Lancefield
Postcode: 3435
Lancefield is a town in the Macedon Ranges Shire Local government area in Victoria, Australia. The town is located 92 kilometers north of the state capital, Melbourne and had a population of 1,151 at the 2001 census. A marker in the town indicates the centre of Victoria.
The area was used by the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people as a quarry site for the manufacture of stone axes and was first settled by European squatters in 1837. Lancefield’s elevation and climate made it a popular summer resort in the 1880s. In recent years, many local wineries have been established in the area.
The town has a connection to the Kelly Gang; for it was here that Constable Fitzpatrick, the instigator of the Kelly Outbreak in 1878 was finally found by the Victorian police to be no good and for his actions was finally discharged from the force.
Lancefield district had a reputation for some of the best fertile soils in Victoria. Prior to being cut up into small blocks during the early 1970s the region produced high yields per acre of potatoes, fat lambs, fat cattle, wheat and other cereal crops.
John Allan, the 29th Premier of Victoria, was born near Lancefield in 1866.
A large fossil deposit from the Pleistocene epoch was discovered at Lancefield swamp, containing the remains of many species of extinct megafauna, including ; Macropus titan, a giant kangaroo; Diprotodon, a rhinoceros-sized wombat; and Genyornis, a giant flightless bird.
The local Australian rules football team, Lancefield Football Club competes in the Riddell District Football League.