ABSTRACT
Sand is used for a number of different purposes in the Melbourne area, ranging from a fine additive in concrete through to a packing sand. There are a number of methods of winning sand both wet and dry. The economic sands in the Bacchus Marsh area are thought to belong to the Merrimu Gravel Member of the Werribee Formation. The gravels contain large rock fragments as well as the sand and clay components. The remnant dune sands are used for raw feed in foundry sand. Material with a higher clay content is used for packing and mortar sand. The economic sand unit belongs to the Tertiary Baxter Formation and represents a braided stream deposit. The coarse sands in the recognised streams have a smooth grading and are suitable as a coarse fraction in concrete manufacture. The economic sands come from the Yallock Formation. The sands comprise a sequence of fine alluvial, coarse granitic sand and weathered granite.
