Castlemaine Post Office by Robert Merkel

Castlemaine Vic 3450 (Pop 7 800)

Castlemaine is a classic goldmining town located in the Victorian Goldfields 120 km n-w of Melbourne. Renowned for its many outstanding heritage buildings and spectacular botanic gardens, it was also the original home of the well known beer, Castlemaine XXXX.  First inhabited by the Jajowurrong Aborigines, European squatters began arriving in 1840s with gold discoveries a decade later. Today main industries include fruit growing, farming & tourism with an increasing number of artists calling the town home. Castlemaine markets each Sat. Castlemaine State Festival (odd numbered years - Mar/Apr), Festival of Gardens (odd numbered years - Nov). 

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Historic Castlemaine has countless sites including the Theatre Royal (1857), Fire Station (1857), Commercial Hotel (1857), Castlemaine Market (1861), Railway Station (1862), St Mary’s Church (1866), Courthouse (1877), Penney’s Bakery (c.1880), Cumberland Hotel (1884), Town Hall (1898). Castlemaine Art Gallery, Lyttleton St housed in an elegant 1931 Art Deco building and considered one of Victoria’s finest provincial galleries of Australian 19^th & 20^th century art. Castlemaine Museum, Lyttleton St excellent local history displays, photographs & memorabilia. Open (10am-5pm) weekdays & (12-5pm) weekends. Pennyweight Flat Cemetery, Colles Rd one of the goldfields earliest cemeteries (1851) with many children’s graves. Anticlinal Fold, Lyttleton St the geological phenomenon discovered in 1874. Burke and Wills Monument, Wills St (1862) excellent city views. Buda, Hunter St (1861) named after owner, Ernest Leviny’s birthplace, Budapest, the house has an exquisite collection of furniture & artwork, all created by the Leviny family and the 4.5 acres of gardens are a splendid example of 19^th century Victorian gardens. Open (9.30am-5.30pm) daily. Castlemaine Botanical Gardens, cnr Walker & Downes Rds (1856) one of the state’s oldest and most impressive 19^th century gardens.  

Nearby:
Dry Diggings Track (part of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park) 55 km walking trail that allows visitors to explore the fascinating Chinese cemeteries, ghost towns, mineral springs, old mines etc. Details at Visitors Centre. Barkers Creek (5 km n-w) a cairn marks where gold was first discovered (1851). Chewton (4 km east) interesting old goldmining town with historic buildings of note.

Accommodation:
Castlemaine has 3 motels, 9 hotels, 6 B&Bs, several holiday cottages/units and two caravan parks. Visitor Information Centre: Old Market, Moyston St. Tel (03) 5470 6200 or 1800 171 888.