Campbells Creek

A small goldfield town, Campbells Creek lies on the southern fringe of neighbouring Castlemaine. Gold was discovered in 1851 and within two years 3,000 miners were living in a shantytown stretching along Campbell Creek - a makeshift village served by the obligatory chain of hotels, a brewery, a couple of churches and a chapel school.

Today a virtual suburb of Castlemaine, the village can still boast hotels, stores and churches dating back to the mid-19th century, alongside a modern community centre and a golf course.

A short drive north takes you to historic Castlemaine which was the scene of a major gold strike in 1851. Castlemaine's golden age extended into the 1860s and the town's classic buildings and galleries testify to the vast wealth generated by the local surface fields.

Architectural standout is the Buda historic home built by Hungarian silversmith Ernest Leviny in 1861. The home contains the original furniture and a collection of some of the finest examples of Leviny's exquisite craftwork.

Castlemaine also boasts a monument to ill-fated explorers Burke and Willis. Robert O'Hara Burke, in fact, served as Castlemaine's superintendent of police from 1858 to 1860.