Moonambel

Moonambel is a rural village between the northern and southern slopes of a hilly range between St Arnaud and Avoca in central-west Victoria. Several watercourses from the slopes enter Mountain Creek, which was the original name of the locality when gold was found there in 1860. The creek valley had been used eight years before as part of the gold escort route from Victoria to Adelaide, and a camping place along the route was chosen as the gold field’s township (1861). It is thought that the name, Moonambel, is an Aboriginal word meaning hollow in the hills.