Visit

Castlemaine

Castlemaine is a goldfields town on Djaara Country, ninety minutes from Melbourne. It grew out of the 1850s gold rush, and the Theatre Royal has entertained the town since the first diggers arrived. Today it’s known for its artists, makers and food, and each June the festival fills the town for a weekend of documentary.

Getting here

Train
Castlemaine station is central, an easy ninety minutes from Melbourne. V/Line runs the Bendigo line from Southern Cross, roughly 6am to 11:30pm.
Car
About 120km north-west of Melbourne, an hour and a half up the Tullamarine and the Calder, following the Bendigo signs.
Bus
Local services run to Chewton, Campbells Creek, Maldon and Bendigo.
Taxi
Castlemaine Taxis, 131 008, including a taxi with a wheelchair lift.

Where to stay

Rooms go quickly in festival week, so book early.

Northern Arts Hotel
Nine rooms and a good story, a short walk from the Botanical Gardens. Its rooms are upstairs and aren’t wheelchair accessible.
Temperance House
Six rooms and a bar at 68 Mostyn Street, in the gold-rush hotel that used to be the Empyre.
Campbell St Lodge
Thirteen ensuite rooms at 33 Campbell Street, in National Trust classified buildings.
Castlemaine Boutique Accommodation
Nine houses and cottages around town, booked through one agency.
More places to stay
Motels, B&Bs, cottages and caravan parks around Castlemaine and Maldon, on the official visitor site.

Festival venues

© OpenStreetMap
Theatre Royal
30 Hargraves Street
Directions
Market Building
44 Mostyn Street
Directions
Castlemaine Art Museum
14 Lyttleton Street
Directions
Goods Shed
21 Kennedy Street
Directions
Castlemaine Community House
30 Templeton Street
Directions
Northern Arts Hotel
359 Barker Street
Directions

While you're here

Castlemaine does food and drink properly.

The Mill
A reimagined 1870s woollen mill with parking, where you’ll find Das Kaffeehaus, Oakwood smallgoods and more.
Shedshaker Brewing
Beer brewed on site at the Mill.
Boomtown
A winemakers’ co-op with a cellar bar and bistro at the Mill.
Long Paddock Cheese
A cheese shop and cheese school at the Mill.
Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar
Vintage clothes, furniture and collectables at the Mill.
Theatre Royal front bar
Opens at 4pm, and the pizza is worth the trip on its own.
Love Shack
The country pub done properly, with beer brewed on site.
Table Records
A record shop that happens to be a bar.
Castlemaine Art Museum
Collecting since 1913, a short walk from the Theatre Royal.

Questions

Yes. The entrance is flat, with no steps from the door to the front of the stage, and there's one accessible, gender-neutral toilet in the foyer. The band room bar and garden bar are step-free; the front bar has a small step. Staff are happy to help, so let the venue know if you need a hand.

There are accessible car parks directly across the road from the Theatre Royal, in the IGA supermarket car park.

Castlemaine Taxis has a taxi with a wheelchair lift, on 131 008. The train station is three blocks from the Theatre Royal.

Yes. The bar is open from 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday, the pizza is made to order, and you can take your drink into the cinema.

Yes. Club CDoc members pay the concession price, so choose the Concession/Club CDoc ticket when you book.

It depends on the event. Each event's Humanitix page shows its refund window, and most allow refunds up to seven days before.

Visitor information

The Castlemaine Visitor Information Centre is in the Market Building at 44 Mostyn Street, open every day but Christmas. 1800 171 888.

castlemainemaldon.com.au ↗

What’s on

27 Oct
Tuesday

Spark: filmmaker meet-up

Part of Club CDoc Spark & Circle. Details to come.
Join the mailing list
24 Nov
Tuesday

Circle: round table

Part of Club CDoc Spark & Circle. Details to come.
Join the mailing list
Dec to Jun
Five meetups

Club CDoc Social

At a venue in Castlemaine. We post each location on our socials.
About Club CDoc

See all events →