Baynton

Baynton is a rural district 20 km north-east of Kyneton and 85 km north-west of Melbourne. It is set in hilly granite country north of the Dividing Range, about midway between the Calder and Northern Highways. It was probably named after Dr Thomas Baynton who acquired the Darlington pastoral run in 1841. (The run had been first taken up in 1838.) Baynton was father-in-law to the novelist Barbara Baynton.

Three short-lived schools were opened during the 1870s: Baynton (1870-85), Baynton West (1875-1901) and Baynton East, first called Hell’s Corner, (1878-1900). The district was described in 1903 in the Australian handbook:

The Baynton East school re-opened in 1925 and finally closed in 1949.

Baynton’s pastoral economy gained a cool-climate winery with the planting of Knight’s Granite Hills Vineyard in 1970. The Knight family were graziers at Baynton and their shiraz-based wines have gained high awards.

Baynton has a hall (1962). The Uniting church was burnt down in 2009. It had previously been Presbyterian and was built in 1969.

Census populations have been:

In 2011 farming accounted for 32.3% of employment.