Castlemaine, Victoria

Castlemaine
Victoria
CBD Castlemaine building, Post Office, Town Hall and the Castlemaine Uniting Church
Castlemaine is located in Shire of Mount Alexander
Castlemaine
Castlemaine
Coordinates37°3′49″S 144°13′2″E / 37.06361°S 144.21722°E / -37.06361; 144.21722
Population7,506 (2021 census)
Established1851
Postcode(s)3450
Elevation310.9 m (1,020 ft)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEST (UTC+11)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Mount Alexander
State electorate(s)Bendigo West
Federal division(s)Bendigo
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
20.2 °C
68 °F
6.7 °C
44 °F
558.4 mm
22 in

Castlemaine (/ˈkæsəlmn/ KASS-əl-mayn,[1] non-locally also /ˈkɑːs-/ KAHSS-) is a town in west central Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region about 120 kilometres (75 miles) northwest by road from Melbourne and about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The population at the 2021 Census was 7,506.[2] Castlemaine was named by the chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright, in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine.

Built on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Castlemaine began as a gold rush boomtown in 1851 and developed into a major regional centre, being officially proclaimed a City on 4 December 1965, although since declining in population.[3]

It is home to many cultural institutions including the Theatre Royal, the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia.

  1. ^ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3.
  2. ^ "2021 Castlemaine, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Castlemaine" in The Age, 15 September 2008