Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park harbours fascinating tales of a golden past and retains much of its gold-rush character - from the evocative remains of house sites and puddling machines to the gold mines and gullies that yielded fortunes. Between 1851 and 1854 the Castlemaine area was the world's richest shallow alluvial goldfield and home to tens of thousands of migrant gold seekers. The park is Australia's first National Heritage Park, declared in October 2002, part of the Box-Ironbark Parks and Reserves network.
Things to do and see
Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is popular for bushwalking, scenic drives, cycling, picnics, exploring the mining relics and gold prospecting. Picnic facilities are located at Kalimna, Vaughan Springs, Garfield Waterwheel, Spring Gully Junction and Eureka Reef. Vaughan Springs also has toilets and mineral springs. Camping is available at Vaughan Springs, Warburtons Bridge and Chokem Flat Campgrounds. The Castlemaine Visitor Information Centre provides an excellent introduction to the history and heritage of the park.
The gold rush
Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park lies at the heart of the central Victorian goldfields. The park is a rare place where you can see authentic traces of the great Victorian gold rushes of the 1850s. Sites and relics harbour secrets and tell stories about how life really was on the diggings. Despite the widespread impact of gold mining, the park contains many significant Aboriginal sites. The park lies within the country of Jaara people. The discovery of gold in July 1851 lured tens of thousands of migrants. By 1852, the population on the Castlemaine Diggings was 40-60,000. When the diggers arrived they entered a forest of towering ironbarks, with trunks commonly over a metre in diameter. The diggers uprooted the country, giving the place the appearance, as one newcomer remarked, of 'a great cemetery in which all the graves had been opened and emptied of their contents'. Almost every gully, flat and hill in the park was named in the gold rush. Many of the names offer insights into the ethnic and regional backgrounds of the gold seekers.
Source: Parks Victoria's Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park Visitors Guide
Map of the Castlemaine Mining District which shows historical features in superb detail, including mining divisions, reefs, gullies, and gold workings. Mining Department, Melbourne, 1860. High quality, durable A1 print in a satin finish. Large, 594 x 891 mm. Go to online shop.
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