OVERVIEW
Historical Notes
Boroondarah
became the City of Camberwell, the name derived from aboriginal Burroodarah – shady or dark place
Nunawading - derived from aboriginal Numphawading – ceremonial ground or battlelfield
Nillimbuk Peneplain
Whitehorse is sited on a geological
formation known as the Nillimbuk Peneplain.
Originally,
the higher parts (the hilltops) of Whitehorse were light sandy country, timbered with gums and sheoaks.
The ridge
of high ground along which Mont Albert and Whitehorse Rds run is the watershed between streams flowing north to Koonung Creek,
and south to Gardners Creek.
W or West
Creek, originally rising near Whitehorse and Union Rds corner was frequented by wild ducks.
The land surface is on three separate areas, formed over a span of more tha
400 million years.
It encompassed the geological period known as the Silurian, beginning 435
million years ago, as sediments, lasting for about 40 million years. The sediments laid down settled, over tens of millions
of years, and ultimately formed layers of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.
These layers
were subsequently elevated above water level that occurred in the Devonian Period (395 to 345 million years ago).Then, during
the Jurassic Period (195 135 million years ago) the land was again uplifted. By the Tertiary Period, some 65 million years
ago, the Nillimbuk terrain formed the shape and height known today.
During the
Tertiary Period, the land was overlain with further deposits of sediments.
In the Whitehorse
area, the later sandstone deposits occur in only a few places, as capping on
the older Silurian deposits.
These may
be seen in Wattle Park, the hill at the SW corner of Canterbury and Elgar Rds, and between Middleborough and Blackburn Rds.
The third
type of land surface found in this district is ground in the valleys of the larger streams, such as Gardner's Creek, Koonung
Creek, and their tributaries.
For the
next 175 million years, the land was subjected to erosion by wind and water.
Some of the land is on the oldest rock strains in the Melbourne region.
High Points
The highest points in Mont Albert and Surrey Hills are Delaney Hill (135
m - Canterbury Rd, site of the communications
tower and reservoirs), Round Hill (120 m - Canterbury Rd), Mount Albert (110 m - Union Rd), Round Hill (Mont Beuty (105 m
- east of Warragul Rd)
