Chiltern, Victoria

Chiltern is a town in the north east of Victoria, Australia. It is between Wangaratta and Wodonga, in the Shire of Indigo. In 2006 there were 1063 people living in Chiltern. The town is close to the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park. Chiltern was once on the main road between Melbourne and Sydney but is now by-passed by the Hume Freeway a few kilometres to the east.

 History 
The area of Chiltern was on the Wahgunyah cattle run and was called Black Dog Creek. The township was named after the Chiltern Hills in England. It was surveyed in 1853 but not started until gold was found in 1858—59 during the great Victorian Gold Rush period. The Post Office opened on September 1, 1859.

Many of Chiltern's old buildings are protected by the National Trust. In 1859, many shop-keepers and miners from around Beechworth and the Ovens Valley followed the gold rush and moved into Chiltern.

The Grape Vine Hotel, on the corners of Main St and Conness St, has the largest grapevine in Australia, planted in 1867.

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