The aim of this study is to examine the early development of the Amherst and Talbot region, located north of Ballarat within the County of Talbot. The study area is shown in relation to Ballarat and Maryborough on Map 1. These townships originated during the gold era, in a region of well-established pastoral occupancy. The nature of this rural development, the inter-relationships between the towns and the rural area, and the linkages with other parts of the colony, must be understood in order to postulate processes of change and stages of development in the area.