The Bacchus Marsh council trench, its geological significance and recent conservation

Abstract

The Council Trench at Bacchus Marsh in central Victoria contains the only known outcropping of Triassic-aged sedimentary rock in Victoria. It is a geologically and historically important site that has been recognised and given State heritage status by the Geological Society of Australia. From its original gazettal in 1873 as a stone reserve, through the discovery of Triassic plant fossils in its rock late in that century and until 2000, the Trench site remained a public reserve. In 2000, despite its geological heritage significance, the Victorian government offered the site for private sale and development. From 2000 to 2003 a dedicated group worked to have the sale offer withdrawn and for the site to remain in public ownership. They were successful. The Bacchus Marsh Council Trench Crown Land Reserve was gazetted in 2003 and a Committee of Management was soon formed. Since 2003 the committee has gained two grants from the State government. These funds have been used to provide a visitor access path to the Trench, to fence the site and to carry out an intensive, on-going program against environmental weeds and rabbits. The successful action by a dedicated group to prevent a geological heritage site being sold for development and to have it declared a Crown Land Reserve, may represent the first occasion that such action has been taken in Victoria.