St Arnaud (/ˌsænt ɑːrˈnəd/) is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia 244 kilometres north west of the capital Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. At the 2011 census, St Arnaud had a population of 2,619.
It is named after French marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud, commander-in-chief of the army of the East. It is one of quite a number of towns, streets etc. named after people and places of the Crimean War.
History
St Arnaud is a former gold mining town, situated on the main route between Ballarat and Mildura. The town was settled in the mid-1850s, the post office opening on 1 February 1856.
Present
The town features many well-preserved historic buildings which line the main thoroughfare of Napier Street, including a generous collection of pubs. A number of attractive gardens exist in town, including Pioneer Park (believed to be Australia's only remaining public park designed by Edna Walling), the Queen Mary Botanic Gardens, the Market Square gardens adjacent to the council offices and Lord Nelson Park which offers sporting facilities as well as attractions such as the old Lord Nelson Mine and views from Wilsons Hill.
A short drive south of St Arnaud towards Avoca is the St Arnaud Range National Park, featuring steep and forested terrain, camp sites and the Teddington Reservoir.
Governance
St Arnaud is in the Shire of Northern Grampians. Formerly it had its own local government area, the Town of St Arnaud which was headquartered at the former St Arnaud Town Hall, however this was amalgamated into a new shire in 1993. St Arnaud today is a secondary service base for the Shire of Northern Grampians, while the headquarters is based in Stawell.
Culture
The town began an annual Festival in 1996, which is held in November every year, and includes events such as Music Concerts, Market day, Gopher Grand Prix and numerous exhibitions and displays.
The former town hall functions as a community and performing arts space.
Sport
St Arnaud has an Australian rules football team competing in the North Central Football League.
The St Arnaud Hockey Club, a thriving club with five teams, competes in the North Central Hockey Association. Playing its home games on the grass of Lord Nelson Park, the club has had success on and off the field, with numerous players chosen to play in representative teams.
A horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules two race meetings a year at St Arnaud including the St Arnaud Cup meeting in October.
Affiliated with the Australian Clay Target Association, the St Arnaud Gun Club hosts down-the-line shoots each month (except January). With three layouts, the gun club provides for traditional down-the-line, continental and ball trap events.
Golfers play at the St Arnaud Golf Club course.
Transport
St Arnaud is located at the junction of the Sunraysia (B220) and Wimmera Highways (B240). The B220 heads north to Donald and south to Avoca, while the Wimmera connects St Arnaud to Horsham in the west and Bendigo in the east.
Coach services also connect St Arnaud to major centres including the V/Line service to Mildura and Melbourne via Ballarat.
Train services for passengers ceased with the closure of the Mildura railway line in 1993, however St Arnaud railway station is still an important freight stop on the line.
St Arnaud Aerodrome 6.8 km west of the town centre provides for general aviation.