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132-509: Castlemaine Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 202 Barker Street, Castlemaine , Victoria , Australia. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 8 November 2011. A post office was originally established at Castlemaine (formerly Mt Alexander) in 1848, with a telegraph office opening in 1857. Following the prosperity of the gold rush, however, a new complex of public buildings

264-420: A completely crystalline rock. Granitic rocks mainly consist of feldspar , quartz , mica , and amphibole minerals , which form an interlocking, somewhat equigranular matrix of feldspar and quartz with scattered darker biotite mica and amphibole (often hornblende ) peppering the lighter color minerals. Occasionally some individual crystals ( phenocrysts ) are larger than the groundmass , in which case

396-400: A saw-tooth roof above suspended ceilings. A "jazz" style frieze decorates the parapet, front wall and tympanum over the central front door, itself recessed behind ornate wrought-iron grille gates above which is a bas-relief in artificial stone by Orlando H. Dutton . Extensions were made at the rear in 1960, 1973, 1987 and 2000. The Castlemaine Market building at 44 Mostyn Street, facing

528-449: A tuscan portico, round headed entrance and roundels. The pediment , simply decorated with a rising sun motif, bears a statue of Ceres , the goddess of agriculture, between two towers with cupola crowns. A clerestory lights the interior from above deep side wings which are 'arcaded' and capped by a cornice. A landmark in the historic townscape, exemplifying the period when the temporary town became permanently established, it now serves as

660-563: A basaltic magma to a granitic magma, but the quantities produced are small. For example, granitic rock makes up just 4% of the exposures in the South Sandwich Islands . In continental arc settings, granitic rocks are the most common plutonic rocks, and batholiths composed of these rock types extend the entire length of the arc. There are no indication of magma chambers where basaltic magmas differentiate into granites, or of cumulates produced by mafic crystals settling out of

792-580: A central clock tower, five arched bays and strongly contrasting colouration. This structure replaced a wooden post office which was built on this same spot in 1859 when the service was transferred from the gold commissioner's camp. Over the road is the Cumberland Hotel (1884). At 25 Lyttleton Street is the Castlemaine Town Hall, a design submitted by Wilkinson and Permewan successfully for a 1898 competition, and repeated by them in

924-603: A clash in 1996 with the October Melbourne Festival instituted by then state premier Jeff Kennett . He compensated in part for its consequent losses with a grant of $ 41,800. Subsequently, it is now usually held in late March. It offers visual and performing arts and attracts internationally and nationally renowned performers, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra . See Castlemaine Art Museum The Theatre Royal claims to be

1056-520: A diapir it would expend far too much energy in heating wall rocks, thus cooling and solidifying before reaching higher levels within the crust. Fracture propagation is the mechanism preferred by many geologists as it largely eliminates the major problems of moving a huge mass of magma through cold brittle crust. Magma rises instead in small channels along self-propagating dykes which form along new or pre-existing fracture or fault systems and networks of active shear zones. As these narrow conduits open,

1188-517: A few (known as leucogranites ) contain almost no dark minerals. Granite is nearly always massive (lacking any internal structures), hard (falling between 6 and 7 on the Mohs hardness scale) , and tough. These properties have made granite a widespread construction stone throughout human history. The word "granite" comes from the Latin granum , a grain, in reference to the coarse-grained structure of such

1320-610: A granite that is derived from partial melting of metasedimentary rocks may have more alkali feldspar, whereas a granite derived from partial melting of metaigneous rocks may be richer in plagioclase. It is on this basis that the modern "alphabet" classification schemes are based. The letter-based Chappell & White classification system was proposed initially to divide granites into I-type (igneous source) granite and S-type (sedimentary sources). Both types are produced by partial melting of crustal rocks, either metaigneous rocks or metasedimentary rocks. I-type granites are characterized by

1452-565: A high content of sodium and calcium, and by a strontium isotope ratio, Sr/ Sr, of less than 0.708. Sr is produced by radioactive decay of Rb, and since rubidium is concentrated in the crust relative to the mantle, a low ratio suggests origin in the mantle. The elevated sodium and calcium favor crystallization of hornblende rather than biotite. I-type granites are known for their porphyry copper deposits. I-type granites are orogenic (associated with mountain building) and usually metaluminous. S-type granites are sodium-poor and aluminum-rich. As

