Magpie

Magpie is a rural/residential area 6 km south of Ballarat. It is situated on the White Horse Range, east of the Yarrowee River. In mid-1855 there was a big gold discovery, Frenchmans Lead, in the range, and a temporary township developed. (Its site is now mostly submerged by a sewerage treatment facility). The name Magpie was presumably chosen from the local birdlife and appears to date from the beginning.