DANDENONG RANGE TUNNELS AND POSSIBLE BUNKER COMPLEX
POSSIBLY USED DURING WWII
BUT DATING BACK TO AT LEAST WWI

 

There have been many stories about tunnels and bunker systems in the Dandenong Ranges area in Victoria. Stories about possible tunnels and bunkers in the Mt. Evelyn area have also been prominent for many years.

It would appear that a number of different groups of people have found reasonably firm evidence that there were tunnels in the Dandenong area. Melbourne Lawyer, Mark Rawson, who has been excavating another military tunnel at Northcote in the Merri Creek area of Melbourne for a number of years has explored a few tunnels in the Mount Dandenong area which dates back to at least 1908.

A local resident told me on 20 September 2008 about a tunnel in the Dandenongs area after reading an article in the RACV magazine. He told me that the tunnel was about 5 feet high and 40 feet long and was filled in with dirt at the end of the tunnel and there appeared to be an opening to the right and left hand side of the mound of dirt at the end of the tunnel. It looked like the original entrance to the tunnel was about 20 metres further down the hill and had been covered over.

It appeared that the dirt/clay lined tunnel may have been dug with picks and had a ledge on each side of the tunnel. The local resident believed the ledges may have been for lamps. Perhaps they were for power cables?

On 11 October 2008 Mark Rawson found a an interesting engraving, about 20 ft in from the entrance of the tunnel on the left hand side wall. There is a a flat piece of wall which has the following inscribed on it:-

March
16
1915

But the 9 was back to front looking more like a P.

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

The engraving on the wall of the tunnel giving a clue to the age of this tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Close-up of the date on the wall of the tunnel

 

They have discovered another tunnel down a wombat hole which leads to a drop shaft or ventilation shaft which is about 6 feet by 6 feet and about 50 feet deep. They found a found a cordial bottle and a pair of bone cutters down at the bottom of this drop shaft.

The local resident who first advised me of a tunnel told me on 7 December 2008 that they had found another date in the top tunnel. It read as follows:-

                Feb 15  TH  08

Is this 15 February 1908 or 15 February 2008?

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

The wombat hole that led to a tunnel being located

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Close-up of the wombat hole

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Inside the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Note the ledges on each side of the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

A better view of the ledges on each side of the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Looking out to the outside world

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Part of the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

The mound of dirt at the end of the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Another view of the mound of dirt at the end of the tunnel

 


Photo:- GS Nov 2008

Drop Shaft located by Mark Rawson

 


 

OTHER STORIES OF TUNNELS AND BUNKERS

I was told by another person called Jamie that he had worked with someone who used to work in the local SES, who have all sorts of old maps containing a lot of the information about the so called tunnels. He told Jamie that it was actually a massive factory with lots U.S WWII gear and he had seen it.

Another person claimed he had found an entrance to a tunnel at the bottom of a cliff.

Another person told me in early October 2008 that he had found the unfound bunkers in Mt. Evelyn that had been closed up by the Government. He indicated that the entrance had been uncovered by a hidden natural spring. You apparently have to crawl into the opening of the spring to access the tunnel system.

Mike Bukraba told me in January 2003 that he had found the tunnels in Mt Evelyn. He indicated he had found the top of the bunker and a whole heap of scrap pieces of old diesel truck engine blocks as well as motorcycle bits and pieces. Mike indicated "there were all kinds of goodies around!" Mike indicated that this could have however been land fill that the Federal Government dumped over the tunnels entrance! Mike said there was a whole heap of ruins on top of where the bunker is and just heaps of those truck axles etc.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Mark Rawson for his assistance with this web page.

 

Can anyone help me with more information?

 

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This page first produced 6 December 2008

This page last updated 18 January 2020