The town is in the Hepburn Shire local government area, 128 kilometres (80 mi) north west of the state capital, Melbourne.

[1] The Yandoit area was first settled by Captain John Stuart Hepburn.

The gold soon ran out and deep lead mining started in 1858.

[2] Many Swiss Italians settled in Yandoit and built many of the remaining stone buildings.

[2] Media related to Yandoit at Wikimedia Commons