Explore the history of
Tower Hill

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted over 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a ‘nested maar’ and, at 3.2km wide, is the largest example of its type in Victoria.

Formed when molten lava encountered a layer of water-bearing rock (tephra), violent explosions followed, creating a shallow crater (maar) which later filled with water to form the lake while further eruptions created the islands and cone shaped hills (tuff ring).

Today you can still see the striated rock faces of the spectacular 11km crater rim, a rare geological site.

The Dhauwurd Wurrung, also known as the Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Their land includes much of the Budj Bim heritage areas.

The Kerrup Jmara (Kerrupjmara, Kerrup-Jmara) are a clan of the Gunditjmara, whose traditional lands are around Lake Condah. The Koroitgundidj (Koroit gundidj) are another clan group, whose lands are around Tower Hill.

Evidence shows that these clans witnessed the last eruptions of Tower Hill, with some of the oldest oral tradtions re-telling the eruption.

The Gunditjmara used the land’s natural topography and features to establish permanent settlements and villages along the lava flow near creeks or lakes, with the community’s population believed to be in the thousands.

1961 marked the beginning of a major effort to re-vegetate Tower Hill, using as a starting point an 1855 painting (‘Outlook’) by Viennese artist Eugene von Guerard, known for his attention to detail. Von Guerard was commissioned in 1855 by James Dawson, to show the vegetation ”…as the Aborigines knew it and just before the Europeans were to ruin it.”

The Fisheries and Wildlife Department developed a planting scheme using von Guerard’s detailed painting as a reference. By 1981, around 25,000 trees and shrubs had been planted with the help of hundreds of school children and volunteers, along with herbs, grasses and rushes. As these plants became established, introduced plants and weeds were removed. Robin Boyd also developed a visitor centre that represents the shape of a flat volcano maintaining as much connection to the land and circular nature as possible.

Today the site is a better reflection of it’s past self, rich in natural fauna and native animals tranporting us to a time capsule unchanged for thousands of years.

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted over 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a ‘nested maar’ and, at 3.2km wide, is the largest example of its type in Victoria.

Formed when molten lava encountered a layer of water-bearing rock (tephra), violent explosions followed, creating a shallow crater (maar) which later filled with water to form the lake while further eruptions created the islands and cone shaped hills (tuff ring).

Today you can still see the striated rock faces of the spectacular 11km crater rim, a rare geological site.