Kyneton

Kyneton is a town in central Victoria, Australia. In 2006 there were 5,905 people living in Kyneton. It is on the Calder Highway, but the Calder Freeway now goes around the town to the north and east. Kyneton was named after the English village of Kineton, Warwickshire. Piper Street is the oldest street and still has many of its old buildings.
The town is the centre for the local government area, the Shire of Macedon Ranges.
Kyneton is famous for its springs, the Campaspe River, public gardens and old houses, many built from stone. Kyneton has several events during the year including the ANZAC Day parade, the Kyneton Jazz Festival, Kyneton Daffodil Festival, Kyneton Agricultural show and the Kyneton Cup (horse racing). The famous bushranger, Ned Kelly, was put on trial in the Kyneton Courthouse in 1870 for robbery. This courthouse is still in use.
History.
The first European to explore the Kyneton area was Major Thomas Mitchell who crossed and named the Campaspe River in 1836. The first settlers came to Kyneton later that year.
Kyneton is different from other towns in the area as it was settled in 1850, a year before the gold rushes started. It was a farming area which became an important stop for those people going to the gold rushes at Mount Alexander and Bendigo. The post office opened on 1 July 1843, as Mount Macedon, but was renamed Kyneton on 1 January 1854.
Media.
Kyneton has its own newspaper, the "Midland Express", which also serves Castlemaine.
Education.
There are two primary schools, Kyneton Primary School and Our Lady of the Rosary. There are two secondary schools, Kyneton Secondary College and Sacred Heart College. There is also the Kyneton campus of the Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT), and the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT), NMIT Kyneton Park Training Centre at the Kyneton Racecourse.
Sport.
The town has a football team which plays in the Bendigo Football League.
Kyneton has a horse racing club, the Kyneton District Racing Club, which holds about 16 race meetings a year. The Kyneton Cup meeting is in November, the day after the Melbourne Cup. In 2009 the Kyneton District Racing Club joined with the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE to use the racecourse for educational training.
The Kyneton Golf Club is on Black Hill Road.
Kyneton has a soccer team, "The Rangers", which plays in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League "BASL"