Western Victorian Volcanic Plains

The Western Victorian Volcanic Plains in Victoria, Australia, also known as the Newer Volcanic Province, are the third largest volcanic plains in world. The biggest is the Deccan Plateau in India and the Snake River Plateau in the USA. The Western Victorian Volcanic Plains cover an area of 2.3 million hectares, more than 10% of the state. The basalt plains were formed by volcanoes over the last 6 million years with the most recent eruption being at Mount Napier 7,200 years ago. There are only a few rivers which flow across the plains, these are the Barwon, Hopkins, Leigh, Maribyrnong, Wannon and Werribee Rivers and the Mount Emu Creek. More than 90% of the plains have been cleared for farming.
Over 400 volcano sites have been found on the plains. Near Ballarat the volcanoes are quite close together. The plains have built up over time with many small lava flows. The average depth of the lava is about 60 metres. Many of the features are stand out on the flat plains.
The Indigenous Australians must have seen some of the eruptions as they told stories about rocks and fires coming from some mountains. Stone tools have been found buried in volcanic ash near Warrnambool. Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to describe the Western Volcanic Plains. He climbed Mount Napier in 1836 and wrote that it looked as if the volcano had been active not that long ago. Early settlers liked the plains as they could easily grow crops in the rich, fertile soil. They used the volcanic stones to build dry stone walls around their farms.
The Western Victorian Volcanic Plains have been quiet for thousands of years. There have been no earthquakes, no hot springs or other signs of activity. It is not known why the volcanos stopped, and some scientists believe that the volcanos on the plains are not extinct, but dormant.