SW1 Diggers Rest - Dry Lake

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 section of the Geological Society of Australia website (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location Access Ownership	Sydenahm West - 945305. Shire of Melton. North of Holden Road and east of Kororoit Creek, 4 km southwest of Diggers Rest. Holden Road. Private land	SW1 - Dry lake on lava plain near Mount Kororoit.
Site Description	The site is a circular enclosed depression, 600 m in diameter, in the surface of the basalt plain, the margins marked by a well-defined bluff 6 to 8 m high. A small valley enters the depression in the northeast and there is natural drainage to Kororoit Creek to the west. The site has been artificially drained and the alluvial floor is now cultivated. The origin of the depression is uncertain. It may be an eruption point (a small explosion crater or maar), a depression enclosed by lava flows, or may be due to subsidence. The steep margins on the eastern side suggest there has been at times a deep water body, with wave action generated by westerly winds cutting an erosive face on this shore.
Significance	Regional. Few other depressions on the Werribee Plains are bounded by such well-defined scarps. It is therefore a distinctive feature in the present study area. There has been no detailed study of the origins of the depression.
Management	Class 2. Continuation in agricultural land use is appropriate to maintaining the significance of the site. No buildings should be permitted on the escarpment slopes and the site should not be crossed by roadways. In the long term, restoration of the area to a wetland would be appropriate.

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