Elaine

History

Elaine started out a minor gold rush district. Since the Steiglitz goldfield had been discovered in 1854, gold mining had occurred in the area, then known as Stony Rises. The Geelong–Ballarat railway line was opened on 11 April 1862 and passed through the settlement, but the railway station was only opened a decade later, officially establishing Elaine as the name of the township.{{Efn|According to the records of the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure, Elaine was named after Elaine of Astolat, the subject of Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Some locals, in common with those in nearby Meredith and Maude, make the fanciful claim that the place was named after the madam of the town brothel. The railway line was singled in 1934. Now only grain and other freight trains travel on the line, and do not stop at Elaine. In 2010, after a small government grant was received to build a barbecue area at the reserve, residents were motivated to hold a meeting and see if they could revive the tennis club. The community helped raise funds and, within six months, the club had three junior teams and 35 sponsors. Children also came to play from nearby towns such as Meredith.

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,927
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,658
• Red Wattlebird

  Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  2,252
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  2,007
• Little Raven

  Corvus mellori Mathews, 1912 · Aves
  2,004
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,741
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  1,635
• Spotted Pardalote

  Pardalotus punctatus (Shaw, 1792) · Aves
  1,614

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-05-28
  5 km W of Mickleham, Australia
• M 3.1 — 2013-05-01
  7 km NW of Clifton Springs, Australia
• M 3 — 2010-03-30
  4 km NNE of Portarlington, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2003-02-02
  9 km N of Trentham, Australia
• M 2.7 — 2001-12-31
  10 km SW of Kilmore, Australia