Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
The Mount Alexander diggings of 1851, Australia's first national heritage park. More than 1,300 recorded old workings, and prospecting in the designated areas.
Land
National heritage park (designated prospecting areas)
Nearest town
Castlemaine
Distance
South of town
Old workings inside
1,363
Photo: Mattinbgn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Location
Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is near the Castlemaine region
Fossicking Area Boundary
Official declared boundary from the NT Government. You may only fossick within this area.
Boundary coordinates from NT Government gazettal
Can you prospect here?
- !Prospecting is allowed only in the designated areas shown on the Parks Victoria map. Much of the park is closed because of its heritage value.
- !Don't disturb heritage sites: water races, stone ruins and old structures are protected under the Heritage Act.
Parks Victoria prospecting areas map (PDF)
Banned waterways here: Loddon River. Victoria bans prospecting in these rivers and creeks. Full list.
Mining and exploration licences can sit over any of this ground. On the Dig Here map, turn on Land tenure and Current leases and tap the spot: you get a straight YES or NO, and the titles update every Sunday.
History
Gold was found at Forest Creek, near Chewton, in 1851, and the Mount Alexander diggings became one of the richest shallow alluvial goldfields ever worked. Tens of thousands of diggers turned the valleys over.
The park protects what they left behind: sluiced gullies, puddling machines, water races, Chinese sites and the Garfield water wheel at Chewton.
Where to look
Inside the designated areas only. The ground was worked over many times, so detector users look for what was missed in the old mullock and around the sluiced gullies.
Getting there
Around Castlemaine, Chewton, Fryerstown and Vaughan, about 40 km south of Bendigo.
Camping
There are campgrounds at Vaughan Springs and Warburtons Bridge. Check with Parks Victoria (13 1963).
See Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on the map
Old workings, flow direction on every creek, mining titles and a YES or NO for any spot.
Open the mapMore in Castlemaine and Maryborough
Rules: Resources Victoria and Parks Victoria, checked 6 Nov 2026. Boundaries: DEECA Public Land and Parks. Always check before you go.