Castlemaine began as the centre of the Mount Alexander gold fields in 1850. It was briefly larger than Melbourne, as that city’s population moved to Castlemaine to seek it’s fortune. It was the richest alluvial gold field in world history and that title has not yet been surpassed.

At it’s height one convoy alone, shipped 3 tons of gold to Melbourne. It was where the “little fellows” became rich, with nearly all the gold being found within 4m of the surface. Thus small groups of men could band together and work a stake together.

Although Bendigo and Ballarat gold fields both eventually yielded more gold, theirs was mostly reef gold and required great capital investment and thus were for the “big fellows”.

Unlike the buildings in other goldmining towns in Victoria, the public buildings in Castlemaine are in the Georgian style. This is because Castlemaine’s was the earliest of gold discoveries and the gold being mostly alluvial, ran out relatively quickly.

Bendigo and Ballarat’s gold lasted much longer and their continued wealth enabled them to afford to renovate their Georgian buildings to the new “Victorian” style.

Scratch a Bendigonian building and you will find the Georgian underneath. This has added to Castlemaine’s uniqueness.

Follow the Mt Alexander Diggings heritage trail and find out about life on the goldfields. Pick up a brochure from the historic Market Building in Mostyn Street.

Castlemaine is 119 kilometres north-west of Melbourne or just under 90 minutes via the Calder Highway. Alternatively you can travel via the Western Highway to the Midland Highway passing through Daylesford.

The Road to Castlemaine

The road to Castlemaine, from Melbourne, passes through towns at roughly equal distance from each other. The clue to this is given by the first town on the trek from Melbourne being given the name: “Diggers Rest”. Each town is by a water course and is about a days walk from the othe. They were the camp sites for the prospectors as they walked to the gold rush.

Enterprising individuals set up businesses to supply the diggers and of course pubs. That is the origins of these towns.
The trek was 1. Diggers Rest. 2. Gisborne. 3.Woodend. 4. Kyneton. 5. Castlemaine. 6. Bendigo.

Castlemaine’s Features & Attractions

Castlemaine’s historic streetscapes are a reminder of its immensely rich gold mining days, with many magnificent public buildings located in Mostyn Street and Lyttleton Street. Highlights include the Theatre Royal (built in 1857 and continuously in use since then), the Castlemaine Market (completed in 1862 and now housing the Visitor Information Centre), the red-brick town hall (1898) and courthouse (1889).

The former technical school (built in 1918) has been converted into a modern supermarket, but retains its historical building facade. Several historic churches and hotels can also be found around Castlemaine’s town centre.

At the eastern end of Mostyn Street is the towering Burke and Wills monument, erected in 1862 to honour the death of these famous explorers. From the monument are good views down to the town centre.

In 1860, 25 hectares of gold diggings along Barkers Creek were set aside for the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens. Recognised as one of Victoria’s oldest public gardens, they feature ancient oak and elm trees, colourful garden beds, open lawns, a rotunda and Lake Joanna.

The Castlemaine State Festival is a ten day multi-arts celebration that draws on the distinctive culture of the central Victorian goldfields region – of old and new, of the artistic and the agricultural, and its dynamic community strengths. Held in autumn every two years, the festival showcases works from the region’s finest artists and performing arts companies, alongside national and international artists.

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