The Mill Castlemaine

The Mill is a great place to visit whether you are a Castlemaine local or a visitor. There are a stack of great things to see and do. I have three faves that will keep me coming back. The Taproom - this is the equivalent of a cellar door for Shed Shaker Brewing. Excellent boutique beers and I must recommend the pizzas! The platters are also lovely, great for a lazy afternoon. Das Kaffeehaus is also terrific! It's the brainchild of the owners of Coffee Basics, easily the best coffee roasters in Castlemaine. Grab a bag of Tiger Mountain single origin or indeed the Das Kaffeehaus blend on your way out after lunch or brekky, they are both superb mid roast coffees to get the best espresso out of your Expobar, Breville or Gaggia - you won't get these outstanding beans outside of Central Vic to my knowledge. Now you might be put off if I told you Das Kaffeehaus was a Viennese style eatery, but don't be. There is nothing chintzy or predictable about the place. The food and drinks are all of a very high quality and the decor and atmosphere is elevated. Service has also been consistently rxcellent. No yodellers or kitch fittings you'll be glad to hear. The surprising delights on the menu are the goulash and "polish wedding". The goulash was simply superb, the balance between the paprika, garlic and other spices was perfect. Deep richly flavoured Beef and same to be said about the eggplant version that my friend had. It came with a delicious disk of dumpling served on the top. The dumpling dipped its lid to the rustic nature of the dish but also showed sophistication and ingenuity in the texture and added a sense of freshness in the use of herbs, really clever! I complimented the manager and was met with a beautiful humble response highlighting their simple approach that focused on flavour. They do usually have pretzels on the menu but are having trouble getting ingredients due to the troubles in the middle east - they left them off the menu rather than replacing them with inferior products - admirable in my opinion. Go for the goulash, come back for the excellent sausages and kraut in the Polish wedding ;), food is relatively cheap and I haven't needed to book a table yet. Lastly, go to The Mill for the Bazzarre! This is a wickedly eclectic bunch of "stalls" selling second hand and hand made goods that vary from collectable star wars figurines to antique 501s! Something for nearly everyone! Cane fishing rods, Harris Tweed, vintage tea cups, bomber jackets, Belgian Parachuter's helmets, Box Brownies, the list goes on! Each of the small areas is run independently and each of the "stall" owners each take shifts looking after the whole place on a roster. A good low cost co-op approach making things affordable for the buyer. Just one point of sale up the front where you take your amazing discoveries - not people manning each stall. This clever system allows you to wander, try on, consider, double back again for more discernment at your leisure without owners breathing down your neck (so to speak). It creates a lovely atmosphere best suited to the leisurely trash or treasure hunter who is out for a bargain or something special. All the goods are kept safe by a stack of surveillance cameras to dissuade the unscrupulous. So, The Mill... Actually one of the best "visits" in Castlemaine. I haven't even mention Long Paddock Cheese or Ice Cream Social, well, they might very well be reasons 4 and 5 to visit! Just across the road is the famous botanical gardens - so beautiful. Great venue for a picnic or a post lunch wander. Sorry for the essay, but not sorry too because you might not visit if you didn't read this. I have no commercial interest, just proud and impressed "local guide" spruiking the good oil. Come, see for yourself, let me know if you disagree! 😉

A bit of work for a disabled person to navigate around but otherwise a good visit.

The Kaffehaus was brilliant but I was blown away by the Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar and all the many stalls of vintage items. Hundreds of thousands of things to peruse or buy. I was actually relieved to reach the end of the stalls because the amount of ‘stuff’ was overwhelming!

I’d been needing some new sneakers for quite some time but I ended up buying 5 pairs of sneakers, 1 pair of work boots and a beautiful green wine glass for $265. Thanks to the ONE stall selling single glasses.

Obviously they are second hand but one pair of new shoes would have cost me the best part of that total. And these were Nike, Puma, Adidas and Fila. Absolute bargain!

For anyone looking for a vintage bargain, this place is a must to visit.

Castlemaine is a great place to hang out. The Mill Park is opposite a lake and botanical garden. You can find good shopping options, antiques, and so much more. It's easy to park. It's amazing to see so many vintage booths all in one place.

Awesome place to hang out at Castlemaine. There is a lake and a botanical garden right opposite the Mill Park. There are options for good, antique shopping and lot more. Parking is no hassle. Ample of parking available inside and outside the property. Nice and clean place to relax and eat. You might enjoy the rustic and ancient look of the property. Had a fun time. Would recommend to take detour and visit this place if you are travelling between Melbourne and Bendigo.

It a treasure trove of good stuff. So much clothing that I thought they may have a bright orange summery shirt in one of the many stalls. After a while I spotted an outstanding shirt multicolor but mainly orange! Outsize and ultra long perfect for impact and staying cool in the crazy heat to come. Always nice to browse here!

Fantastic for a scroll and lots to see food and coffee,ice cream and lots more.

I have never been here before but wow!! This place is going to take multiple visits too. Slowly check through the humongous amount of things for sale at each of the stalls inside. We spent about 2 hours here and I think I got through about 5% of what's available.
If you love second hand, op shops especially vintage and collectible items. This place is for you.
It especially has a huge amount of female clothes. So if you are a guy, this will keep your partner busy for quite some time while you go through other things.

What a great place! I shopped for vintage treasures, some of the best cheese ever, went to a very nice and fancy butcher, and there was extremely delicious ice-cream as well. Tasted some wine too (although the barman was very unfriendly towards us - must have been having a bad day!) I believe there is also coffee and bread. I.e., this place has all the essential items covered! I look forward to visiting again!

Went specifically to go to the Long Paddock because we missed it last year, and they didn't disappoint. Lovely cheeses, friendly staff, good prices. Will be back next year!!

The Mill is always a fun way to spend a few hours walking through the Mill and looking at all the unique products. Some are handmade, some are antique / retro and a lot of it is unique. There are a few nice restaurants on the premises.

Fantastic place to visit. Has a great Brewary, a specialist cheese shop, chocolate shop, butcher's and cold meats shop, a local arts shop, and a fantastic collectables shop. Plenty of free parking. Give yourself a couple of hours to explore.

Huge variety of items and pricing. Friendly staff. Nestled amongst some nice looking cafes and just across from the Botanic Gardens. It is located in the old mill which adds a tonne of character. They're doing more renos atm for more smick stuff.

Interesting selection of stalls offering vintage products. Fun place to explore on a visit to Castelmaine.

treasures galore! could spend hours upon hours here, so much to do, see, and treat yourself with.. if you want to add some cool trinkets to your collections, visit this place!!

Very interesting. There were little shops with different things & a large op shop. You could spend a long time there. There are toilets & it was an old Woolen mill, hence the chimney. Also a different food shop. Worth a visit.

So so so cool. The eclectic mix of stalls, variety and assortment of goods is excellent. A bit of this and a bit of that. A thousand treats for everyone. Loved it !!!

Extensive choices here. Antiques and old wares, a variety of artisnal food stores (much made on site) and arts.

This is a fantastic collection of vintage booths all in one big location. I found some quality second hand clothes. They also had a large selection of crockery, furniture, vinyls, toys and knick knacks. They also have change rooms so you can try clothes on before buying.

Second hand goods warehouse, coffee shops, restaurant, cheese store great for gifts.

I loved the atmosphere, the exotic menu and especially, that there are almost innumerable choices of coffee. Very enjoyable spot indeed.