Detours en route to Bendigo: Kyneton and Castlemaine
There are some people who aim for the ‘journey’ part of a travel experience to be the shortest distance between point A & point B. They take direct flights, express trains and hydrofoils. There are others who like more of a meander, and turn the journey into part of the experience.
If you read my last post, you may be raring to head on up the Calder Freeway from Melbourne straight to Bendigo. However, if you stick on the Freeway, you’ll be missing quite a few gems of towns along the way that are worth a detour en route to Bendigo. We chose to swing off the fast-track for the towns of Kyneton and Castlemaine.
Kyneton
When our craving for caffeine overtook us, we exited at Kyneton which is 85 km from Melbourne. It’s been years since I was last in Kyneton and I was very impressed with what we found.
The town has a very historic atmosphere, with many examples of bluestone buildings – both public buildings (town hall, railway station, churches) and private homes. Bluestone is a distinctive blue/grey basalt rock that was mined nearby.
For coffee in Kyneton: St Beans Provedore
This was a recommendation from a Kyneton artist we were visiting, and was an excellent choice. It’s a small cafe, but with a lovely warm atmosphere, and an usual striped ceiling. A display cabinet made of old wooden boxes lines one wall and is filled with gourmet pantry items – perfect if you were staying in self-catering accommodation for the weekend. The coffee was great too!
Shop: The Stockroom, Kyneton
Just along Piper Street from the cafe was Stockroom – a cavernous space (which was the old co-operative butter factory) filled with an amazing range of products including jewellery, ceramics, homewares and fashion. There’s also a selection of vintage and industrial furniture and collectables, and contemporary artworks, plus a gorgeous coffee bar. I was particularly taken with the letter light boxes. I have no idea where I’d put one, or what I’d do with it – but I love the idea of one. We spent ages in Stockroom perusing the wares, and found a couple of homeware items we’ve been trying to track down for a special gift, so gleefully purchased those there.
Castlemaine
Castlemaine is another Victorian town that owes the grandeur of its buildings to the gold rush. We followed the backroads from Kyneton onto Castlemaine for lunch, before getting back onto the Calder Freeway to continue to Bendigo.
Eat: Saffs Cafe, Castlemaine
64 Mostyn St, Castlemaine Ph: (03) 5470 6722
Saff’s was an extremely popular place at lunchtime – there was barely a table left. I suspect we caught them at an unusually busy time as service was a tad slow. I was ravenous by the time we got there, and the delay was so long, I was ready to eat my arm off. Once the food arrived though, it was tasty. Lots of all day breakfast and burger options on the menu, and BLTs of various descriptions, including a BLEAT (bacon, lettuce, egg, avocado and tomato.)
See: Public art, Castlemaine
Wandering along Mostyn Street after lunch we came across this marble public art piece which is entitled, ‘At Ease’ and is by local artist, Kirsty Hulm. It is part of the Mount Alexander Shire’s Intercept Temporary Public Art Project and there are a number of other works around Castlemaine.
Brief visits to two great towns, but it’s given us a taste of what we’d like to return to see.
How do you prefer to travel – a quick, direct journey or one with detours?
