Castlemaine
“A daytrip to the charming town of Castlemaine from Melbourne. Travelled with a friend.”
I have been trying to explore our local backyard more. On a Saturday in Oct 2024, a friend and I went for a little day trip from Melbourne to Castlemaine, a charming town located 90 mins from the city by train.
We caught the morning Vline from Southern Cross station - The trains were on time and very relaxing. Castlemaine is a quaint town, full of historic buildings and has a lovely atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
This was our day trip map that we followed (There is a lot more that can be done, but we chose to maximise out time with these spots).
Walking map of what we did in Castlemaine on a day trip
Note: There is an underground tunnel from Castlemaine station that leads you back to Kennedy street from Gingell Street (I am not sure why Google maps does not recognise that path) but it saves walking around the Camp Reserve.
We started off at Castlemaine Train station and get off at Kennedy Street. It is around 1km to The Mill and took us around 15 mins.
The Mill is a charming and eclectic spot that has a bit of everything. It is an incredible bazaar of over 100 stalls, with everything from clothing, furniture, antiques but is also home to a bookshop, a cafe, an art gallery, a bakery and a wine maker!
Right across the Mill is the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens - A tranquil escape with many indigenous plant species, scenic paths, a peaceful lake and an adventure playground. There is a guide at the entrance with QR codes that map you to the more significant features of the gardens, like the rose gardens and guides to notable trees.
Castlemaine Story Walk : From the Botanical gardens, we walked along Gingell street and accidentally fell onto the Castlemaine story walk - which is a community project situated along the scenic Barkers Creek Trail (Runs parallel to Gingell Street). It is essentially a children's book that has been taken apart and its pages displayed along a walking path. Apparently the Story Walk features different children's books throughout the year and the books are changed seasonally. More Story Walks in the region can be found on https://www.ncgrl.vic.gov.au/storywalks/
Once you get to the Castlemaine train station, there is an underground tunnel that leads you back to Kennedy Street (For some reason, that’s not recognised on google maps).
Castlemaine Town Centre:
From the train station again, we walked towards the main town centre. There are multiple ways you can get there but it is all a grid, with eateries, quaint shops, historic building centred around Barker Street and Mostyn St. We spent a bit of time walking around and found a delicious little eatery around - There are plenty of options for lunch around, so some exploring on foot around the area is worth it. Plus you get to admire the charming Victorian architecture.
We then made our way to the Art Museum - A quiet, regional museum, with a strong focus on Australian art and an impressive collective highlighting the works of artists connected to the area.
Walking further down from the Castlemaine art museum on Lyttleton St took us back to Castlemaine train station and that was the end of this trip. it The whole trip took us 5-6 hours, which was perfect for an enjoyable day of the weekend.
Tips:
Keep an eye out for some awesome street art along the way. There are some impressive wall murals around Castlemaine
The Vline ticket to Castlemaine costs the same as a daytrip with Myki, which made it a pretty cost-effective day trip.
I have read about weekend getaways to Castlemaine, which could easily tie in with day trips to the nearby towns as well and exploring the local wineries.
