Myrniong ()'' Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition'' (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. is a town in

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 ...

. The town is near the Western Freeway, north west of the state capital,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and west of

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh ( Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is a town in Victoria, Australia, located approximately north-west of the state capital Melbourne, at a near equidistance to the major cities of Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong. As of the ...

. Situated close by the

Lerderderg River The Lerderderg River (known locally as ''The Lerdy'') is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the Western District region of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features The Lerderderg River rises below the Bl ...

, at the , Myrniong had a population of 404. The town is in the eastern area of

Shire of Moorabool The Shire of Moorabool is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 34,158. It includes the towns of Ballan, Bacchus Marsh, Balliang, ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

. Myrniong was named for the ''murrnong'' plant, the local indigenous word for

yam daisy The murnong or yam daisy is any of the plants ''Microseris walteri'', ''Microseris lanceolata'' and ''Microseris scapigera'', which are an important food source for many Aboriginal peoples in southern parts of Australia. Murnong is a Woiwurrung w ...

, a popular food source. European settlement began in around 1850 with local farmers producing wheat for hungry gold miners at nearby

Blackwood Blackwood may refer to: Botany * African blackwood (''Dalbergia melanoxylon''), a timber tree of Africa * African blackwood ('' Erythrophleum africanum''), (''Peltophorum africanum'') also Rhodesian blackwood, trees from Africa * Australian blac ...

. Later production concentrated on beef and dairy. The Post Office opened on 6 September 1858 as Pentland Hills, was renamed Myrniong in 1872 and closed in 1970. Myrniong is known for its many

bluestone Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of natural dimension stone, dimension or building stone varieties, including: * basalt in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand * diabase, dolerites in Tasmania, ...

buildings, including the historic Plough Hotel, established in 1859, and the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church. Other attractions in the area include Pykes Creek Reservoir, providing water to the

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...

s in nearby Bacchus Marsh and Mount Blackwood, an extinct

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

offering panoramic views over the

Wombat State Forest The Wombat State Forest (locally: Bullarook) is located west of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, between Woodend, Victoria, Woodend and Daylesford, Victoria, Daylesford, at the Great Dividing Range. The forest is approximat ...

. and

Werribee Gorge State Park Werribee Gorge State Park is a state park in Victoria, Australia. It is located near Bacchus Marsh and is used by bushwalkers and rock climbers, who are attracted to its views and geological features. Werribee Gorge The main feature of thi ...

. A historic

Car sprint The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...

is held in the town each April, and in March an annual music event
'Myrniong Music in The Park'
is a fixture on the Blues music Calendar.

References

External links

Visit Moorabool: Myrniong
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state)