St Arnaud Information
St Arnaud is situated 244 kilometres from Melbourne and 132 kilometres from Ballarat with a population of approx 2,300 people. The town sprang from the gold rush in the 1850’s and remnants of those times are still evident today. Wilsons Hill in Lord Nelson Park, site of the original and most lucrative Lord Nelson Mine, is riddled with mine shafts and is a major tourist attraction in the area.
The town boasts several areas of natural beauty and parkland including Queen Mary Botanic Gardens, Market Square Gardens and Pioneer Park, one of the only remaining public parks designed by Edna Walling.
A short drive south of the town is St Arnaud Range National Park with its steep forested terrain and close by is Kooyoora Park original home to the Jaara Aboriginal people and recognised land owners of the region. The mature nature of the forestry in this park gives way to nesting sites for Birds, Mammals and Reptiles in the hollows created in the Eucalyptus as they mature to Eighty Years and beyond, including the Crimson Rosella and the ever cackling Kookaburra.
There are a number of activities put on by the parks including Bushwalking, Caving, and Rock Climbing or for the real adventurers, see if you can strike it rich Fossicking and Prospecting in one of Victoria’s original Gold regions.
The area surrounding St Arnaud supports the local industries of Sheep and Wool, Livestock, Grain Farming and Wineries which the town relies on for its income and prosperity.
The town centre features a number of well preserved historic buildings including Victoria’s oldest Fire Station, now a museum to times gone by.
For those with a steely resolve, you can try your hand at Hot Air Ballooning, probably one of the most exciting ways to discover the natural landscape and overall beauty of this diverse region.
St Arnaud VIC information & tourist attractions are brought to you by W2A. Holiday here and book your St Arnaud Accommodation
