St Arnaud was declared a municipality in 1861, a borough in 1863 and a town on October 7th 1950. It all began when seven men discovered gold on a hill behind the site of the present Woolpack Hotel on January 1st 1855. Twenty thousand men rushed to the site, called “New Bendigo”, all but 5000 leaving after a few months due to the lack of water and the fact that most of the gold was hidden deep underground. The search for gold spread along the creek and a large discovery on Wilson's Hill moved most of the prospectors away from the New Bendigo area to a town that formed along the creek.
This new town was called St Arnaud, after Jacques Le Roy St Arnaud, Marshall of France and Commander of the French Forces during the Crimean War.
Today St. Arnaud is the largest town and natural centre of a progressive agricultural district in north-west Victoria situated 253 klm north-west of Melbourne with a population of approximately 3000. A diversity of primary production from traditional grain and wool, to ostrich, emu and intensive pig and poultry farming is now backed by secondary 'value-added' industries.
The main street is lined with many historic buildings classified by the National Trust. A unique feature of the town is its bushland setting, providing habitat for many native birds, animals, and plants including golden wattle and wildflowers.
St Arnaud Gun Club is located 3 klm from St Arnaut on Sunraysia Highway, adjacent to the Woolpack Hotel.
(Club information to come....