[1] The area around the Campaspe River was known as Yalooka, which for thousands of years was home to the Pinpandoor, the local tribe of Aboriginal Australians.

[5] The town was the birthplace in 1904 of Australian racing and endurance cyclist, Sir Hubert Opperman, affectionately known as Oppy.

There is a museum dedicated to Oppy in Moore street, and a statue of him winning the 24-hour Bol D'Or race in Paris in 1928.

Spare time in Rochester often revolves around sport, with tennis, cricket, basketball, Australian rules football, netball, lawn bowls, cycling and swimming all well supported.

Rochester is also the birthplace of Mick Harvey, influential musician of The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

High intensity rainfall in January 2011 caused major flooding across much of the western and central parts of the Australian state of Victoria.