The Big Peninsula Tunnel is a small river diversion tunnel on the upper

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower s ...

near

McMahons Creek McMahons Creek is a bounded rural locality in Victoria, Australia, on the Warburton–Woods Point Road bordering the Yarra Ranges National Park, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area A local government area (LGA) is ...

, around 80 km east of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The tunnel was dug in 1864, during the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capit ...

, by alluvial gold miners to provide access to the bed of the Yarra River. Big Peninsula Tunnel is a square section, about 2 metres high and wide, and approximately 25 metres long. The tunnel can be accessed from a small carpark off the Woods Point Road, approximately 15 km east of Warburton and 1 km below

. The Goldfields Walking Trail starts nearby. The site is listed in the

Victorian Heritage Inventory The Victorian Heritage Inventory, commonly known as the Heritage Inventory, is a list of all known historical archaeology sites in Victoria, Australia. It is maintained by Heritage Victoria , the Victorian State Government’s principal cultural ...

References

Yarra River Victoria (state) gold rush river diversions Tunnels in Victoria (state) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub

See also

References