Metcalfe is a town in

Mount Alexander Shire The Mount Alexander Shire (officially Shire of Mount Alexander) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of and, in August 2021, had a population of 20,253. It includes the ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. At the , Metcalfe had a population of 190. The name 'Metcalfe' probably derives from Baron (Charles) Metcalfe, Governor-General of India and later of Canada, who died in 1846. Metcalfe lies on the

Coliban River The Coliban River, an inland perennial river of the northcentral catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters of the ...

, downstream from the Malmsbury reservoir.

History

Metcalfe was developed mainly during the central

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

of 1851–1865. It is reported that in 1851, when the first miners arrived on the

Mount Alexander Mount Alexander is a mountain located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level. Being a prominent local landmark, ...

goldfield, near Castlemaine,

gold nuggets Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

could be picked up without digging. Nearby reserves still bear the scars of mining activity including deep shafts and adits. In 1861, the Metcalfe road board was established, and in 1865 the Shire of Metcalfe was declared and the shire hall was constructed. The shire hall still contains the record of all councillors and mayors from then until the dissolution of the shire in 1995. For most of its history the major economic activity has been grazing. Recent (2015) purchases of large grazing properties have been made by Chinese interests. At times, Metcalfe has had a school, a post office, a pub and various other businesses, but all of these are now closed. However, Metcalfe currently does have a recreation reserve that has a tennis court and playground. With the opening of the Calder Freeway the volume of traffic travelling via Metcalfe between Kyneton and Bendigo reduced significantly. Metcalfe Post Office opened on 13 December 1866.

Attractions

At the 'Cascades', just to the west of the town, the Coliban River flows over and among huge granite boulders and outcrops, creating many rock pools, small and large. The place is popular all year round for walks, picnics and swimming. The Metcalfe Tractor Pull is held in September each year.

References

External links

Towns in Victoria (state) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub