Castlemaine epitomises the goldmining towns of north-western Victoria. In the 1850′s and 1860′s enormous quantities of gold were found in its surface fields – this gold boom saw Castlemaine grow rapidly and many of its fine old buildings were constructed then. In town during Apr: Castlemaine State Festival (odd numbered years). Nov: Festival of Gardens (odd-numbered years).
Castlemaine -
Castlemaine's 19th- century post office
(pronounced /ˈkæsəlmeɪn/; note the Flat A rather than a Broad A) is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the “Goldfields” region about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is part of the Shire of Mount Alexander.
In 2006, Castlemaine’s population was 6,797 (2006 census data), of whom about 17% were born overseas (3% in the United Kingdom).
History
Castlemaine was established during the gold rush of 1851 and is in area originally named Forrest Creek.
In September 1851, three shepherds and a bullock driver discovered gold in Specimen Gully, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of present-day Castlemaine. Within a month the alluvial bed of Forrest Creek was being worked with 8,000 miners on the field by the end of the year and 25,000 by March 1852.
The name was later changed to Mount Alexander, but the chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright, renamed the settlement to honour his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine. The old name is still present in the name of a major Melbourne thoroughfare, Mount Alexander Road, which before the establishment of the Calder Freeway was the main route to Castlemaine, and the LGA Shire of Mount Alexander.
A Post Office, Forrest Creek, opened on 1 March 1852 and was replaced on 1 January 1854 by an office at Castlemaine.
The Theatre Royal opened in 1856 to provide entertainment for the gold diggers, with the first performance being provided by the world renowned Lola Montes and her celebrated Spider Dance. The theatre still hosts films (including several world and Australian premieres), concerts, and functions, and claims to be the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia.
In 1859, the historic Castlemaine Football Club was established, and recent evidence makes it the second oldest football club in Australia and one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
The Theatre Royal
After gold mining gradually ceased a number of other secondary industries sprang up. These included breweries, iron foundries and a woollen mill. Whilst for long Thompson’s foundry, (now trading as Flowserve) was one of the town’s largest employers, in 2009 the largest — established in 1905 — is the (former) Castlemaine Bacon Company, producing small goods. The company is still the area’s largest single employer with around 1000 employees there. The company is now known as KR Castlemaine after merging with a Queensland based small goods manufacturer. Castlemaine XXXX was initially brewed in Castlemaine. Tourism exploring the gold-rush era buildings, and other attractions including an art gallery featuring a number of fine Heidelberg School works, is also a major source of income for the town. The town is also served by a large hospital and geriatric centre (Mount Alexander Hospital) and a correctional facility located on the eastern outskirts of the town (Wesley Hill).
The former market, now a visitor information centre
Castlemaine is also the self proclaimed Hot Rod centre of Australia with many small businesses catering to this popular form of motor sport at a national level. Fine examples of the cars can be seen on show days and rod runs throughout the year. There are plans for a permanent Hot Rod Centre with many community facilities currently being developed.
The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is the first of its kind in Australia. It embraces goldrush relics and bushland. Home to rare and threatened species of both flora and fauna it offers opportunities for bush walking, bird watching, wildlife monitoring and study while providing a bush setting for the township.
For the past thirty years Castlemaine has biennially been the home of The Castlemaine State Festival, one of Victoria’s premier regional arts events. The Festival, usually held in late March, has on offer over 130 events, many of which are free, with a particular emphasis on outdoor events, visual arts, music and theatre. It has also attracted internationally and nationally renowned performers, including The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The art deco Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, built in 1931
Barker St was named after William Barker, another pioneer pastoralist whose run included part of the land that is now Castlemaine. The whole eastern side of Barker St, between Templeton St and Lyttleton St, has been classified by the National Trust. Adjacent the solicitors’ offices is the library, built in 1857 as a mechanics’ institute with additions in 1861, 1872 and 1893. Next to it is the Faulder Watson Hall which opened in 1895 and adjacent is the old telegraph office (1857). There is an information plaque. On the Lyttleton St corner is the decorative Classical Revival post office (1873–75). It is in the form of an Italian palazzo with a central clock tower, five arched bays and strongly contrasting colouration. This structure replaced a wooden post office which was built on this same spot in 1859 when the service was transferred from the gold commissioner’s camp. Over the road is the Cumberland Hotel (1884).
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