Harcourt is a small Central Highlands town located approximately 9 km northeast of Castlemaine, where the Midland Highway meets the 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...

. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Harcourt had a population of 439.

History

The Post Office opened on 27 February 1858 replacing that of nearby Mount Alexander open since 1856.

Overview

Set in a lush valley at the foot of Mount Alexander

Mount Alexander

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

, Harcourt was once the premier apple growing region in Australia (a title yielded to Tasmania some time ago). Still the apple centre of Victoria, the local area is fast getting a name for wine and cider production.

Other things of interest in and around the town are the Skydancers Butterfly House, Trout Fishing, and the numerous walking tracks and Koala Park in Mount Alexander Park - including an old oak korest. It is home to a World's largest apple.
Each year on the March Labour Day long weekend the town hosts "The Harcourt Applefest" - with local produce on sale in stalls, music concerts and several sports on show.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League

Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League

The Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in central Victoria. This is a minor league with clubs coming from towns near the regional centres of Maryborough, and Castlemaine.-History:...

.

Harcourt railway station, is on the Bendigo line, but has been closed since 1981. The closest operating train station is Castlemaine.

Nearby Towns

• Bendigo
  Bendigo, Victoria
  Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• Elphinstone
  Elphinstone, Victoria
  Elphinstone is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town sits at the junction of the former Calder Highway and the former Pyrenees Highway between Malmsbury and Castlemaine near Taradale and Chewton...
  
  
• Faraday
  Faraday, Victoria
  Faraday is a locality situated on the Calder Highway, north west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.-History:The Post Office opened on 1 April 1867, but was closed in 1880, postal services being provided from nearby Harcourt....
  
  
• Maldon
  Maldon, Victoria
  Maldon is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area. It has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and is celebrated for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since gold-rush days...
  
  
• Ravenswood
• Sutton Grange
  Sutton Grange, Victoria
  Sutton Grange is a small country town located approximately 30 km south of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia.It has a very small population of approximately 150 people, most of which consist of old sheep farming families...
  
  

External links

• Community website Through the auspices Harcourt Heritage and Tourism Centre Inc, a community website has been created to promote the Township, Organisations and Businesses in Harcourt.