Castlemaine, Victoria
Overview
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in the Goldfields region of Victoria
Goldfields region of Victoria
The Goldfields region of Victoria is a region commonly used but typically defined in both historical geography and tourism geography .-Description:...
about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The population at the 2006 Census was 6,797.
It was named by chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine
William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine
William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine, PC was an Irish MP and supporter of Union with Great Britain....
.
Castlemaine began as a gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
in 1851, it has since become a major regional centre known for its industrial and cultural institutions including the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, the Theatre Royal.
The first European settlers named it Forrest Creek and as the population grew it became known as Mount Alexander.
The old name is still present in some place names in Victoria including the Shire of Mount Alexander and the former main road leading to it from Melbourne - Mount Alexander Road and several local institutions such the hospital and sports clubs.
In 1854, Chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W.
