Kooyoora State Park
Granite ranges and box-ironbark forest with the Melville Caves, the hideout of the bushranger Captain Melville. Prospecting in the designated areas only.
Land
State park (designated prospecting areas)
Nearest town
Inglewood
Distance
18 km west
Old workings inside
4
Photo: Melburnian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Location
Kooyoora State Park is near the Inglewood region
Fossicking Area Boundary
Official declared boundary from the NT Government. You may only fossick within this area.
Boundary coordinates from NT Government gazettal
Can you prospect here?
- !Prospecting is allowed only in the designated areas shown on the Parks Victoria map. Download it before you go.
- !A current Miner's Right and hand tools only.
Parks Victoria prospecting areas map (PDF)
Banned waterways here: Fentons Creek, Kangderaar Creek. Victoria bans prospecting in these rivers and creeks. Full list.
Mining and exploration licences can sit over any of this ground. On the Dig Here map, turn on Land tenure and Current leases and tap the spot: you get a straight YES or NO, and the titles update every Sunday.
History
The Kooyoora Range rises out of the plains between Inglewood and Wedderburn. Its granite tors and caves are named after Captain Melville, a bushranger who preyed on the goldfields traffic in the 1850s.
The goldfields around the park, at Inglewood, Kingower and Rheola, were rushed in the 1850s and 1860s.
Where to look
Inside the designated prospecting areas only, on the gentler sedimentary ground around the granite, where the gold-bearing reefs are.
Getting there
From Inglewood, head west on the Calder Highway, then follow the signs to Melville Caves.
Camping
Melville Caves campground has basic facilities. Book or check conditions with Parks Victoria (13 1963).
See Kooyoora State Park on the map
Old workings, flow direction on every creek, mining titles and a YES or NO for any spot.
Open the mapMore in The Golden Triangle
Rules: Resources Victoria and Parks Victoria, checked 6 Nov 2026. Boundaries: DEECA Public Land and Parks. Always check before you go.