38 RIVER YARRA, VICTORIA 
occupied the thalweg of the pre-Older Basalt valley. I suggest 
that this early Tertiary stream be known as the Kangaroo River. 
It drained the Kinglake escarpment and the Yarra Plateau. 
Instead of continuing directly south, following the strike of the 
country rock, it appears that the Kangaroo River was deflected 
south-west to join the Melbourne River. The Geological Survey 
of Victoria geological map of the Parish of Sutton shows the lead 
under the Older Basalt at Kangaroo Ground turning to the south- 
west. On just what evidence that was based is not now known. 
However, the Warrandyte area directly to the south of Kangaroo 
Ground is one of highly indurated country rock, due to numerous 
intrusions, many of which have been mined for gold (Whitelaw, 
1895). South-west is the general direction of drainage in the 
country between the meridians of Melbourne and Ringwood, and 
this was probably so in early Tertiary times owing to the strong 
influence of the Melbourne River (q.v.). The Melbourne River 
was a central stream of which all the others mentioned in this 
section were tributaries. 
The Older Basalt at Ivanhoe is probably a marker of the main 
course of the Kangaroo River, while the residuals at Greens- 
borough and north-east of Kangaroo Ground are indications of 
the position of branch streams. Both the Greensborough and ' 
Tvanhoe residuals are at a lower level than the Kangaroo Ground 
residual, and from this it is inferred that they were lower down 
the course of the river. However, if the Yarra Plateau owes its 
higher elevation to the Nillumbik Peneplain to faulting, then this 
has to be taken into account. 
(3) Melbourne River. On the meridian of Melbourne there is 
a fossil valley of early Tertiary age. The Moonee Ponds Creek 
has now cut through the covering rocks in a number of places to 
this ancient valley, which has been preserved first by a sheet of 
Older Basalt, and then by a sheet of Newer Basalt. For instance, 
a section in the Moonee Ponds Creek at North Essendon reveals: 
Newer Basalt (youngest). 
Quartzite, sands, and gravels. 
Older Basalt. 
Sands and silts. 
Silurian bedrock. 
The bedrock at this point is about 67 feet above sea-level, and, 
like the Silurian inher on which part of Melbourne is built, con- 
stitutes a section of the east bank of what I propose to call the 
Melbourne River. Skeats’ (1909) figure 2 shows part of this river 
bed, mostly below sea-level. Older Basalt still remains in the lower 
