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9.5 Gellibrand "Shale Pit"

This information has been developed from the publications:
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne (1986) by Neville Rosengren
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Shire of Otway (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage (external site) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:9-207307. Two kilometres south of Gellibrand on the eastern slope of Charley Creek Valley.

Access:
Off the Gellibrand-Beech Forest Road.

Ownership:
Private land.

Geology:
This is a quarry, now seldom worked, from which tough fractured rock described as shale by Kenny (1938) was extracted for use as ballast on the Colac-Beech Forest railway. Darragh and Bowen (1965) interpreted the material as altered volcanic rock (kaolinise tuff) interbedded with the Lower Cretaceous sediments. Much of the quarry face has now slumped, and the exposures described by Kenny and Darragh and Bowen are obscured.

Significance:
Regional. The quarry has historical significance for its use as a ballast source for the now dismantled narrow gauge railway. The interpretation of the rocks here has been used as evidence for the volcanic origin of the rock fragments that comprise a high fraction of the Otways sediments (Darragh and Bowen, 1965).

References:
Kenny, J.P.L. (1938). "Geology of the Kawarren - Gellibrand district." Min. geol. J. Vict., 1(3): 76-79.
Darragh, P.J. & Bowen, K.G. (1965). "The occurrence of bentonite at Gellibrand." Min. & geol. J. Vict., 6(5): pp. 32-36.

Image: Betonite Quarry map
Map of Gellibrand and Sites 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6

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