St Arnaud is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia 244 kilometres north west of the capital Melbourne. It is named after French marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud, commander-in-chief of the army of the East and one of quite a number of towns, streets, etc. named after people and places of the Crimean War. St Arnaud is a former gold mining town, situated on the main route between Ballarat and Mildura. The town was settled in the mid 1850s, the Post Office opening on 1st February, 1856. The town features many well-preserved historic buildings.