Aitken Hill (Mt Yuroke)
Aitken Hill is an heavily eroded scoria cone topped with outcroppings from an eroded lava plug and lava flows. It rises out of the new suburb of Greenvale, 3.5km south east of Craigieburn.
Although the summit is private land, it is easily accessible from the streets of the new housing estate.
Aitken Hill has gone by many names in the past as documented on the Fading Victoria website:
A bit of trivia today, according to the Registrar of Geographic Names, the recognised names for Aitken Hill are:
- Aitken Hill (official)
- Aitkens Hill (historical)
- Mount Aitken (historical)
- Yuroke (historical)
Our hearts sank as we approached Aitken Hill, as we found the housing had encroached quite a ways up the eastern side of the volcano. Once we found a likely access point, we climbed up the hill to the summit, avoiding being shocked by the electric fences. We were rewarded for the climb with some lovely outcropping on the top and with some magnificent views of the surounding country side. Mt Fraser looked beautiful to the north, and you can of course see Bald Hill, Mt Kororoit, Mt Cottrell and many others. Melbourne Airport is also visible to the south west.
Aitken Hill is a lovely example of an eroded scoria cone, and it's proximity to the young suburbs around it would make it an ideal place to educate the children of the area of the volcanic history of Melbourne. I have read a rumor that the summit is to be turned in to a park, and I dearly hope so. I also hope that they provide some interpretive information, and point out some of the other volcanic features that are easily visible from the summit.