Sunbury earth rings facts for kids

Riddells Road Earth Ring

The Sunbury Earth Rings (Bora Rings) are prehistoric aboriginal sites located on the hills to the west of Jacksons Creek near Sunbury, Victoria, Australia.

Description and identification

Sometimes referred to as Bora rings, they were formed by scraping off grass and topsoil, and piling it in a circular ridge around the outside. They measure between 10 – 25 m diameter. Three of the rings are in close proximity and two others several kilometres away. All are on gently sloping sites. They are somewhat different from the Bora Rings found in New South Wales and southeast Queensland, which tend to be located in hidden, flat sites, and in connected pairs. The Sunbury Earth Rings first came to public attention, and first were investigated and described in the early 1970s, when archaeologist Dr. David Frankel undertook a test excavation on one of the rings to determine their origin. Excavations revealed the remains of two small stone cairns, one in the centre and one on the edge of the circle, and a number of sharp stone plades or knives, which may have been used in ritual scarification or circumcision ceremonies.

Management and conservation

Some of the Rings have been put under the management of the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council, and have also been included on the Register of the National Estate.

There are ongoing pressures on the sites from development. As a result of housing development along Reservoir Road, one ring is now encircled by the back fences of adjoining houses, while another is subject to residential subdivision plans which will also see it surrounded by roads. A past proposal even considered incorporating one of the rings in the middle of a traffic round-about. The Canterbury Hills housing estate has submitted plans for residential development around the Riddells Road ring. In October 2009, the Sunbury Maribyrnong Valley Green Wedge Defenders made a Submission to the Parliamentary, Legislative Council regarding their inquiry into the impact of the state government’s decision to change the Urban Growth Boundary, citing the Aboriginal ring as a significant element of the threatened Bundanoon woodlands and grasslands, which was being encroached upon by housing.

Views of the rings c2004

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  Hopbush Avenue Ring

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  Correa Way Ring

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  Wirilda Court Ring

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  Reservoir Road ring

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  Riddells Road Ring (on far left) with sign indicating future residential development

Geographical location

• Riddells Road Ring 37°33′12″S 144°42′11″E / 37.553419°S 144.703165°E / -37.553419; 144.703165 (Riddells Road Ring)
• Hopbush Ave 37°33′44″S 144°44′29″E / 37.56225°S 144.74129°E / -37.56225; 144.74129 (Hopbush Ave Ring)
• Correa Way 37°33′46″S 144°44′22″E / 37.562801°S 144.739434°E / -37.562801; 144.739434 (Correa Way Ring)
• Wirilda Court 37°33′52″S 144°44′08″E / 37.564323°S 144.735566°E / -37.564323; 144.735566 (Wirilda Court Ring)
• Reservoir Road Ring 37°34′10″S 144°41′53″E / 37.569519°S 144.697926°E / -37.569519; 144.697926 (Reservoir Road Ring)