Elphinstone is a town in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The town sits at the junction of the former Calder Highway

Calder Highway

Calder Highway is a Highway linking Ravenswood South in Victoria, to Mildura. North of the Victoria/New South Wales border, the highway continues north to Broken Hill, Tibooburra and the New South Wales/Queensland border as the Silver City Highway, under the standard national route shield as far...

 and the former Pyrenees Highway

Pyrenees Highway

Pyrenees Highway in western Victoria, Australia is a 206 kilometre highway serving to link the Calder Highway in Elphinstone with the Glenelg Highway in Glenthompson...

 between Malmsbury and Castlemaine

Castlemaine, Victoria

Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...

 near Taradale

Taradale, Victoria

Taradale is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Calder Highway between Melbourne and Bendigo. Its local government area is the Shire of Mount Alexander. At the 2006 census, Taradale had a population of 199....

 and Chewton. Its local government area

Local Government Area

A local government area is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory....

 is the Shire of Mount Alexander.

The town has a disused railway station

Elphinstone railway station, Victoria

Elphinstone is a closed station located in the town of Elphinstone on the Melbourne - Bendigo railway, Victoria, Australia. The station was one of 35 closed to passenger traffic on 4 October 1981 as part of the New Deal timetable for country passengers....

 on the Bendigo Line.

At the 2006 Census, Elphinstone and the surrounding area had a population of 736.

The town was originally called Sawpit Gully, but was renamed Elphinstone after Baron Mountstuart Elphinstone

Mountstuart Elphinstone

Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population...

, Governor of Bombay and Madras during the Indian mutiny of 1857-59.

The town's hub is the Elphinstone Hotel in Wright Street. Its rustic charm and friendly publican attracts many of the locals as well as visitors to the district. The town's fair, renowned for its speciality foods and boutique local wines, is usually held in mid-November each year around the time of the fair in nearby Kyneton. It is called the 'Sawpit Gully' fair, in honour of the town's original name.

The countryside around Elphingstone is well-known for its diverse flora and fauna which attract local and visiting bush walkers. The local terrain of undulating hills and gently winding roads also brings a number of cyclists and motorcyclists.

Elphinstone Post Office opened on 1 February 1854.

Cable and Wireless Optus built their first solar powered base station at Elphinstone in 2001. By making the mobile phone tower solar powered the company did not have to put expensive electrical power cables through the nearby state forest. The tower would improve reception in the Elphinstone area.

External links

• Elphinstone Primary School http://www.elphinstoneps.vic.edu.au/
• Elphinstone Cemetery (with photos) http://www.ozgenonline.com/aust_cemeteries/vic/mt_alexander/elphinstone.htm