Mount Fraser (Australia) facts for kids
Mount Fraser is a special kind of hill in Beveridge, Victoria, Australia. It's actually an old volcano! This type of volcano is called a "volcanic cone" because it's shaped like a cone. It's the biggest "scoria cone" near the city of Melbourne. A scoria cone is made from bubbly, dark volcanic rock called scoria.
Mount Fraser is an extinct volcano, which means it won't erupt again. Its last eruption happened about one million years ago! The hill stands about 120 metres (almost 400 feet) tall above the land around it. If you walked all the way around its base, you would travel about 1200 metres (nearly three-quarters of a mile). At the top, Mount Fraser has two craters, which are the bowl-shaped openings where lava used to come out. One crater is wide and not very deep, while the other is smaller and closed off.
A Look Back in Time
Mount Fraser has an interesting history.
Early Explorers
Two famous explorers, Hamilton Hume and William Hovell, climbed Mount Fraser on December 14, 1824. From the top, they were able to see all the way to Port Phillip Bay! In the past, this volcano was known by other names, like Mount Bland and Big Hill.
Famous Connections
Did you know that the famous Australian bushranger (a type of outlaw) named Ned Kelly was born near Mount Fraser? This area has many stories from the past.
Flying High
For a while, Mount Fraser was also a popular spot for people who enjoyed flying gliders. Gliders are aircraft that fly without an engine, using air currents to stay in the sky.
What's Happening Now
Today, there is a quarry on the side of Mount Fraser. A quarry is a place where rocks and minerals are dug out of the ground. Workers at this quarry dig out scoria, which is a light, porous volcanic rock. This scoria is then used for building projects in the nearby city of Melbourne.
