Location. The Cascades are on the Coliban River, and are signposted on the Metcalfe-Malmsbury Road, on the outskirts of Metcalfe.

What to do

• Look for potholes in the granite rocks
• bird watch
• have a picnic beside the river.

The Coliban River. The Coliban River rises near Trentham on the Dividing Range, and joins the Campaspe River at Lake Eppalock. The Lauriston, Malmsbury and Upper Coliban are upstream from the cascades, and dam the river. The flow of water at Metcalfe depends on how much water is released from the dams. reducing the natural flow of the river.

The potholes. The river flows over granite rocks. In places the swirling action of the stream flow has cut potholes into the bedrock.

1: The Coliban River has cut holes into the granite bedrock. The swirling water can carry stones with it, and gouge
holes into the hard rock. The holes are aptly called potholes.

2: The river and the granite base. The surrounding eucalypts are River Red Gums.

3: Another view of the cascades.

4: Blackwood upstream from the rapids.

Plants. of interest include Red Gums, River Bottlebrush, Narrow-leaf Hop-bush and Blackwood.

EP