Castlemaine, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Castlemaine grew out of one of the richest alluvial goldfields of the 1851 Victorian gold rush, when the Mount Alexander diggings drew tens of thousands of hopefuls almost overnight. The district is the country of the Dja Dja Wurrung, or Jaara, people. The town is said to have been named after Viscount Castlemaine by an early goldfields commissioner, and its sudden wealth left a legacy of handsome public buildings, including the Theatre Royal and the old Market Hall. Today Castlemaine is known as an arts town, home to the biennial State Festival, the historic Buda house and garden, and a lively scene of galleries, makers and cafes set among its goldfields-era streetscapes.
Around the national middle
Castlemaine is more socio-economically advantaged than about 46% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 980, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Castlemaine at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,506
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $1,106
- SEIFA score
- 980
- Coordinates
- -37.0601, 144.2165
Castlemaine demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Castlemaine using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 32%, 23% of homes are rented, and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 949 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 511 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,615 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,018 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,417 | 32% |
Share of the 7,510 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,545 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 779 | 25% |
| Rented | 739 | 23% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,928 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 213 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,168 occupied private dwellings in Castlemaine.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,362
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,633
- Median weekly personal income
- $668
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,081 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 300 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 110 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,333 (52%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,277
- Employed part-time
- 1,338
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Castlemaine
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Castlemaine is January (average daytime high around 29.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.6°C). The area receives roughly 637 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.9°C | 16.6°C | 41 mm |
| Feb | 28.5°C | 15.7°C | 20 mm |
| Mar | 25.8°C | 14.6°C | 40 mm |
| Apr | 20.9°C | 11.6°C | 55 mm |
| May | 16.1°C | 8.9°C | 62 mm |
| Jun | 13.3°C | 7°C | 64 mm |
| Jul | 12.6°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 6.2°C | 63 mm |
| Sep | 16.5°C | 7.7°C | 59 mm |
| Oct | 20.6°C | 9.7°C | 72 mm |
| Nov | 23.5°C | 11.8°C | 56 mm |
| Dec | 27.1°C | 14.2°C | 46 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Castlemaine
Where is Castlemaine?
Castlemaine is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Castlemaine?
At the 2021 Census, Castlemaine had a population of about 7,506.
Is Castlemaine an advantaged area?
Castlemaine has an ABS SEIFA score of 980, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 46 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 46% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Castlemaine?
Castlemaine has average daytime highs of about 20.7°C and overnight lows of about 10.9°C, with roughly 637 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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