Mount William stone axe quarry facts for kids
The Mount William stone axe quarry is a very important Aboriginal Australian historical place in Central Victoria, Australia. It is about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) northeast of Lancefield. The Aboriginal people called this place Wil-im-ee Moor-ring, which means "axe place" in the Woiwurrung language. This quarry was a major source of a special green rock called greenstone. People used this rock to make strong stone axes. These axes were then traded far and wide across south-east Australia.
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What is the Mount William Quarry?
The Mount William Aboriginal stone axe quarry has hundreds of old mining pits. It also has piles of waste rock. This is where Aboriginal people dug up greenstone (a type of rock called diabase). They also started making stone blanks for axe heads here.
Chipped and ground stone axes were a key tool for Aboriginal people in southeast Australia. The greenstone from Mount William was one of the best and most traded materials. Workers dug the stone from the ground. Then, they roughly shaped it into blanks. These blanks were taken away to be finished. They would be flaked more finely and have their edges sharpened.
There are 268 mining pits at the site. About 18 of these pits are several meters deep. Around them are at least 34 areas where people flaked stone. Some of these areas have piles of rock debris up to 20 meters (65 feet) wide. Some even have a central rock used as an anvil for shaping stones.
Mount William is one of six areas in Victoria with greenstone. Other greenstone quarries were found nearby. However, no finished axes have been found at Mount William itself. The closest places to grind and polish axes are about 29 kilometers (18 miles) away at Mount Macedon. Studies show that the stone found there is the same as the Mount William greenstone.
History of the Quarry
People have known about the Mount William quarry for a long time. Here are some important moments in its history:
Early Descriptions
In 1838, William Bradley was one of the first to write about the trading of stone from Mount William. He saw two groups of Aboriginal people meet. One group had traveled from the south with stone hatchets. Some were polished, and some were still rough. The local group wanted these hatchets. They traded two opossum skin covers for one polished axe. For a rough hatchet, they gave light bamboo spears. This trading went on for some time, but only among the men.
In 1854, William Blandowski visited Mount William. He was the first zoologist at the Melbourne Museum. He wrote the first detailed description of the quarry. He said he had heard about this famous place from tribes 400 miles away. He described the quarry as looking like a "deserted goldfield." He noted how much effort the Aboriginal people put into their work.
William Buckley also described a hard black stone he called Kar-keen. This stone was shaped into axe heads.
Traditional Ownership and Trade
In the 1880s, William Barak, a respected Wurundjeri leader, shared important information. He was a custodian of the quarry. He probably saw the last times the quarry was used. He explained to Alfred Howitt how the quarry was traditionally owned and used.
Barak said that places like the Mount William quarry were important to the whole tribe. Leading men from two related clans, the Kurnung-willam and Kurnaje-berreing, shared control of the quarry. Four men had special responsibility for it. Billi-billeri was the main custodian of the site.
When neighboring tribes wanted stone for axes, they would send a messenger to Billi-billeri. When they arrived, they camped nearby. Billi-billeri's father, who was also a custodian, used to split the stones. He would give them away as gifts. In return, he received things like rugs, weapons, ornaments, belts, and necklaces. This shows how important the quarry was for trade and relationships between different groups.
Later Studies and Protection
In the early 1900s, people started organizing trips to the quarry. For example, in 1906, the District Teachers Association held an excursion. The day was even made a public holiday in the area so everyone could attend.
In the 1940s, archaeologist Fred McCarthy identified major trade routes in southeast Australia. He showed that a route from central Victoria (Mount William) connected to other important trading paths. Axes from Mount William were traded along these routes.
In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers like Isabel McBryde studied Mount William. McBryde looked at how axes from Mount William and other quarries were traded. She used old records, language studies, and rock analysis. Her work showed that axes from Mount William were traded for hundreds of kilometers. Their distribution depended on the social and political links between different Aboriginal groups.
Management and Conservation
Mount William has long been seen as a special Aboriginal place. Efforts to protect it began early. In 1910, Baldwin Spencer, the Director of the Museum of Victoria, tried to buy part of the land to create a reserve. However, the landowner did not want to sell.
In 1917, Alexander F. Cameron, a member of the Victorian Parliament, also tried to protect the site. He believed that about 25 acres of land could be bought and fenced. This would keep it safe as a major historical landmark for Australia. He said it proved that the country had been lived in for hundreds of years before Europeans arrived. He tried to get money to buy the land in 1918 and 1919. In 1921, he reported that someone in Melbourne offered 300 pounds to help buy the land as a reserve. Sadly, Cameron became very ill and died in 1923, so no more action was taken then.
In 1969, the landowner, Mr. Powell, worried about damage to the site. He offered to sell part of his land to the Shire of Romsey. The Shire got money from the Victorian government in 1971, and the land was transferred in 1972. In 1976, the area was officially declared an archaeological site. This protected both the council-owned land and the nearby private land.
In 1997, the Shire of Romsey (now Macedon Ranges Shire Council) gave their land to the Indigenous Land Corporation. This organization then put the site under the care of the Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council. The quarry is now also listed on the Register of the National Estate and the Australian National Heritage List. This means it is recognized as a very important part of Australia's history and culture.
Geographical location
- Mount William 37°12′38″S 144°48′37″E / 37.210516°S 144.810297°E
- Mount William south west37°12′48″S 144°48′31″E / 37.213447°S 144.808731°E
- Mount William north east37°12′39″S 144°48′45″E / 37.210935°S 144.812486°E
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