where is Mount Bonan Yowing?

Last weekend we drove from Ballan to Mt Buninyong (Victoria, Australia) via Mt Egerton and Yendon as seen in the following blog posts:

Ballan to Mt Egerton

Mt Egerton to Yendon

Our destination was Mount Bonan Yowing or better known as Mt Buninyong, an extinct volcano that rises to 719 metres (2,359 ft) above sea level. We had not been here for many years and we were anxious to explore this area again.

The views are still magnificent, the weather in winter is still as cold as ever, though I must admit, we were lucky.  Even though the day was cold, we had no rain at all.  It often snows here in July, so it is worth noting to keep away from there over the next few weeks!

The following images show just how beautiful the scenery is from the Mt Buninyong Road:

... and did you know that Mt Buninyong was originally named Mount Bonan Yowing? It 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.

The road is quite safe, it is narrow and only 'one way', but do take it slowly as there are many walkers and tourists in the area, especially over the weekends.

 

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.

When visiting Mt Buninyong or walking the trails, do keep your eyes open for the 'hidden beauty' as seen in the images above. Be it fungi, dead gum nuts, a leaf, a branch of a gum tree or moss on a fallen branch .... there is beauty all around us and we can only see this when our eyes are open.

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” 

 ― Dr. Seuss

Mt Buninyong is also part of the Ballarat Cycle Classic - Mt Buninyong Classic Challenge of 60 km and in January (usually) the Cycling Australia Road National Championships are held. Though do check Cycling Australia's website for "up to date" events as the Buninyong Cycling website is often out of date.

The following are a few URL's that maybe of interest:

Mt Buninyong

Walks on Mt Buninyong

Mt Buninyong Recreation Reserve

Mt Buninyong LandCare

Museum Victoria's images of Mt Buninyong

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Road Trip (Mt Egerton to Yendon)

...... continuing on with yesterdays 'road trip' from Ballan to Mt Buninyong, this post being on the section between Mt Egerton and Yendon as seen below:

Fabulous scenery in this area including an historical bluestone bridge that crosses over the Moorabool River on the Yendon-Egerton Road, as seen below:

the following black and white image of that same bridge was taken from the State Library of Victoria's website, here you can see the area underneath....

It is worth making the journey along this section of the road as the scenery is quite diverse with the historical towns of Mt Egerton and Yendon, the many farms, rivers, old buildings, fencing etc along the way ....

when driving on this road, do be cautious as there are some areas where it is quite narrow and steep, in particular if cycling along this section ...

This section of the Yendon-Egerton Road is only 12 klms, so it's not long before you enter the small village of Yendon ...

next blog post will be on the drive around Mt Buninyong!

URL's of interest:

Road Trip (Ballan to Mt Egerton)

Visit Moorabool - Mt Egerton 

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Road Trip (Ballan to Mt Egerton)

Last week we explored the area south of Ballan along Glenmore Road, towards Bacchus Marsh. Today we decided to have a look at the area south-west of Ballan and so headed towards the Ballan-Mt Egerton Road.

After leaving Ballan and turning left onto the Geelong-Ballan Road, it was not long before we needed to turn right, onto the Ballan-Egerton Road - as seen above.

This really is another delightful area to explore, to get off the main freeway and see what this regional road has to offer the tourist.

From Ballan it is only 14.5 klms, or 20 minutes drive time. Though it will take longer than that if you want to stop and admire the views along the way!

Today we are actually on our way to Buninyong via Mount Egerton which is an historic gold mining town in Victoria, Australia. The town was named after settler George Egerton.

In 1838 he held approximately 35,000 acres of stock farming land which to outsiders was known simply as "Egerton's Run".  Gold was discovered in this area in 1853.

The town's main street is Main Road and consists of an historic gold mine and battery, general store and hall. While nearby are the local primary school and recreational reserve.

The following images were taken along the Ballan-Egerton Road on the way to Mt Egerton .....

we stopped often to admire the scenery and of course, to take many photos along the way, but there was a cold wind blowing and didn't want to stay out too long. We are looking forward to exploring this area in the springtime now!

It was not long before we came to the intersection at Mt Egerton, it was here that we turned left (see image below) and followed the Yendon-Egerton Road - crossing the Moorabool River - towards Yendon, which is only a 12 klm journey.

The next blog post is on that section of our journey, to read about it click here.