Kyneton

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title: "Kyneton" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towns-in-victoria-(state)", "shire-of-macedon-ranges", "mining-towns-in-victoria-(state)"] topic_path: "general/towns-in-victoria-state" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyneton" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox Australian place"]

FieldValue
typetown
nameKyneton
statevic
imagePiperStKyneton.jpg
captionLooking along Piper Street, Kyneton
coordinates
pushpin_label_positionright
local_mapyes
lgaShire of Macedon Ranges
postcode3444
est1850
zoom11
pop_year
pop_footnotes
elevation520
area97.9
mintemp5.6
rainfall753.4
countyDalhousie
fedgovBendigo
utc+10
dir1NW
dist268
dir2S
dist377
dir3NE
dist437
dir4SE
near-nwMalmsbury
near-nEdgecombe
near-neSidonia
near-wLauriston
near-ePipers Creek
near-swSpring Hill
near-sKyneton South
near-se[[Pipers Creek, Victoria
::

| type = town | name = Kyneton | state = vic | image = PiperStKyneton.jpg | caption = Looking along Piper Street, Kyneton | coordinates = | pushpin_label_position = right |local_map=yes| use_lga_map = yes | lga = Shire of Macedon Ranges | postcode = 3444 | est = 1850 |zoom=11| pop = 7,513 | pop_year = | pop_footnotes = | elevation= 520 |area=97.9|timezone=AEST| maxtemp = 18.5 | mintemp = 5.6 | rainfall = 753.4 |county=Dalhousie| stategov = Macedon | fedgov = Bendigo |utc=+10|timezone-dst=AEDT|utc-dst=+11| dist1 = 86 |dir1=NW| location1= Melbourne | dist2 = 68 |dir2=S| location2= Bendigo | dist3 = 77 |dir3=NE| location3= Ballarat | dist4 = 37 |dir4=SE| location4= Castlemaine | near-nw = Malmsbury | near-n = Edgecombe | near-ne = Sidonia | near-w = Lauriston | near-e = Pipers Creek | near-sw = Spring Hill | near-s = Kyneton South | near-se = [[Pipers Creek, Victoria|Pipers Creek ]]

Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east.

The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has the oldest streetscape of these, and still has many of its original buildings. The railway station, about 86 km from Melbourne on the Deniliquin railway line, is a terminus for two weekday peak-hour trains. The town is the council seat of the Shire of Macedon Ranges. At the 2021 census, Kyneton recorded a population of 7,513.

History

The region is located on the border of Djadjawurrung and Taungurong country. Before British colonisation these Indigenous Australian people resided mostly along the Coliban and Campaspe Rivers. Village-like communities existed in particular in the area around the junction of these rivers. Large in-ground stone ovens which they used to cook meat and murnong were commonly found in the region.

Major Thomas Mitchell, New South Wales Surveyor-General crossed and named the Campaspe River near present-day Kyneton on his 1836 expedition.

Charles Ebden was the first British colonist to occupy the region that includes the site of Kyneton. On 26 May 1837, he established a sheep station which he called Carlsruhe 6 km south of what is now Kyneton. Thomas Walker, a Sydney businessman, walked from Sydney to Melbourne in 1837, recording the trip in a journal "A month in the Bush of Australia". Thomas Walker met Ebden in May 1837 on the journey south.

In June 1838 the Waterloo Plains massacre of 8 - 23 Djadjawurrung people occurred on the newly established Barfold sheep run north of Kyneton.

Unlike a majority of towns in the area, Kyneton predates the separation of the Port Phillip District from the Colony of New South Wales and the Victorian gold rushes, having been established in 1850, whereas separation occurred and the gold rushes started the year after. Construction of Kyneton’s oldest surviving stone building, the Church of England Rectory, located at 61 Ebden Street, commenced in 1850 and is a rare surviving example of a pre-gold rush and pre-separation dwelling.

At this time, Kyneton was a growing rural centre, and served as a major stop for those heading to the gold rushes at Mount Alexander and Bendigo. The post office opened on 1 July 1843 as Mount Macedon and was renamed Kyneton on 1 January 1854.

Local government came to Kyneton with the proclamation of the Kyneton Municipal District in 1857. This body was short-lived, as it was amalgamated with the Carlsruhe, the Lauriston & Edgecombe, and the Tylden & Trentham Road Districts in December 1864 to form the Kyneton United Road District. The Kyneton United Road District was almost immediately redesignated as Kyneton Shire in January 1865. It absorbed part of Glenlyon Shire in 1873, Malmsbury Borough in 1915 and part of Ballan Shire in 1921. In 1995 Kyneton Shire was abolished by part being amalgamated with Creswick Shire, part of Daylesford & Glenlyon Shire and part of Talbot & Clunes Shire to form Hepburn Shire, and the remainder being amalgamated with Gisborne Shire, Newham & Woodend Shire and Romsey Shire to form Macedon Ranges Shire.

Joseph Furphy (aka Tom Collins) attended Kyneton primary school in the mid-1850s.

