Baynton, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Baynton is a small rural community in central Victoria
, Australia
. Baynton is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north-east of Kyneton
, and 20 km (12 mi) north-west of Lancefield
. Baynton's elevation varies from 450 to 650 metres (1,475–2,130 ft) above sea level, and rainfall averages 675 millimetres (26.6 in) per annum. Agriculturally the region produces wool, lamb, beef and wine. Baynton is home to several wineries, and tourism has become an important component of the region's economy.
people, and was the approximate meeting point of three tribal areas including Dja Dja Wurrung
, Taungurong
, and Woiwurrung
. European settlement began in the 1830s with the arrival of Captain Sylvester Brown, who travelled overland with livestock from Sydney
to set up an agricultural enterprise in Baynton. His residence however was short lived, and he was followed by a succession of landholders including Dr. Baynton, the Polhman brothers, Martin McKenna (first president of the Shire of Kyneton) and J.B. Thomson..
One notable event in the early history of Baynton was the passing of the Burke and Wills expedition
in 1860, and the departure from Baynton was recorded by the expedition artist Ludwig Becker
, whose sketch is housed at the State Library of Victoria
. Local resident J.B. Thomson joined Burke and Wills with the intention of travelling to northern Australia, but abandoned the party in Echuca
, describing the expedition as 'reckless and bound to failure'.
Bushranger Ned Kelly
is fabled to have stolen a horse from the public house opposite the Baynton Racecourse. Local legend says the horse's owner, J.B. Thomson bet on a race with a stranger to the district, and when he won, they two went for a drink. The stranger then stepped out to check his horse, but did not return, stealing the faster horse, and disappearing from the district. He was later found to be none other than Ned Kelly.
Baynton township developed in the 1860s and the Post Office opened on 24 January 1867, closing in 1959.
. The Baynton-Sidonia Landcare
group is active in working toward sustainable land management in the region.
Due to the relative absence of subdivision
in the Baynton area, it remains one of the most intact farming areas in the Macedon Ranges area.
) was an early Australian writer, and author of the novel 'Robbery Under Arms
'. Thomas Browne was the son of Captain Sylvester Brown, and was a resident of Baynton as a young boy. Walker Thomson, a member of the Australian forces in the South African War (1899–1902) was involved in the siege of Mafeking and became a friend of General Robert Baden-Powell was born and raised in Baynton.
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...
. Baynton is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north-east of Kyneton
Kyneton, Victoria
Kyneton is a town on the Calder Highway in the Macedon Ranges 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...
, and 20 km (12 mi) north-west of Lancefield
Lancefield, Victoria
Lancefield is a town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area in Victoria, Australia. The town is located north of the state capital, Melbourne and had a population of 1,184 at the 2006 census.-History:...
. Baynton's elevation varies from 450 to 650 metres (1,475–2,130 ft) above sea level, and rainfall averages 675 millimetres (26.6 in) per annum. Agriculturally the region produces wool, lamb, beef and wine. Baynton is home to several wineries, and tourism has become an important component of the region's economy.
History
Baynton is named after an early pioneer of the area, Dr. Thomas Baynton, whose extensive station was named 'Darlington',the original homestead no longer remains. The Baynton area was previously occupied by AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people, and was the approximate meeting point of three tribal areas including Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Jaara people and Loddon River tribe, is a native Aboriginal tribe which occupied the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca Rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, Australia. They were part of the Kulin alliance of tribes. There were 16 clans, which adhered...
, Taungurong
Taungurong
The Taungurong people, also known as the Daung Wurrung, were nine clans who spoke the Daungwurrung language and were part of the Kulin alliance of indigenous Australians. They lived to the north of and were closely associated with the Woiwurrung speaking Wurundjeri people...
, and Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung is an Indigenous Australian language spoken by some of the Kulin Nation clans, the Wurundjeri people, of Central Victoria, from Mount Baw Baw in the east to Mount Macedon, Sunbury and Gisborne in the west.The Woiwurrung clans inhabited the Yarra River, called Birrarung in Woiwurrung,...
. European settlement began in the 1830s with the arrival of Captain Sylvester Brown, who travelled overland with livestock from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to set up an agricultural enterprise in Baynton. His residence however was short lived, and he was followed by a succession of landholders including Dr. Baynton, the Polhman brothers, Martin McKenna (first president of the Shire of Kyneton) and J.B. Thomson..
One notable event in the early history of Baynton was the passing of the Burke and Wills expedition
Burke and Wills expedition
In 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres...
in 1860, and the departure from Baynton was recorded by the expedition artist Ludwig Becker
Ludwig Becker
Dr Ludwig Becker was an Australian artist, explorer and naturalist born in Darmstadt, Germany. He was a member of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition and died, along with his colleagues Purcell and Stone, at the expedition's camp on the western bank of Koorliatto Waterhole, Bulloo River in...
, whose sketch is housed at the State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
. Local resident J.B. Thomson joined Burke and Wills with the intention of travelling to northern Australia, but abandoned the party in Echuca
Echuca, Victoria
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...
, describing the expedition as 'reckless and bound to failure'.
Bushranger Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
is fabled to have stolen a horse from the public house opposite the Baynton Racecourse. Local legend says the horse's owner, J.B. Thomson bet on a race with a stranger to the district, and when he won, they two went for a drink. The stranger then stepped out to check his horse, but did not return, stealing the faster horse, and disappearing from the district. He was later found to be none other than Ned Kelly.
Baynton township developed in the 1860s and the Post Office opened on 24 January 1867, closing in 1959.
Baynton today
At its height as an identifiable town, Baynton was home to three schools, a church, two public houses and a cobbler shop. Today only the Hall remains, and it is used for community meetings and events. The Baynton Church, which was built in the late 1800s and rebuilt in the 1960s was destroyed in the black saturday bushfires of 2009, and will not be rebuilt. Baynton remains a close knit agricultural community, with a variety of enterprises including sheep, cattle, wine production and commercial forestry. The Baynton Hall, established in the early 1960s, is the home of the Baynton Film Society, and screens an Australian based movie each year, on or around Australia DayAustralia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
. The Baynton-Sidonia Landcare
Landcare
Landcare may refer to:*Landcare , a group formed to seek land protection*Landcare Australia, an umbrella organisation seeking land protection in Australia*Landcare Research New Zealand Limited*Landcare...
group is active in working toward sustainable land management in the region.
Due to the relative absence of subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
in the Baynton area, it remains one of the most intact farming areas in the Macedon Ranges area.
People of note
Thomas Alexander Browne, (who wrote under the pseudonym Rolf BoldrewoodThomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne was an Australian writer, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms.-Biography:...
) was an early Australian writer, and author of the novel 'Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms is a classic Australian novel by Rolf Boldrewood . It was first published in serialised form by The Sydney Mail between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes in London in 1888...
'. Thomas Browne was the son of Captain Sylvester Brown, and was a resident of Baynton as a young boy. Walker Thomson, a member of the Australian forces in the South African War (1899–1902) was involved in the siege of Mafeking and became a friend of General Robert Baden-Powell was born and raised in Baynton.