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 kilometres (53 mi) from Melbourne on the Deniliquin railway line,[3] 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
Major Thomas Mitchell, New South Wales Surveyor-General crossed and named the Campaspe River near present-day Kyneton on his 1836 expedition.[4]Charles Ebden was the first European occupier of the region that includes the site of Kyneton. He set up a head station for his sheep run at Carlsruhe, Victoria 6 km south of Kyneton on 26 May 1837.[5]
In 1837 Thomas Walker, a Sydney businessman, walked from Sydney to Melbourne, following much of the route taken by Thomas Mitchell the year before, and recorded the trip in a journal "A month in the Bush of Australia" which is now in the British Library. Thomas Walker met Ebden in May 1837 on the journey south.
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,[6] 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.[7]
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 Bek Stanwix) attended Kyneton primary school in the mid-1850s.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10]
The Kyneton Courthouse tried Ned Kelly in 1870[11] 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%.[1]
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, 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 winter months and sleet is a common feature.
Climate data for Kyneton (1887–1966, rainfall 1873–1969); 509 m AMSL; 37.25° S, 144.45° E
Kyneton offers tourists several points of interest locally including the Botanic Gardens (established in the mid-1800s[14]) 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[15]), 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.[citation needed] 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 but not limited to:
Stockroom, The Old Auction house, The Golden Dog Gallery, Art on Piper, Lauriston Press, John Lloyd Gallery and Colours of White to name a few.
The Macedon Ranges holds two art specific events, The Dayesford and Macedon Ranges open studios and the Macedon Ranges Arts Trail.
It is also home to quaint bookstores and many excellent cafes.
Education
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:
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).[17] 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.[18][19]
Golfers play at the course of the Kyneton Golf Club on Black Hill Road.[20]
Kyneton has a football team "The Rangers" which compete in the Melbourne Division 3 under the FFV banner.[21]
