Kilmore
When the gold rush started in Central Victoria in 1851, the horse was the main form of transport. People travelled in coaches and carriages or rode for miles on horseback. Towns developed either where gold was found, or in places that were close to the diggings as a base to supply goods and services to miners.
Kilmore is thought to be the oldest settled inland township in Victoria. At 62 km north of Melbourne, it was a “stopping off” point for people and goods travelling between Victoria and New South Wales. It was especially important for the men and horses that carried everything and everyone. Horse breeders, traders and trainers were drawn to Kilmore for business and for pleasure at the races. The town prospered because of its location and the horses it provided.
Horses are still important in Kilmore today. There is a strong focus
on racing and several major events are held here, including the Kilmor
Cup and the Kilmor Pacing Cup, which offers Australia’s biggest
prize for harness racing.
The name ‘Kilmore’ means ‘great church’ in Gaelic, and the people who founded the town had strong ties with Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Today there is a Celtic Festival in July and Highland Games in November.
More than 3600 people now live in and around Kilmore. Some of them travel to Melbourne each day, but many others work on farms dotted across the rolling hills around the town. Some of the finest racehorses live in Kilmore, or visit there for rest or special training. They run freely over the paddocks between races, stand as stallions to breed the next generation, and each year foals are born.
