Clonbinane is a sparse pastoral community in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located north of the state capital city, Melbourne. Geographically, it lies east of the Hume Freeway but now lacks a distinctive township precinct. According to Crown Land records of 1856, the pastoral region was part of the Western Port District. At the , Clonbinane had a population of 347. The name Clonbinane suggests a marriage of two surnames, Clon and Binane. The Binane part may have found its origins in Welsh, Irish or Scottish clans surnames, deriving from the Latin "Benedictus". It is suggested that the Binane part of the name came from the galectisation of Benedictus and that the Clon part may have its origins in early Scottish history. It is not clear how the name came about as a mention in the Crown Land Leases of 1848. History Colonial history During the development of the Australian colonies, the Clonbinane area was part of the Colony of New South Wales between 1788 and 1851 when, on 1 July 1851, Victoria was separated from New South Wales. An early mention of the name Clonbinane appeared in The Argus on 29 September 1848 in relation to Claims to Leases of Crown Land. At that time, a –run Clonbinane was cited as a claim by Michael Heffernan. The property was bound by along Reedy Creek to the north, Mt Whitehead to the west, up to the ranges east and off Kirk and Harlin to the south with a potential for 600 head of cattle. Gold mining Gold mining commenced in the Clonbinane area around 1870 and lasted until around 1880. There was a cyanide processing plant on the Wandong-Kilmore Rd which served the local gold mines. When the gold appeared to run out, the area was extensively logged and supported saw milling. More recently, test drillings have indicated potential yield on the Golden Dyke, Rising Sun and Apollo prospects at Beadell Resources Reedy Creek Project. Postal services Clonbinane Post Office opened on 23 January 1892 and closed on 1 July 1895, reopening again 5 October 1897 and closing 30 April 1956. According to National Archives of Australia, it was determined in 1964 that, at the time of its existence in 1902, the Clonbinane Post Office was domiciled at the Clonbinane Park homestead. The prominence of that site suggests that was the true location of Clonbinane, which concurs with