including silver, gold and lead. Some of the bigger mines were profitable but most were short-lived. Some commercial quarries operated in the early 1900s and marble from the quarries was used to build the Shrine and State Library in Melbourne and buildings in London and throughout the state. From the 1950s a quarry also produced crushed lime for agriculture, paper manufacture and other uses. Wattle bark stripping was an important industry and small spot mills worked in the surrounding bush. Following World War 2, two large sawmills and several smaller mills operated in Buchan providing employment. The last mill ceased operation this year. There were small groups of Aborigines in the area but their numbers declined following European settlement. At Cloggs Cave near Buchan, evidence has been found of Aboriginal occupation in prehistoric times. The Buchan Caves were surveyed in 1889, although their existence was well known in the 1880s. Fairy Cave was discovered in 1907 by the local caretaker, Frank Moon, and was opened for public inspection in 1908. Royal Cave was opened in 1912 and by 1917 six caves were open to the public. In the 1920s camping facilities were developed near the caves to accommodate the number of tourists who visited the area on bus tours and who stayed in the local guesthouses, hotels or at the new campsite. The caves were closed during the war but reopened in 1946. Residents in the district have experienced a number of environmental hardships over the last decade, including drought, two floods and three major fires. The fires in particular have impacted heavily on the farming, timber and tourism industries. Sport Buchan has a picnic horse racing club, the Buchan & Gelantipy Race Club, which holds its one race meeting a year with the Canni Creek Cup in February. A rodeo is held at Easter, and the Flowers & Craft Show in November. Golfers play at the Buchan Valley Golf Club. The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Omeo & District Football League. They are known as the Cavemen. They won the premiership in 1983, 1987, 1998, 2004 and 2005. References External links Buchan Community website Australian Places - Buchan http://www.under-victoria.com - A caving website with comprehensive information on the caves in Buchan and surrounds Mining towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Victoria (Australia) Shire of East Gippsland