• Cycling & Bushwalking

Castlemaine is surrounded by nature. What better way to absorb the wonder of this region than by taking a bushwalk or jumping on a bike. There are many wonderful walking and cycling tracks in each of the State and National Parks but the most popular is certainly The Goldfields Track.

The Goldfields Track, which runs between Bendigo and Ballarat via Daylesford, traverses 210km through a wide variety of walking terrain and offers spectacular views and historical relics. It runs through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and there are several entry and exit points at places like Mount Alexander, Chewton, Fryerstown and Vaughan, allowing you to break it down into shorter sections.

The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park itself harbours fascinating tales of the golden past and retains much of its gold-rush character. From the evocative remains of house sites and puddling machines, to the gold mines and gullies that yielded up fortunes. In addition to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, the area supports many forests, historic reserves, flora and fauna reserves and gardens. The townships of Castlemaine, Maldon, Taradale and Newstead all have networks of established walking tracks. Mount Alexander Regional Park, Vaughan Mineral Springs Reserve and the Maldon Historic Reserve are just some of the highlights for walkers.

For mountain biking, there is the La Larr Ba Gauwa Park in Harcourt. It includes 34 kilometres of mountain bike trails that take advantage of the area's stunning views and unique rock features. The Park has 11 trails that cater to riders of all abilities from beginner to advanced.

Bike hire is available from Giant Castlemaine store PH 03 5470 5868