Lauriston

Lauriston is a rural locality on the Coliban River, 7 km west of Kyneton and 80 km north-west of Melbourne. It is thought that it was named after the village of Lauriston in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

Lauriston was part of the Coliban gold diggings where gold was discovered late in 1851. The diggings extended northwards through Malmsbury to Taradale. After the initial alluvial mining, reef mining was added and continued for several decades. In the 1860s seven reefs were recorded, along with three quartz-crushing and four puddling machines. Presbyterian, Catholic and government primary schools were opened during 1863-65. The district was elevated, regarded as healthy and had agricultural activities as well as mining.

Lauriston is on the Coliban River. A short way upstream, that is, south, there is the Lauriston reservoir (1941) one of three storages on the Coliban for town water for Bendigo, Castlemaine, etc.

In 1903 Lauriston was described in the Australian handbook:

The Presbyterian and Catholic schools were closed in the 1870s-90s, and the government school in 1944. Lauriston now has a few buildings, and a State forest to the west.

Lauriston’s census populations have been: