Description of the attraction
The Yu Young's Ridge is a series of granite ridges that rise 364 meters above the Verribie Plain, 22 kilometers from Geelong. The main ridge stretches from north to south for 9 km. Most of the southern spurs of the ridge are part of the U-Youngs Regional Park. The popular notion that the Yu-Youngs are the remains of a volcano is not true. In fact, the ridge is frozen magma that erupted from the earth about 365 million years ago.
About 200 species of birds live on the territory of the ridges - various types of honey suckers, kookaburras, white-winged larks, crested titmouses, purple parrots and others. Among the animals can be found mountain kangaroos, flying squirrels, possums and koalas. The nearby Serendip Wildlife Refuge has a research center that breeds endangered Victoria wildlife such as the Australian bustard.
Despite its low height - only 364 meters - the ridge is the dominant part of the landscape and is perfectly visible both from Geelong and from Melbourne, located a little further. The hills north of the U Youngs are the testing ground for the Australian division of the Ford plant.
The landmark of the ridge is the geoglyph - a giant ground drawing erected by Australian artist Andrew Rogers in recognition of the aborigines who lived in these places. The figure depicts Banjil - a mythical creature from the beliefs of the Votarong tribe aborigines. The wingspan of Banjil is 100 meters. To create this drawing, the artist took 1,500 tons of stones.
The very name of the Yu-Yangs ridge comes from the aboriginal phrase "vurdi young" or "yude young", which means "a large mountain in the center of the plain." The aborigines used holes in the stones as a kind of wells to collect water. The first European to see the U-Youngs was explorer Matthew Flinders, who climbed the ridge's highest peak in 1802. He named it Station Peak, but in 1912 the name was changed to Flinders Peak in his honor.
The Yu-Youngs have always attracted artists, but they had a particular influence on the work of one of Australia's greatest painters, Fred Williams. He spent many years traveling to these places to capture the Yu-Youngs. Today these paintings are considered classics of Australian art.
