Castlemaine, city, Victoria State, south-east Australia. Situated in southern Victoria about 100 km (62 mi) north-west of Melbourne, Castlemaine was the scene of one of Australia's earliest gold rushes. Gold was discovered in Specimen Valley in 1851 and 30,000 diggers flocked in. The bounty, however, was short lived; the gold was exhausted by the 1880s. Light industry and the market trade from the surrounding dairying, and fruit and vegetable growing area are the basis of Castlemaine's contemporary economy. The city has an art gallery and botanical gardens. The architecture of Castlemaine is unusual. Its market hall (built 1861) is a replica of a Greek temple. Population (1984 estimate) 7,000.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Castlemaine Information info
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