Heathcote is a town in central Victoria, Australia, situated on the Northern Highway

Northern Highway

thumb|left|200px|The Northern Highway B75, through Heathcote, Rochester and EchucaThe Northern Highway is a secondary highway in northern Victoria. Along with the M/A79 Calder Highway and the M/A39 Goulburn Valley Highway , it provides primary arterial links in the region...

 110 kilometres north of Melbourne and 40 kilometres south-east of 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...

 via the McIvor Highway

McIvor Highway

McIvor Highway is a short Victorian highway linking Bendigo and Heathcote. Together with Hume Freeway and Northern Highway , it provides an alternative route between Melbourne and Bendigo. Previously assigned State Route 141, it was later designated B280...

. Heathcote's local government area is the City of Greater Bendigo

City of Greater Bendigo

The City of Greater Bendigo is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the central-western part of the state. It has an area of 3,048 square kilometres...

 and it is part of the federal electorate of Bendigo

Division of Bendigo

The Division of Bendigo is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the city of Bendigo...

 and the state electorate of Rodney. 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,...

 Heathcote had a population of 2689.

History

The first European known to have visited the district was Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836. By 1851 about 400 Europeans lived on some 16 pastoral properties in the area.

Late in 1852 gold was discovered at McIvor Creek. Within six months some 40,000 miners were camped in the vicinity. It proved to be one of the richest finds during the Australian gold rushes

Australian gold rushes

The Australian gold rush started in 1851 when prospector Edward Hammond Hargraves claimed the discovery of payable gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, at a site Edward Hargraves called Ophir.Eight months later, gold was found in Victoria...

, but the gold was so easily found that it was soon largely exhausted and by the end of the year a large proportion of the miners had already left for other recent finds (although deeper deposits continued to be mined for many years). This was not before the Victorian government gazetted the township of Heathcote on the site and ordered the construction of several official buildings. The post office opened on 1 July 1853 as McIvor Creek but six months later, on 1 January 1854, was renamed Heathcote.

With the decline of gold mining the region took on an increased importance as a pastoral district.

Heathcote was served by railway from 1889 to 1968.

The most famous incident during the gold rush era was the Melbourne Private Escort Robbery

John Francis (bushranger)

John Francis was one of a party of bushrangers who held up the Melbourne Private Escort Company's regular escort of gold from the McIvor diggings at Heathcote, Victoria and Kyneton on the morning of 20 July 1853. At least six men were involved, five of whom including John Francis and his brother...

 on 20 July 1853. This took place very close to where one of Australia's worst aviation disasters occurred in 1945.

Present

Heathcote is the closest major town to the Heathcote-Graytown National Park and Lake Eppalock

Lake Eppalock

Lake Eppalock is a man-made lake located in North Central Victoria, Australia. It's situated on the Campaspe River between the city of Bendigo and the town of Heathcote and serves as a major water storage facility for both places...

. The town hosts an agricultural show in November. A weekend early in October is dedicated to the Heathcote Wine and Food Festival held at the show grounds. This is a dynamic event that has grown rapidly since its inception in 1994. March is host to a relatively new event which began in 2010 to showcase local produce and boutique breweries of the region; the Snag, Beer and Bubble Fest. This event also features local musicians and bands.

Heathcote is reputed to have the longest main street in Victoria. The town is the centre of the recognised Heathcote wine region

Heathcote wine region

The Heathcote Wine Region of Victoria, Australia, is nestled between the Goulburn Valley and Bendigo regions. The region is famous as for its Shiraz production.-Geography:...

, notable for its Shiraz

Shiraz grape

Syrah or Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines. Whether sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity.Syrah is used as a varietal and is also blended...

 wines.

The town has an Australian Rules football team playing in the Heathcote District Football League

Heathcote District Football League

The Heathcote District Football League is based in Central Victoria. The league is a minor country league with teams drawn from smaller localities within part of the area of the major Bendigo Football League.-History:...

.

Golfers play at the course of the Heathcote Golf Club at the Recreation Reserve.