The village of Aldgate, was named by Richard Dixon Hawkins after Aldgate in London. The name is a derivative of auld (old) gate. In the centre of town there was an old water pump, a reminder of days past when water was pumped for the horses and bullock teams that passed through the area on route between Adelaide and Melbourne and to the Echunga Goldfields.
Hawkins had noted the traffic through the hills, and saw possibilities for the crossing. He built an inn and constructed a pump and water trough nearby. He was well rewarded for his venture as his inn was well patronised and the small settlement soon expanded.
