Kyneton
Situated on the banks of the Campaspe River, Kyneton is an historic rural town with granite and cobble stone pavements, original blue stone guttering and some of the finest heritage and bluestone buildings outside Bendigo and Ballarat.
Kyneton is 85kms north-west of Melbourne on the Campaspe River, just off the Calder Highway. The train and nearby Calder Freeway provides easy access to Bendigo in the north and Melbourne in the south, both of which are about one hour commute from Kyneton.
Positioned 509 metres above sea-level on a fertile basalt plain, Kyneton is surrounded by breathtaking landscape views taking in Mt Macedon and rolling country side. Other rural features such as dry stone walls and old farming estates abound.
The Campaspe River runs through the town with attractive walking trails along its banks connecting key sites including the historic Botanic Gardens, the River Reserve ‘art trail’ and the Kyneton Racecourse precinct. Walking trails can also be found at nearby Black Hill and Bald Hill reserves.
History
Kyneton was named after the English village of Kineton (now Kington). In the early 1850s Kyneton developed rapidly as a gateway and supply centre for the goldfields of Clunes, Castlemaine and Bendigo.
The town has one of the state's strongest collections of historic heritage buildings and is a major urban centre with significant heritage buildings, streetscapes and botanical gardens.
A visit to the Kyneton Museum will flesh out the living history of the area.
The present day
Today, Kyneton is a growing rural hub with an artistic and gastronomic focus including the renowned Piper Street precinct and a varied events calendar.
It is the second largest town in the shire and performs an important retail and service role to the surrounding agricultural district and townships.
Facilities
Kyneton has a new modern hospital, a town bus service and a railway station on the Melbourne-Bendigo line. It has two primary and two secondary schools. Council facilities in Kyneton include:
See and do
visitmacedonranges.com provides information on things to see and do and what’s on in Kyneton.
People
For demographic data see Macedon Ranges Community Profile.