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<\/p>\nHuntly is approximately 41.6 square kilometres and has five parks covering nearly 14.5 per cent of total area.<\/p>\n
The population of Huntly in 2016 was 2372 and by the 2021 Census the population was 3585 showing a population growth of 51.1 per cent in the area during that time.<\/p>\n
Huntly is a rural township on the Midland Highway, 12 kilometres north-east of Bendigo, but only a few kilometres beyond Bendigo\u2019s urban fringe.<\/p>\n
Huntly has had a rapid change of demographic with the flourishing suburb now home to many young families plunging the median age to one of the lowest in the state.<\/p>\n
The name is thought to have been inspired by Huntly, Aberdeenshire in Scotland with the name first given to the local parish in a map drawn in 1854.<\/p>\n
Bendigo was the site of one of Victoria\u2019s largest gold rushes in 1851, but prospecting did not extend to Huntly until some years later.<\/p>\n
It was used for pastoral and horticultural activities for food for the gold fields.<\/p>\n
Huntly underwent a gold rush in 1859, and during the 1860s a company mined the deep lead which ran from Epsom to Huntly.<\/p>\n
Several hotels were opened, timber cutting was done for mine props and railway sleepers and farming intensified along the Bendigo and Back Creeks.<\/p>\n
In 1861 a district road board was created, which was succeeded by Huntly Shire on 13 July 1866.<\/p>\n
During the 1920s the mining of pipe clay and tomato growing were local industries.<\/p>\n
Until irrigation in the Goulburn Valley increased tomato growing in that area, Huntly tomatoes supplied Melbourne markets and preserving factories.<\/p>\n
During the 1940s-60s large quantities of poultry and eggs were supplied from Huntly.<\/p>\n
The gradual loss of population to neighbouring Bendigo has been reversed since the 1980s, with Huntly gaining residential development within commuting distance of Bendigo.<\/p>\n
Skilled workers were encouraged to build in subsidised housing estates in 2012 on the northern fringe.<\/p>\n
A former courthouse built in 1874 became the home of the Loyal Sir Henry Barkly Lodge in 1930, and then became a memorial hall in 1922.<\/p>\n
CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Huntly is 0-9 years with households in Huntly being primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying on average $1517 per month on mortgages.<\/p>\n
In general, people in Huntly work in a trades occupation.<\/p>\n
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