Batesford is named after Alfred and John Bates who settled here in 1837 at a place where the river could be forded. The township was surveyed in 1854 and was originally named Hopeton after George Hope whose land it formed a part. A feature of Batesford is the bluestone bridge dating from 1859 which now forms part of the service road past the Batesford Hotel (formerly the Derwent or Batesford Hotel).
The hotel was named the Derwent Hotel for over one hundred years and had only six mine hosts over that period. The name has been changed by the last two owners, from the Dog Rocks to The Batesford in the last couple of years. It is a crying shame that a building steeped in history is treated with complete contempt by so called 'new age' hoteliers.
