art gallery, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia

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Castlemaine Art Museum

Top choice in Victoria

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Housed in a superb art deco building, this gallery (established in 1913) features colonial and contemporary Australian art, including works by such well-known artists as Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton, Russell Drysdale, Fred Williams and Sidney Nolan. There are guided tours on Saturday. A basement museum provides insights into Aboriginal and colonial history, with period costumes, porcelain, silverware and gold-mining relics. The gallery was set to close in 2017, but an anonymous donor chipped in $250,000 to save the day.

Come also for the series of contemporary exhibitions.

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Nearby Victoria attractions

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Combined with the artists' market across the road, and with stalls selling fresh produce, food and coffee, this is the place to be if you're in town at…

2. Old Castlemaine Market

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The magnificent old market occupies a building with a classical Roman-basilica facade, topped with a statue of Ceres, Roman goddess of the harvest. The…

3. Castlemaine Artists' Market

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Held in conjunction with the farmers market, this art market on the footy oval has a convivial community atmosphere, with craft stalls, live bands and…

4. Old Castlemaine Gaol

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5. Old Courthouse

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The original courthouse is a simple brick structure dating to 1851. It's Castlemaine's oldest building and one of the earliest public buildings from the…

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For a good view over town, head up to the Burke and Wills Monument on Wills St, completed in 1863. Robert O’Hara Burke was a police superintendent in…