Kyneton

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Kyneton (/'ka?nt?n/ keyen-t?n) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town was named after the English village of Kineton, Warwickshire. 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 91 kilometres (57 miles) from Melbourne on the Bendigo 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 2011 census, Kyneton had a population of 6,629. Kyneton is home to mineral springs, the Campaspe River, botanical gardens and historic houses, many with bluestone architecture. Kyneton hosts several events during the year including the ANZAC Day parade, Kyneton Daffodil Festival, Kyneton Agricultural show and the Kyneton Cup.

The explorer Major Thomas Mitchell crossed and named the Campaspe River near present-day Kyneton on his 1836 expedition. The first British settlers arrived in the area the same year. Unlike a majority of towns in the area, Kyneton predates the Victorian gold rushes, having been established in 1850, whereas the gold rushes started the year after. 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. 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.[8] Sir Stanley Argyle, Premier of Victoria 1932-35, was born in Kyneton in 1867. 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.