 |
| Castlemaine's Old Fire Brigade Station |
Back in March we took a little weekend away to Castlemaine. It was a bit of an impromptu trip - no special occasion or long weekend or anything like that. We actually just read a travel feature on Castlemaine in Delicious magazine, and thought it looked like a cool spot for a visit. So we did! There were heaps of cute cafes, markets and shops. We ate, we drank, we poked around some antique shops and just had a generally chill weekend. It was one of the last warm weekends of the year, and it was so lovely!
Here are some highlights from the trip:
- Under a Peppercorn Tree - We stayed at this super cute little B&B about 5 minutes out of the centre of town. Totally instagrammable.
 |
| Under A Peppercorn Tree |
 |
| Under a Peppercorn Tree |
 |
| Under a Peppercorn Tree |
- Cafe re-Public & Eating Depot (26 Templeton St, Castlemaine VIC 3450) - We had dinner here on our first night, a casual restaurant in the old fire depot. I enjoyed my chicken schnitzel, mint and radicchio coleslaw and fries. They do breakfasts and lunches too!
 |
| Cafe Re-Public & Eating Depot |
 |
| Crumbed chicken schnitzel, mint and radicchio ‘slaw, fries - $26 |
- Johnny Baker (Rear 359 Barker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450) - This bakery churns out coffee, pastries, cakes, pies and more throughout the day, and have a drive-through retail shop. We came here for breakfast and whilst everything we tried was good, I can highly recommend the escargot!
 |
| Johnny Baker |
 |
| Our breakfast at Johnny Baker! |
- The Mill (1/9 Walker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450) - The site that was historically the Castlemaine Woollen Mill has been redeveloped into a culinary and vintage precinct, housing a beer brewer, coffee roastery and cafe, ice-creamery and a vintage bazaar. Def worth a visit.
 |
| The Mill, Castlemaine |
- Das Kaffeehaus - Located within The Mill is the main reason I wanted to visit Castlemaine: Das Kaffeehaus, a Viennese-style coffee shop and cafe, with chandeliers, leather seats, and traditional Kaffeehaus fare. It was proper, taking me back to my youthful travels in Vienna! We loved it and came here twice. It's gonna get its own blogpost!
 |
| Das Kaffeehaus |
 |
| Vienna Coffee / Wiener Melange |
- Ice Cream Social - Again, located in The Mill (and with an ice-cream truck that visits the local markets, or even your own party if you're a total baller), these guys make delicious artisanal ice-cream and gelato. Special shout out for the gorgeous strawberry and basil! They even do a "tiny" $3 scoop, which just perrrrfect because I'm indecisive and like to try lots of different flavours.
 |
| Ice-Cream Social, at The Mill |
 |
| Left: Peanut Butter Fudge; Right: Mango Coconut |
 |
| Ice-Cream Social Truck |
 |
| Strawberry and Basil |
- Antiquing - I'm not usually the type of person for whom "antique" is a verb, but there are lots of antique shops in Castlemaine that are well worth a visit. We particularly enjoyed the Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar in The Mill, Restorer's Barn (129-133 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450)and the huge XXXX Antique Complex (1-5 Elizabeth St, Castlemaine VIC 3450).
 |
| The Castlemaine Bazaar, The Mill |
 |
| The Restorer's Barn |
 |
| The Restorer's Barn |
- The Tender Chook (66 Hargraves St, Castlemaine VIC 3450) - Ok, so we had a big list of potential dinner places to visit on our second night, but we were so tired from being out and about all day that we decided to get takeaway and eat it in the B&B with a bottle of wine. The Tender Chook had great online reviews and the chicken and chips were delicious! Good choice - go us!
 |
| The Tender Chook |
 |
| The Glamorous Life |
- Farmers Market / Castlemaine Artist's Market - Our trip coincided with the first Sunday of the month, so we got to visit the Castlemaine Farmers Market and Artist's Market (both right next to each other). Lots of great stalls here! We bought heaps of fruits and vegetables to bring home with us.
 |
| Cheryl's Chook Heaven |
 |
| Coffee! |
 |
| Coffee and chopped apple and currant donut - my breakfast! |
 |
| Donut Disturb |
 |
| Cakes at Peddling Pastry |
 |
| Marinated Mushrooms |
 |
| Vegetables |
 |
| Zucchini |
- The Little Red Apple (8795 Midland Hwy, Barkers Creek VIC 3451) - Castlemaine is close to Harcourt Apples (makers of the delicious juices and ciders), and they've got a great little roadside shop selling locally grown fruit and veg, and of course, their cider and apple juices. We stocked up on fresh vegetables and juice to bring home. (I didn't take any photos in the shop itself, but FYI this is what the Harcourt sparkling apple juice bottle looks like).
 |
| Harcourt Sparkling Apple Juice (At Cafe Re-Public and Eating Depot) |
Thanks Castlemaine, it was grand!
Posts
2 comments
What great finds! All I know about Castlemaine is hams (they have hams right?).
ReplyDeleteGood work! You really hit all the highlights, and I'm glad it was market weekend when you were there. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about Das Kaffeehaus.
ReplyDelete