Castlemaine, VIC
A regional centre for art & culture with a vibrant food and wine scene make Castlemaine one of Victoria's best kept secrets.
Where To Stay In Castlemaine
BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park has a brilliant location, set amongst Castlemaine’s botanical gardens giving it a peaceful and remote feel whilst remaining a short walk to all the main attractions within Castlemaine. The park has invested in upgrading and developing its accommodation in recent times, including luxurious Glamping options as well as the newly built Glamtainers which offer modern, Tiny Home style accommodation. If you’re looking for a Site rather than roofed accommodation they’re plentiful, spacious and all facilities are modern and well maintained.
Where To Eat & Drink In Castlemaine
Castlemaine has a thriving food and beverage scene and is home to several particularly interesting offerings. Opened in 2021, Bar Midland is an ambitious project offering a tasting menu focused on regional produce to the extent that there's no meat from farm animals on the menu, just wild rabbit and kangaroo. It only seats 17 so be sure to book ahead. Our favourite food and beverage destination in Castlemaine is The Mill, a precinct of arts, crafts, food and beverage set in an 1870s Wool Mill. If you’re a wine fan head straight to Boomtown Wine, a shared winemaking space with a collective of small batch winemakers who source fruit from nearby Central Victorian sites. If a beer is more your tipple then head to Shedshaker Craft Brewery. There’s also plenty of great food options throughout The Mill, Das Kaffeehaus is a great cafe or if you’re after something to take with you we highly recommend heading to Sprout Bakery and Long Paddock Cheese. Castlemaine is home to several fantastic pubs and our favourite is the Bridge Hotel, which offers pub classics with a twist and a focus on local producers. They’ve also got a reputation for their music program so be sure to check the gig guide before you visit.
What To Do In Castlemaine
Castlemaine has long had a reputation as one of the regional centres for arts and culture in Australia and this has continued to be enhanced in recent times as new attractions continue to open up. The Castlemaine Art Museum has a significant permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, photography and prints, many of which hold historical significance and also is home to rotating exhibitions, often with a focus on indigenous art and culture. If you feel inspired to create some art yourself, Studio Baxter (also located inside The Mill), offers painting and drawing classes. The Mill is also home to the Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar, around 2,000 square metres housing an eclectic collection of trinkets that will have bargain hunters and treasure seekers alike occupied for hours. Beyond being home to our favourite accommodation in the area, the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens are also a great place to explore and home to several significant trees dating back to 1860 when the gardens were first fenced off during Victoria’s gold rush.
The Essentials In Castlemaine
Castlemaine is a well stocked town with several grocery stores and pharmacies. If you’re on the hunt for outdoors gear, head to Lyal Eales stores.
The Drive To Castlemaine
As always, we give you the rundown on the drive you’ll take from the three closest capital cities.
From Melbourne - A particularly easy drive along highways that will take around 90 minutes to cover 121 km.
From Adelaide - At 623 km the point to point drive time is roughly 7 hours. If you’re looking for a stop overnight then we recommend making a slight detour and heading to the famed Coonawarra wine region which will add approximately an extra hour to the entire journey.
From Sydney - It will take just under 9 hours total drive time to cover the 878 km journey from Sydney. On this route you’ll go through the iconic Australian town of Gundagai which is a great place to stop, or alternatively you can add a little extra time to your trip and head via Deniliquin which we love to do as part of one of our favourite itineraries in this area.
