#naturepositive — Public Fediverse posts

A volcano of their very own: Mount Elephant

Showers of fiery red, molten volcanic bombs streaking through the air, rivers of flowing lava across the land. This chaotic, noisy and spectacular scene is not Hawaii or Iceland today but Victoria, 180,000 years ago.

At 240 m above sea level the almost perfect cone of Mount Elephant, on Eastern Maar Country at Derrinallum, is one remnant of this explosive time in the state’s history. For millions of years molten rock erupted from over 400 fissures, rifts and cones across Western Victoria, many witnessed and recorded by First Peoples.

Huge volumes of lava flowed across the land. The rock, basalt, was used by settlers to build stone walls and houses, and was crushed for developing roads and farm tracks.

Twenty-five years ago, members of the communities surrounding Mount Elephant rallied to protect this extraordinary place.

“It has a lot of meaning to the community – it really came from the heart. At some of the meetings people were in tears,” says Lesley Brown, Treasurer of the Mount Elephant Committee of Management, volunteers who have been caring for the mountain since it became a Trust for Nature reserve.”

Originally from Melbourne, Lesley moved to Derrinallum to become a dairy farmer with her husband. When Mount Elephant came up for sale in 2000, the community held several meetings to discuss purchasing Mount Elephant. The desire to keep the mountain as part of the community and for recreation was overwhelming, and for Mount Elephant to be restored to its state before European colonisation.

Assisted by a then-Trustee and community member, Trust for Nature formed a partnership to raise $200,000 to purchase Mount Elephant and manage the reserve. Volunteers door-knocked in the local community, a media campaign was launched, and through this $100,000 was raised in five months by the community. Trust for Nature contributed to the balance.

“It was the right thing to do,” Lesley says. “The previous owners wanted it to go to the community. If we hadn’t bought it some other private owners would have.”

The answer involved artistic detective work, using the paintings and sketches of Austrian-born painter Eugene von Guerard. These show that the mountain was likely covered in a woodland of banksias, she oaks, Blackwoods and Manna Gums, with shrubby Sweet Bursaria, Tree Violet and native grasses growing amongst the trees. This is a rare habitat today in Victoria, and much of what remains is degraded. A management plan developed by the Centre for Environmental Management, University of Ballarat, documents the plants and animals that would have lived on Mount Elephant, and how to restore it.

Over the past 25 years volunteers have planted thousands of trees and grasses. Rabbits have been baited and warrens removed. Weeds have been sprayed. The changes have been remarkable: from hundreds and thousands of rabbits, there are now only a handful.

“When we first started there was nothing – it was brown and full of rabbit warrens. Now it’s green and there are lots of trees. People said, ‘You’ll never get rid of the rabbits, you’ll never get rid of the weeds’ – but we have,” says Lesley.

Wildlife is returning, including Wedge-tailed Eagles, wallabies, and kangaroos. This is posing an interesting dilemma: the kangaroos are eating freshly planted trees, which now need to be guarded and fenced. But both are signs that Mount Elephant’s recovery is well on the way.

Walking tracks have been installed, and a visitor center open on Sunday a ernoons, and at other times by request, provides information about this fascinating place and the work that goes into looking after it. Lesley is particularly energised by the people who visit Mount Elephant, including groups of students from local schools and the commitment of the Mount Elephant committee.

“How many people have the opportunity to do what we have done?” says Lesley. “We just get on with the job and then you look back and think ‘The trees are growing, we did that’. It’s a legacy to leave behind for the future, so that future generations can continue to enjoy this place.”

This article has been entirely reproduced from the original here: https://trustfornature.org.au/a-volcano-of-their-very-own-mount-elephant/
Check out the Trust For Nature website and see some of the other great work they are doing all over Australia.
And perhaps even consider signing up to help support their work.

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