Harcourt, Victoria


Harcourt is a town in the Central Highlands of the state of Victoria, Australia. It is about north-east of Castlemaine, where the Midland Highway meets the Calder Highway. At the 2021 census, Harcourt had a population of 1,038. The town was named after Sir William Harcourt.

History

The Post Office opened on 27 February 1858 replacing that of nearby Mount Alexander open since 1856.

Overview

Set in a valley at the foot of Mount Alexander, Harcourt was once the premier apple growing region in Australia. Still the apple centre of Victoria, the local area is fast getting a name for wine and cider production.
Other things of interest in and around the town are trout fishing and the numerous walking tracks in Mount Alexander Park. Within the park boundary there is an old oak forest which was established by the tanning industry for the acorns. It is home to a World's largest apple.
Each year on the March Labour Day long weekend the town hosts the Harcourt Applefest with local produce on sale in stalls, music concerts and several sports on show.
Harcourt granite stone is widely used through Australia for soldier memorials, headstones and buildings of historical note.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League.
Harcourt railway station is on the Bendigo line, but has been closed since 1981. The closest operating train station is Castlemaine.
is riding distance from the centre of Harcourt.
Harcourt facilities include a small post office, a petrol station, general store, two cafes, community swimming pool, public hall, public toilets, recreation reserve, primary school and a motel.

2026 Bushfire Disaster

On 8 January 2026, the northern part of the state was declared a Catastrophic fire Danger Rating due to the dry, windy weather.
On 9 January, a grassfire had broken out on Fogartys Gap Road in Ravenswood South and travelled in a southeastern direction towards the town of Harcourt. Over 124 fire crew helped fight the blaze and the township of Harcourt had less than 30 minutes to get out. 60 homes were lost in the fire while the primary school, kindergarten, general store and service station have survived. The town's coolstore was lost. The miniature Victorian railway also survived the bushfire. The railway bridge on Victoria Street that helped serve the Bendigo line was burnt down.
On 10 January, the Emergency warnings were downgraded to a Watch and Act level but was not safe to return due to the fires still burning out of control.