Site overview

The Boral Montrose Quarry has provided the foundations for development and growth across the greater Melbourne metropolitan area for almost 70 years. A prime source of hard rock, the Montrose Quarry is located 32 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD. 

The 82.5 hectare site incorporates the quarry pit and processing area, the operations of both the Boral Montrose asphalt and concrete plants, and buffer zones which include examples of remnant eastern and southern forest. 

The quarry was first established in 1947 under permit no. E/47, issued under the Lilydale Planning Scheme. The quarry also operated under an Extractive Industry Work Authority 100 (WA100), issued under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990. This allows the operation of extractive activities at the site.  Montrose Quarry and adjoining Boral-owned land is a Special Use Zone (Extractive Industries) under State planning provisions.

Access to the site from Melbourne is via Fussell Road, off Canterbury Road. The operations are located in the foothills of Mt Dandenong, between the suburbs of Montrose and Kilsyth, adjacent to Canterbury Rd. 

The nearest residential buildings are dense residential areas approximately 80m from the quarry’s north-eastern boundary, and 500m from the southern boundary.  

Major road projects have been supported from the Montrose Quarry given its accessible location. Early completion of the EastLink was made possible through the supply of all concrete aggregates from Montrose, as well as half the project’s asphalt aggregate requirements and a significant proportion of road base materials. 

 Other projects supplied with concrete aggregates from Montrose include:

• Albert Park redevelopment 
• O'Shanassy dam remedial works zone filter materials 
• South Eastern Freeway grade separation (Burke Road to Toorak Road), Eastern Freeway extension (Doncaster Rd Interchange), Eastern Freeway extension (Blackburn Rd to Springvale Rd), Ringwood By-pass, Eastern Freeway (Springvale Road to Park Road), 
• Heritage Golf Course development 
• Lysterfield Lake dam works 
• Eastland Shopping Centre redevelopment, Knox City Shopping Complex 
• The Melbourne Aquarium  

The Montrose Quarry was developed in the Mt. Dandenong volcanic sequence. Resources within the quarry include Rhyodacite a type of igneous rock which is formed through the cooling and solidification of lava or magma and Rhyolite an extrusive igneous rock, usually pink or grey in colour.

The majority of the quarry development to date has been in rhyolite and this will continue as the quarry deepens, however, product to the east and south will be in Rhyodacite. Exposure of this rock type has increased markedly since the geotechnical surveys began in 1991.

Rehabilitation works to date have focused on regenerative planting to reduce the visual impact of the quarry when view from surrounding vantage points.