows up to 60 metres thick and are studded with 400 volcanoes which have been erupting over the past five million to eight thousand years ago.

You travel to Ballarat to see the ex-volcanoes of the volcanic uplands making up part of the Great Dividing Range.

At Hamilton, you see impressive waterfalls and climb the last active volcano in Victoria.

In the southern part of the plains you get to see many lakes, which formed after the volcanoes have ceased.

Near Warrnambool, you will visit Tower Hill reserve, which was a maar volcano, today its a animal reserve where you can see native animals and birds.

The Victorian Volcanic Plains are Australia’s most extensive volcanic plains, and are one of the most significant and largest volcanic provinces in the world. The plain stretches across South Western Victoria.

This tour is Ecotourism Certified / Sustainable travel.

Operator:Golden Nugget Discovery Tours

Inclusions:

All Accommodation,
All Meals – Breakfast, Morning tea, Dinner,
All Entrance Fees,
Transport – tour vehicle
Rail Fare – from and to Melbourne,
Tour guide/driver.

Days of operation:

This tour is departs on Tuesdays, twice per month,
Visit their website for departure dates.

Tour highlights:

Red Rock Lookout: Travelling across the volcanic plains, you will head to Red Rock. Red Rock has over 40 eruption points in the internationally significant volcanic complex, with seven major crater lakes within the scoria cones. From the lookout you can see Lake Corangamite, which is Victoria's largest natural lake and is RAMSAR listed, you can also see the ex volcanoes of Mount Elephant, Mount Porndon and Mount Sugarloaf.
Mount Leura and Lakes Bullen Merri & Gnotuk: Mt Leura is a beautiful cone and maar system, part of a large volcanic complex. From the top there are excellent views across the volcanoes of the whole eastern volcanic plain landscape.
Mount Leura and Lakes Bullen Merri & Gnotuk: Mt Sugarloaf is a steep conical accumulation of scoria rising as a high point on the same crater rim as Mt Leura. It formed as a result of lava fountaining from the same point in the crater, building an ever increasing pile of scoria.
Mount Leura and Lakes Bullen Merri & Gnotuk: Lake Bullen Merri is a 490 hectares lake enclosed in a volcanic crater located on the outskirts of Camperdown. A large and complex multiple maars, the lake system is of international significance and has a richly documented Aboriginal Heritage.
Mount Leura and Lakes Bullen Merri & Gnotuk: Lake Gnotuk has formed in a single maar crater. Maar lakes such as this rely on ground water seeping into the lake and have no outlet. As a result evaporation has caused Lake Gnotuk to become twice as salty as sea water.
Nigretta Falls and Wannon Falls: You travel to two of the best waterfalls on the volcanic plains. Nigretta Falls – It is thought that the site where the Nigretta Falls are found may have been the location of a super volcano about 450 million years ago.
Nigretta Falls and Wannon Falls: Wannon Falls were created by lava flows that surged upstream to the Wannon River. The water which cascades over the 30 metre vertical precipice into a deep plunge pool below is actually flowing over hardened basalt lava. Further downstream rapids wind their way around large blocks of basalt, dislodged over time down the embankments of the narrow valley.
Mount Napier & Byaduk Caves: You climb Victoria's youngest ex volcano and see the largest set of lava caves. Mt Napier is the youngest volcano in Victoria and the highest volcano point in the Western District Plains, with many eruption and lava flow features that are remnants from the last stages of volcanic activity 10,000 years ago. Some lava flows reach as far as the sea between Port Fairy and Portland.
Mount Napier & Byaduk Caves: Byaduk Caves in Mt Napier State Park are the most extensive and accessible set of lava caves in Australia. Being so young, only 8,000 years old, they are largely unweathered and in their natural state. The caves are accessed through collapsed roof sections and display many well preserved features left by the retreating and cooling lava. The largest tunnels are up to 18 metres wide, 10 metres high, and extend to depths of 20 metres below the surface.
Tower Hill Nature Reserve: You travel to Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve. Tower Hill features a deep circular crater formed some 25,000 years ago and is one of the largest maars in the world, formed when hot rising basaltic magma came into contact with the subterranean water table. The violent explosion that followed created the funnel shaped crater which later filled with water to form a lake and the island that can be observed today.
Tower Hill Nature Reserve: At Tower Hill you get a chance to find kangaroo's, koala's, emu's and lots of other animals and birds in their natural habitat. You also get a chance to learn about the local Aboriginal culture.