The Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve is located in Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia and occupies approximately 27 hectares of land. There are entrances to the reserve located on Allison Road, Canadian Bay Road, Two Bays Road and Station Street near the Moorooduc Railway Station.
Rock was quarried using explosives, loaded into dobbin carts and taken to a steam powered crusher. The resulting crushed stone was loaded into larger carts and transported to the Mornington railway line via a spur-line.
1887 - The Moorooduc quarry was established by David Munro.
1888 - A spur-line was built from the quarry to the site which is now Moorooduc station to transport stone and ballast for the construction of a branch line between Baxter and Mornington.
1923 - The Frankston - Hastings Shire Council purchased the site. Stone from the quarry continued to be used for ballasting railway lines and other uses including building, road construction and repairs to the Mornington Reservoir.
1927 - Electricity was introduced and the steam powered crusher which used local timber for fuel was superseded by an electrical crusher.
1932 - Stone from the quarry was used in the construction of stables and garden walls at Cruden Farm owned by Keith Murdoch, father of Rupert Murdoch.
1935 - The cartage of stone by rail was replaced with trucks.
1950s - Stone from Moorooduc quarry featured in houses built in Gulls Way, designed by David Chancellor and W. Rex Patrick.
1961 - The quarry was closed due to flooding. Continuing to fill with water the quarry became a popular swimming spot.
1973 - Frankston Council designated the area a flora and fauna reserve.
1981 - Some scenes for the television mini-series I Can Jump Puddles were filmed at the site of the quarry.
1986 - The movie Frog Dreaming was filmed at the site of the quarry.
After a period of neglect community interest transformed the site into a beautiful nature reserve, one of the best on the Mornington Peninsula.
The Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve is located within the boundaries of the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve.
There are several walking tracks throughout the reserve. One track encircles the high cliffs of the quarry and another the lake at the base of the cliffs. Following the path from Station Street will take you past ruins of an explosives store. Rock climbing and abseiling were quite popular in the reserve but is now strictly prohibited.
An Australian Government report shows that the Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve failed to receive Australian Heritage status:
List: Register of the National Estate
Class: Natural
Legal Status: Rejected Place
Place ID: 5822
Place File No: 2/18/023/0002
Statement of Significance: Not of sufficient significance to warrant entry in the Register.
A copy of the report can be found in the Australian Heritage Database.
Four species of eucalyptus and four species of acacia dominate the reserve. Most botanically significant is the diversity and abundance of indigenous native grasses and wildflowers. More than thirty species of orchids have been documented in the reserve. Several of these are classified as of state or regional significance.
Flora found in the reserve:
Acacia
Australian indigo (Indigofera australis)
Bracken
Eucalyptus
Maidenhair fern
Orchids
Manna gum
Cherry ballart
She-oak
At least 45 native species of birds have been recorded as breeding in the reserve and many other species visit to feed or rest. Waterbirds are often seen on the quarry lake. Several bat species have been recorded and (supposedly) rare sightings of koalas. The quarry lake and surrounding ponds and dams are home to small to microscopic aquatic creatures and various frogs.
Birds found in the reserve:
Australasian grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Australian pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
Australian white ibis Threskiornis molucca
Australian wood duck Chenonetta jubata
Bell miner Manorina melanophrys
Black-faced cuckooshrike Coracina novaehollandiae
Brown falcon Falco berigora
Brown goshawk Accipter fasciatus
Brown thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
Clamorous reed warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
Common blackbird Turdus merula
Common bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
Common myna Acridotheres tristis
Common starling Sturnus vulgaris
Crested pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
Crested shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus
Crimson rosella Platycercus elegans
Dusky moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
Dusky woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus
Eastern rosella Platycercus eximius
Eastern spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Eastern yellow robin Eopsaltria australis
Eurasian coot Fulica atra
European goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Fan-tailed cuckoo Cacomantis pyrrhophanus
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Golden whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Grey butcherbird Craticus torquatus
Grey currawong Strepera versicolor
Grey fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Grey shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Hardhead Aythya australis
Hoary-headed grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Horsfield's bronze cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
House sparrow Passer domesticus
Laughing kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
Little pied cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Little raven Corvus mellori
Little wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera
Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
New Holland honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Noisy miner Manorina melanocephala
Olive-backed oriole Oriolus sagittatus
Pacific black duck Anas superciliosa
Pacific gull Larus pacificus
Pallid cuckoo Culculus pallidus
Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus
Purple swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Rainbow lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
Red-browed finch Neochmia temporalis
Richard's pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
Rock dove Columba livia
Rufous fantail Rhipidura rufifrons
Rufous whistler Pachycephala rufiventris
Satin flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca
Shining bronze cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Silver gull Larus novaehollandiae
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis
Skylark Alauda arvensis
Spotted pardalote Pardalotus punctatus
Spotted turtle dove Streptopelia chinensis
Straw-necked ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Striated pardalote Pardalotus striatus
Striated thornbill Acanthiza lineata
Sulphur-crested cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Superb fairywren Malurus cyaneus
Tawny frogmouth Podargus strigoides
Varied sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Welcome swallow Hirundo neoxena
Whistling kite Haliastur sphenurus
White-browed scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
White-eared honeyeater Lichenostomus leucotis
White-faced heron Egretta novaehollandiae
White-naped honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus
White-plumed honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus
Willie wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Yellow-faced honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops
Mammals found in the reserve:
Brushtail possum
Echidna
Ringtail possum
Reptiles found in the reserve:
Blue-tongued lizard
Eastern snake-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis
Environmental weeds pose a serious threat to the survival of native flora and fauna in the reserve. Erosion is another issue of concern. Regeneration and revegetation works are slowly overcoming this problem.
Pest plants found in the reserve:
Boneseed Chrysanthemoides monilifera
Blackberries
Dandelions
