 | Castlemaine Things To Do | Tips 1 - 5 of 5 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (5) And here is a better view of the arched entryway, from the inside looking out to another historic building across the street. Leave a Comment Directions: centre of town, signposted with a big blue sign with yellow "i"
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Inside the former market hall, the style is in the form of a Roman Basilica, with masonry arches to define the stall spaces. The market stalls were located in the side halls. Many local materials were used in construction of the buildings, including local sandstone in the base.
The building was also used for many public occasions as well as the market.
In the 1940's, attempts were made to have the building demolished to use the land for other purposes, but with the aid of community support, it managed to remain, though in the late 1960's it was closed due to bad repair. The National Trust began to manage the building in 1969 and fundraising and local action ensured the building still had a future.
In 1995 the State Government provided $2.5 million to restore th building and the Market Square precinct. Now it is also an Interpretive centre where you can see many interesting displays about the early gold years and history, and the centre portion running the length of the building displays a range of art which is also for sale. Leave a Comment
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The former Gaol of Castlemaine is now one of its main tourist attractions.
The other week I went there for the first time 'on tour' with a group of us volunteers from Daylesford Visitor Information Centre.
You can tour the grounds and explore the rooms (somewhat refurbished) and see other rooms which haven't been altered at all, such as hosing down rooms for the prisoners.
Now, besides a tourist attraction, it has a bar and restaurant on the lower cellar level (with French chefs I'm told) and hosts weekends for groups, including Murder Mystery nights, etc. Individuals can also stay in the cells (most of which are windowless (unless you count a window the size of a shoe box at the top) but it's much more expensive overall than getting a bed and breakfast all inclusive package. Leave a Comment
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on December 15, 2003
Castlemaine
