Alexandra (Australien)

Alexandra is a town in Victoria, Australia. Located at the junction of the Goulburn Valley Highway (B340) and Maroondah Highway (B360), 26 kilometres west of Eildon, in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area. At the, Alexandra had a population of 2,656.HistoryThe town was settled in the late 1860s, with a Post Office opening on 15 March 1867 as Redgate. The town was originally known as Redgate, or Red Gate Diggings. The current name either derives from Alexandra of Denmark when the shire was given a statue of her, or from three men named Alexander who discovered gold in the area in 1866.The railway to Alexandra arrived as a branch line of the Mansfield railway line in 1909, and closed on 18 November 1978. In 2012, the closed rail line was used as part of the route for the 134 km long Great Victorian Rail Trail.The Rubicon Tramway connected Alexandra with the village of Rubicon, at the junction of the Rubicon and Royston Rivers.Alexandra todayMany tourists pass through this town on their way to the Mount Buller ski resort from Melbourne.The town contains the Timber Tramway and Museum (located at the Alexandra Railway Station), and the National Trust classified post office and law courts. There is a local market on the second Saturday of each month from September to May, an annual art show at Easter, an agricultural show and rose festival in November, and the annual Truck, Rod and Ute Show in June. Alexandra is also situated on the Goulburn River.