In November 1857, the humanitarian Caroline Chisholm moved her family to Kyneton, where her husband Archibald sat on the magistrates' bench and their two elder sons ran a store.

Kyneton Mounted Rifle Corps was formed in 1859, as one of the volunteer brigades set up when Britain was involved in wars in Afghanistan, Crimea and India. The Kyneton Mounted Rifle Corps was among the earliest in the colony of Victoria. The corps was later amalgamated in the 1880s to form the Victorian Mounted Rifles. Although the individual volunteer units had been disbanded by Federation (1901), many members became part of the 4th and 12th regiments of Light Horse at the Battle of Beersheba (1917) against Turkish troops of the Ottoman Empire.

Henry Gregory (politician) (1860-1940), Western Australian State and Federal politician, was born and educated in Kyneton.

Sir Stanley Argyle, Premier of Victoria 1932–35, was born in Kyneton in 1867 and the family lived at Rock House, a double fronted double story bluestone house that still stands to the west of the town on the banks of the Campaspe River.

Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Hurry (1868-1951), Commander of the 38th Battalion AIF in France in 1918, was born and died in Kyneton. He was the Member for Bendigo in the Commonwealth Parliament from 1922 until 1929.

The Kyneton Courthouse tried Ned Kelly in 1870 for robbery under arms. This courthouse has since continued to function, although only as a magistrates' court on Mondays.

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 7,513 people in Kyneton. 79.5% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 4.2%. 89.1% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 48.2%, Catholic 20.7% and Anglican 9.2%.

Notable residents

Media

Kyneton's main locally produced newspaper is the Midland Express, which also serves the surrounding region. The town receives television from Mount Alexander, and is served by a community radio station, 100.7 Highlands FM, based in Woodend.

Climate

Kyneton has a temperate mediterranean climate (Csb), with distinctly cold mornings in the summer. Cold fronts occur frequently throughout much of the year, and even in summer they are a fairly regular occurrence. Light snowfalls occur sporadically in the cooler months and sleet is a common feature.

|location = Kyneton (1887–1966, rainfall 1873–1969); 509 m AMSL; 37.25° S, 144.45° E |metric first = yes |single line = yes |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |precipitation colour = green |Jan high C = 27.2 |Feb high C = 26.7 |Mar high C = 23.6 |Apr high C = 18.3 |May high C = 13.9 |Jun high C = 10.7 |Jul high C = 10.0 |Aug high C = 11.6 |Sep high C = 14.9 |Oct high C = 18.1 |Nov high C = 21.8 |Dec high C = 25.0 |year high C = |Jan low C = 9.8 |Feb low C = 10.2 |Mar low C = 8.4 |Apr low C = 5.6 |May low C = 3.5 |Jun low C = 2.3 |Jul low C = 1.6 |Aug low C = 1.9 |Sep low C = 3.3 |Oct low C = 4.8 |Nov low C = 6.6 |Dec low C = 8.6 |year low C = |Jan precipitation mm = 37.0 |Feb precipitation mm = 39.4 |Mar precipitation mm = 46.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 54.3 |May precipitation mm = 75.0 |Jun precipitation mm = 89.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 82.1 |Aug precipitation mm = 84.1 |Sep precipitation mm = 74.1 |Oct precipitation mm = 68.8 |Nov precipitation mm = 51.8 |Dec precipitation mm = 49.8 |year precipitation mm = 753.4 |Jan precipitation days = 5.0 |Feb precipitation days = 4.7 |Mar precipitation days = 6.1 |Apr precipitation days = 8.7 |May precipitation days = 12.1 |Jun precipitation days = 14.5 |Jul precipitation days = 15.8 |Aug precipitation days = 15.4 |Sep precipitation days = 12.7 |Oct precipitation days = 11.2 |Nov precipitation days = 8.5 |Dec precipitation days = 7.1 |year precipitation days = |source 1 = Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Kyneton

Tourist attractions

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Childinpark.jpg" caption="Autumn in the Kyneton Botanical Gardens."] ::

Kyneton offers tourists several points of interest locally including the Botanic Gardens (established in the mid-1800s) and several walks along the Campaspe River.

Various Farmers Markets and festivals throughout the year make the town popular as a day trip destination. The township also serves as a starting point for many nearby destinations, such as Trentham Falls and Hanging Rock in Newham.

There are many attractions that can be accessed from Kyneton’s Northern Gateway including Black Hill Reserve, Bald Hill Reserve, Green Hill, Turpin Falls, Kyneton golf course, Kyneton Bushland Resort, Kyneton Ridge Winery, the Northern Biolinks corridor, Rollinson Reserve Horse riding facilities, The Cascades, etc

Kyneton Museum, located in the old Bank of New South Wales building (built in 1856), houses an extensive collection of local historical items.

Being located well away from any heavily populated areas and their inherent light pollution, Kyneton is also a destination for astronomers seeking a clear view of the Southern Hemisphere night skies due to relatively low light pollution levels as opposed to Australian cities. The Cobaw Plateau is host to a 500-hectare facility for astronomical observation.

