Dozens of extinct and dormant volcanoes mark the landscape of south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia. They are contained within the 15,000sqkm region known as the Newer Volcanic Province of South-eastern Australia

The youngest of the volcanoes is Mount Shank near Mt Gambier in South Australia which is thought to have erupted about 5000 years ago.

Tower Hill, a crater formed about 35,000 years ago, is important in the story of Point Ritchie-Moyjil. Ash from the Tower Hill explosion formed a layer across the landscape including at Point Ritchie. It has become a key marker of time, informing us that the evidence thought to indicate human activity occurred before the Tower Hill eruption.

Tower Hill, with its crater lake and cinder cone islands, is contained within a State reserve covering more than 600ha.

More information on Tower Hill and the volcanoes of the South West can be found at www.kanawinkageopark.org.au