Environmental history of the newer volcanics province of Victoria

It is now 40 years since the publication of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria issue on “The Basalt Plains of Western Victoria’. This provided a comprehensive and systematic overview of present and past environments as known at the time. It is still a major reference for many aspects of the present landscape as well as having historical value. However, apart form some uncertain dating on the western plains flows and distinctive volcanic features, and on archaeological and fossil faunal material, there was little available information on the evolution of the landscape. This issue is focused on presentation of new data and reviews of research undertaken on the volcanic, climatic, vegetational and human history of the region since the 1960s. It demonstrates the importance as well as the future potential for understanding patterns of change in natural and human-modified landscapes not only within the region but also on Australian as well as global scales within the late Cenozoic period. In fact, there are few other parts of the world that have revealed such a fascinating and substantial history.