Arts and Culture

The Macedon Ranges is home to the most artists per capita in Victoria. Kyneton, with the beauty in the changing seasons and enthusiastic cafe culture, is a hub for artists and crafts people.

Kyneton is where the annual Lost Trades Fair and the Daffodil Festival were founded.

It is home to many galleries and artist studios, including: :Stockroom, The Old Auction house, cusack&CUSACK, The Golden Dog Gallery, Art on Piper, Lauriston Press, John Lloyd Gallery and Colours of White.

The Macedon Ranges holds two art specific events, The Daylesford and Macedon Ranges open studios, and the Macedon Ranges Arts Trail.

It is also home to quaint bookstores and many excellent cafes.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/KynetonMechanicsHall.JPG" caption="Kyneton Mechanics Hall"] ::

Kyneton is centrally located among several outlying towns and serves as an educational hub for primary and secondary students. The following educational institutions are located in the main township:

Sport

The town has an Australian rules football team, Kyneton Football Club, competing in the Riddell District Football League.

Kyneton has a horse racing club, the Kyneton District Racing Club, which schedules around sixteen race meetings a year including the Kyneton Cup meeting in November (always the day after the Melbourne Cup). In 2009, the Kyneton District Racing Club partnered with the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE to use the facilities of the racecourse and its extensive grounds as an educational training facility.

Golfers play at the course of the Kyneton Golf Club on Black Hill Road.

Kyneton has a football team "The Rangers" which compete in the Melbourne Division 3 under the FFV banner.

Kyneton Croquet Club is the oldest Croquet club in Victoria.

Heritage listings

Kyneton contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

References

References

  1. {{Census 2021 AUS
  2. ''[[Macquarie Dictionary. Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition]]'' (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. {{ISBN. 1-876429-14-3
  3. Vicsig.net [http://www.vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/Bendigo Bendigo Fast Rail line guide], Retrieved on 7 January 2011.
  4. (2014). "The Travels of George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector, Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate". CreateSpace.
  5. link. (27 September 2007; retrieved 7 January 2010.)
  6. (1838). "A Month in the Bush of Australia". Cross.
  7. Priestly, Susan. (1985). "The Victorians: vol. III, Making Their Mark". Fairfax, Syme & Weldon Associates.
  8. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List".
  9. Clark, Manning (1981) ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', vol 8, p. 600. Melbourne: MUP. {{ISBN. 0-522-84219-4
  10. [http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north/book-on-military-brigades-to-recognise-mounted-regiments/story-fnglenug-1226594866646 Macedon Ranges Leader], Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  11. Weekly Times, Melbourne, 14 February 1951, p 2
  12. Ned on the net {{usurped
  13. "Midland Express 7 July 2020".
  14. Willis, H. A. (2021), Playing with Mischief, Publicious, retrieved 14 Aug 2023
  15. "Kyneton Botanic Gardens".
  16. link. (21 February 2011, Retrieved on 7 January 2011.)
  17. Australian Football. "Kyneton".
  18. Country Racing Victoria. "Country Racing Victoria".
  19. Jessica Foulds, ''[https://archive.today/20110706105906/http://www.macedonrangestelegraph.com.au/news/local/news/general/race-to-educate/1547377.aspx?storypage=0 Race to Educate]'', Macedon Ranges Telegraph, 23 June 2009. Accessed 7 August 2009
  20. Barry Kennedy, ''[http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/kyneton-course-in-training-on-track/ Kyneton course in training on track] {{webarchive. link. (6 July 2011 '', Leader newspapers, 25 June 2009. Accessed 7 August 2009)
  21. Golf Select. "Kyneton".
  22. The Rangers [http://www.kynetonsoccer.org.au/about.php KDSC – About the club], Retrieved on 7 January 2011.
  23. (12 April 2019). "The Oldest Croquet Club in Australia".
  24. "Kyneton Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Council.
  25. "Mechanics Institute and Library". Victorian Heritage Council.
  26. {{cite AHD. 106133. Kyneton Post Office
  27. "Kyneton Botanic Gardens". Victorian Heritage Council.
  28. "Freemasons Hall, Zetland Lodge". Victorian Heritage Council.
  29. "Stonemasons Yard". Victorian Heritage Council.
  30. "Former Willis Flour Mill". Victorian Heritage Council.
  31. "Velvet Soap Advertising Sign". Victorian Heritage Council.
  32. "Bank of NSW Building". Victorian Heritage Council.
  33. "Shops". Victorian Heritage Council.
  34. "Kyneton Court House". Victorian Heritage Council.
  35. "Degraves Mill". Victorian Heritage Council.
  36. "Kyneton Arts Centre (Former Congregational Church and Sunday School)". Victorian Heritage Council.
  37. "Skelsmergh Hall". Victorian Heritage Council.
  38. "Windmill Farm". Victorian Heritage Council.
  39. "St Agnes Homestead (Stables and Cottages)". Victorian Heritage Council.
  40. "Kyneton District Hospital". Victorian Heritage Council.
  41. "Insitu Horseworks". Victorian Heritage Council.
  42. "Kyneton Secondary College (Former High School)". Victorian Heritage Council.

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