Castlemaine Botanical Gardens

The beautiful, historic 23-hectare Castlemaine Botanical Gardens and Bushland Reserve is right next door to us and it’s especially lovely in the spring. Enjoy walking and cycling, admire the birdlife and the colourful spring garden beds, and let the kids loose in a creative, award-winning play space.  For a simple and memorable day out, take along a lunch of local gourmet treats, sit at one of the many picnic tables or under a tree, and just enjoy.

The Mill Complex

This huge, bustling foodie and artisan precinct situated in a re-purposed 1860s woollen mill is across the road from BIG4 Castlemaine and the Botanical Gardens. It’s your go-to for picnic lunches (artisan small goods and hand-crafted cheeses, for example), for great coffee, wines and beers, for gourmet treats including hand-made chocolates and ice cream, and for some serious vintage shopping thrown in for good measure. There’s also a great Viennese-themed coffee house and the wonderful Shedshaker Brewery for great food, drinks, music and events.

Theatre Royal

This iconic theatre was built in 1855 and is the longest continuously running theatre on mainland Australia. Today it’s still the place to catch a movie, but it also puts on great live music from near and far and offers excellent wines, beers and gourmet pizza.    

Mt Alexander Regional Park

Located in North Harcourt, just a 10-minute drive from BIG4 Castlemaine, this 1400-hectare park has stunning lookouts including the popular Dogs Rocks (fantastic rock-climbing for the kids!), great walking tracks, and a picnic area. It's a great place to spot wildlife including Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Black Wallabies and a range of birdlife.

Maldon

Head to this historic town, classified with the National Trust, just 15 minutes from Castlemaine and continue the outdoor, fresh-air adventures with the two-kilometre Anzac Hill walk and the Mt Tarrengower lookout, both delivering splendid scenery and views.  Be sure to explore Maldon as well - there are heritage-listed streetscapes dating back to the goldrush and great cafes and pubs.  

Castlemaine Art Museum (CAM)

This gallery and museum on Lyttleton Street in the heart of Castlemaine is well worth a visit for an hour or two to have a look at the range of art and artefacts reflecting the history of Castlemaine and the surrounding region. And there is always an interesting exhibition or two happening.

Forest Creek Historic Gold Diggings, Chewton

This is an ideal starting point for exploring the history of Castlemaine's vast Central Goldfields.  A 400-metre tracks circles around an historic alluvial goldfield and detailed signboards along the way provide fascinating facts and information about the ancient Forest Creek river bed, the gold rush of the 1850's and 1860's, and the remnants and relics of the structures and equipment left behind.

Castlemaine Maldon Trail

This 17.7-kilometre walking and cycling track runs alongside the historic Victorian Goldfields Railway and across scenic farm and bush lands and historic sites. It's certainly a different way of getting to Maldon! There are plenty of resting places along the way and you can arrange to return to Castlemaine on the steam train,

Steam Train

If you don't want to walk or cycle to Maldon alongside the heritage Victorian Goldfields Railway tracks, hop on the train! A journey on the beautiful and luxurious old steam train makes a very special family outing.

Gardens and Flowers

Spring, of course, is the time for re-growth, and for beautiful spring bulbs and new buds on the trees. So, if you love flowers and gardens this is your time! Be sure to visit the magnificent Bendigo Annual Tulip Display running from mid-September to mid-October, when more than 40,000 tulips are in bloom in the city’s central Pall Mall and Conservatory Gardens. The Castlemaine & District Festival of Gardens is back this year and its 24 open gardens will attract garden and nature lovers from across the state.

Bendigo

The city of Bendigo is just a 40-minute drive from Castlemaine, and has plenty on offer for a great day for young and old. Discover a rich history of hand-crafted pottery at Bendigo Pottery, which offers special hands-on activities for the kids during the school holidays; visit the acclaimed Bendigo Art Gallery; and explore the dark and hidden underground tunnels of the Central Deborah Gold Mine and a treasure trove of mining equipment. There’s also great cafes and restaurants to visit, so plan on taking an extra day or two to explore just a little more of the region.  

Of course, we have so many more favourite things to see and do - wineries to visit, farmers' markets to shop at, boutiques to browse and towns to explore! Come and see it all for yourself!  We're looking forward to welcoming you to BIG4 Castlemaine soon. There'll be plenty of spring sunshine waiting for you.