Melville Caves - Culture and History

Prior to European occupation, this area was inhabited by the Jaara Aboriginal people who took shelter amidst the rock formations of the area (including, it is believed, Melville Caves) and relied on natural springs and wells for their water supply. Scarred trees around the park's rock shelves indicate the removal of material from the trees by the Jaara for usage as shields and bowls. The recovery of an array of spear-heads, chisels and quartz flakes, provides further evidence of their former presence.

The first known whites in the area were the party of Thomas Mitchell during his Australia Felix expedition of 1836. European settlement of the district began in the 1840s. Gold was discovered north of Melville Caves, near Wedderburn, in 1852. Prospectors flooded into the area causing the large pastoral estates to be broken up into smaller holdings.

During this period, bushranger 'Captain Melville' (nee Frank McCallum) is thought to have used the caves as a camp and a vantage point owing to their elevation which facilitates excellent views down over the flat plains to the south, along which gold-bearing coaches travelled. He conducted raids at numerous points throughout western and south-western Victoria and once made off with five billy-cans full of gold dust which were never recovered. They are thought to be buried at Mt Arapiles west of Horsham. 'Melville' was caught on Christmas Eve, 1852, and was found dead in his cell in 1857.

From 1852 to 1883 the region yielded 369 nuggets weighing over 1.5 kg. The bulk were found between 1854 and 1857, including the Blanche Barkly nugget at Kingower, weighing 49.5 kg. Two other nuggets weighing over 30 kg were found at Rheola, to the immediate south of the Caves. Goldmining occurred within the bounds of what is now Kooyoora State Park and relics of the associated settlement are to be found in the eastern section.

The White Swan Quartz Mine operated in what is now Kooyoora State Park during World War II, producing industrial and ornamental quartz. The 'Caves' were listed as a geological monument in 1980. In January of that year a 240-gram nugget was found and that started a minor goldrush which turned up a 2.4-kg nugget. The World Orienteering Championships were held here in 1985 and the Park was declared that same year.