Daylesford, Victoria

Encyclopedia : D : DA : DAY : Daylesford, Victoria

For the Pennsylvania location, see Daylesford, Pennsylvania.

Vincent Steet

Daylesford ([37°20′S 144°08′E]) is a town in rural Hepburn Shire in Victoria, Australia, about 115 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, in the foothills of Great Dividing Range. Together with Hepburn Springs to the north, where the major spas are located, it has a population of about 6,000. The town is located in mountains formed from volcanic activity about five million years ago, and at 616 metres above sea level has a cooler, wetter climate than Melbourne. Summer (January-February) temperatures range from 10°C (50°F) to 26°C (79°F), whilst July temperatures are cold, ranging from about 1-2°C (34-36°F) up to 9°C (48°F). Annual precipitation, occasionally falling as snow, averages about 870 millimetres (34 inches) but has ranged from 445 millimetres (18 inches) to over 1350 millimetres (53 inches).

Originally founded in 1852 with the finding of alluvial gold in areas now occupied by Lake Daylesford, the town, initially named Wombat was later renamed by Sir Charles Hotham after the English birthplace of Warren Hastings, the first governor-general of India.

Midland Hwy - Wombat Hill in background

Market gardening was developed by Chinese immigrants who worked on the goldfields shortly after the town was founded, and a local flour mill was opened in the 1860s but closed down because the climate is too wet for effective grain production. Vegetable growing is still a significant industry, as the region has a good climate for the production of such vegetables as potatoes and is near enough to the large Melbourne market to provide a low-cost supply.

Daylesford is noted for its mineral springs: the region contains as much as 80% of all the hot springs in Victoria, and from the 1880s to the 1920s the town was a major spa resort after the railway from Carlsruhe reached the town in 1880. The spa resorts declined in the 1930s, but were redeveloped in the 1970s. Since then, Daylesford and all of eastern Hepburn Shire has become a major alternative lifestyle centre, with such services as massages, reiki, shiatsu, acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology, spiritual healing, tarot and psychic readings being found.

Daylesford is also known for being a gay-friendly destination. The town boasts one of the highest percentage of gay and lesbian residents in regional Australia; many of the local businesses are gay- or lesbian-owned. The [Chillout Festival] is an annual local event celebrating gay culture. It is held during the Labour Day long weekend in March. There is also a tourist railway (the Daylesford Spa Country Railway), which has one of the largest collections of railmotors in Australia.

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