Konted's Make My Day 2: The Historic Town Of Castlemaine

The Historic Town Of Castlemaine

Four men, supposed to be herding cattle and sheep, abandoned their work one sunny day in 1851 and headed towards a nearby creek. They started digging and, as luck would have it, they struck gold. What followed was the influx of gold diggers numbering about 25,000. Gold discovery triggered an economic boom for the town of Castlemaine. Gold brought prosperity to the town and the nearby areas.

Castlemaine lies in a fertile valley where three creeks run through it. It is near Mount Alexander. After the gold rush, when population declined, residents turned to agriculture as their means of livelihood. Today, what one sees in Castlemaine are old buildings and structures that speak well of its glorious past. They have retained that Georgian style of architecture that makes them magnificent. Tourism is a thriving industry.

At the height of the gold rush, one delivery of gold to Melbourne from Castlemaine usually weighed about 3 tons. Castlemaine was then the biggest producer of gold in the whole world. Gold was easy to dig in Castlemaine. What used to be a quiet, small town became the toast of the world, the pride of the colony of Victoria. Many enterprising individuals seized the opportunity and became rich.

Back to the four men who discovered gold at Castlemaine. They chipped gold from the rocky portion of the creek through hammer and chisel and kept this a secret. They worked quietly and wanted very much to maximize their haul. One reason that they were keeping it to themselves was the fear that authorities would seize and take control of the area where there was gold. But the secret was not for long. Soon all roads led to Castlemaine. That was the start of the gold rush in a place that would later be known as Australia's goldfields region.

- Konted

Rays of the afternoon sun pierce through the brown leaves of a tree along a principal street in Castlemaine.

The town hall of Castlemaine built in 1898 with a Dutch Renaissance style of architecture

Castlemaine's Post Office built in 1875.

Noteworthy is the clock tower of the Post Office.

Cumberland Hotel built in 1884. It is across the Post Office.

Commercial building erected by businessman Mr. Williams in the 1870s

Restorer's Barn used to be Mount Alexander Hotel built in 1864.

Sidewalk cafe

Motorcycle shop in Castlemaine

Two Harleys parked in front of the shop

Poetry reading at least once a month at Commercial Bar and Grill

A roundabout at the town proper

Theatre Royal is the oldest continuously operating movie house in mainland Australia. It opened in 1855.

Serves the best coffee in Castlemaine

St. Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1866 through the efforts of a priest who figured prominently in the Eureka Uprising in Ballarat.

Adjacent to the Church is St. Mary's Hall.

An old building near the public market

IGA branch at Castlemaine

Castlemaine Market built in 1862. It now functions as a Visitors Information Center.

The old public market is now classified by the National Trust.

Pharmacy and a meat shop at Castlemaine

Bank which opened in 1856. This was at the height of the gold rush.

Part of Mostyn Street

Castlemaine Old Bank Building

Christ Church Castlemaine

This building used to house the A. Vercy & Co. A. Vercy was the President of Castlemaine's School of Mines.

Castlemaine Presbyterian Church built in 1862. It features a Gothic style of architecture.

Castlemaine Art Gallery & Museum at Lytlleton Street

Castlemaine Uniting Church, with an assymetrical front facade, was built in 1894 at a high point of Lytlleton Street. It has stained glass windows.

Castlemaine Library constructed in 1857

The Faulder Watson Hall built in 1895. Next to it is the old Telegraph Office which opened in 1857. Mr. Faulder Watson was a pioneer in the town of Castlemaine.