Guildford

Guildford is a rural township 10 km south of Castlemaine, on the Loddon River, the Midland Highway and near the railway line (1874) from Castlemaine to Maryborough. It is 100 km north-west of Melbourne.

The name was probably inspired by the ancient town of Guildford in Surrey, England (geltford meant a crossing where a toll was paid). The area’s early settler-pastoralist, John Hepburn, crossed the river by a ford near the present township.