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1584-437: A historic public building. The building is also significant for its association with the work of the enduring Public Works Department architect, J J Clark, and is regarded as one of his most successful designs. The curtilage includes the title block/allotment of the property. The significant components of Castlemaine Post Office include the main postal building of 1874–5, clock and bell. [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article

1716-824: A much higher proportion of clay with the Cecil soil series a prime example of the consequent Ultisol great soil group. Granite is a natural source of radiation , like most natural stones. Potassium-40 is a radioactive isotope of weak emission, and a constituent of alkali feldspar , which in turn is a common component of granitic rocks, more abundant in alkali feldspar granite and syenites . Some granites contain around 10 to 20 parts per million (ppm) of uranium . By contrast, more mafic rocks, such as tonalite, gabbro and diorite , have 1 to 5 ppm uranium, and limestones and sedimentary rocks usually have equally low amounts. Many large granite plutons are sources for palaeochannel -hosted or roll front uranium ore deposits , where

1848-412: A number of other secondary industries sprang up. These included breweries, iron foundries and a woollen mill. Thompson's Foundry (now trading as Flowserve ) was one of Castlemaine's largest employers. From the 1970s the industries that had dominated employment in the town for a century began to decline, with many factories closing and others such as Thompson's Foundry significantly downsizing. This led to

1980-439: A number of the original ceilings have been replaced with plasterboard due to crazing of the original lathe and plaster. In some areas, particularly throughout the delivery and sorting areas, there are high levels of mechanical damage to the original rendered skirting boards and timber joinery. Few of the original fittings and furniture remain although original fire surrounds, timber-framed windows and panel doors were evident, as were

2112-536: A peculiar mineralogy and geochemistry, with particularly high silicon and potassium at the expense of calcium and magnesium and a high content of high field strength cations (cations with a small radius and high electrical charge, such as zirconium , niobium , tantalum , and rare earth elements .) They are not orogenic, forming instead over hot spots and continental rifting, and are metaluminous to mildly peralkaline and iron-rich. These granites are produced by partial melting of refractory lithology such as granulites in

2244-429: A possibly original rusticated rendered brick fence with Harcourt granite piers . Matching piers are located either side of the western driveway . Castlemaine Post Office is a two-storey building of rendered brick construction with a hipped slate-tiled roof, galvanised iron ridge-capping and a centrally-placed clock tower in four stages with a balustrade parapet and flagpole, facing Barker Street. Compositionally,

2376-401: A principal gold mining centre during the 1870s Castlemaine Post Office combines an uncommon multiplicity of functions, limited to the largest of regional post offices in each state. Despite refurbishment and a small number of alterations, the original intent of the design is clearly legible in plan form which, atypically, is particularly pronounced both internally and externally. Of further note

2508-568: A range of hills, formed by the metamorphic aureole or hornfels . Granite often occurs as relatively small, less than 100 km stock masses ( stocks ) and in batholiths that are often associated with orogenic mountain ranges. Small dikes of granitic composition called aplites are often associated with the margins of granitic intrusions . In some locations, very coarse-grained pegmatite masses occur with granite. Granite forms from silica-rich ( felsic ) magmas. Felsic magmas are thought to form by addition of heat or water vapor to rock of

2640-415: A result, they contain micas such as biotite and muscovite instead of hornblende. Their strontium isotope ratio is typically greater than 0.708, suggesting a crustal origin. They also commonly contain xenoliths of metamorphosed sedimentary rock, and host tin ores. Their magmas are water-rich, and they readily solidify as the water outgasses from the magma at lower pressure, so they less commonly make it to

2772-647: A rich culture and reverence for the land. The environmental devastation caused by gold mining from the 1850s was widespread and permanent in the entire district. It extinguished many native plant and animal species in the area, and decimated and displaced the Dja Dja Wurrung, for whom quartz was of value but not the soft gold it contained, and who regarded the resulting destruction as having turned their land into 'upside-down country.' Their vital water sources included non-perennial creeks and associated underground springs. Mining spread contaminants and destroyed

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2904-412: A sorting and receiving room and the telegraph room, mail room and letter carrier room into the public space. At the time of construction, the building was described as "the public offices were second to none outside Melbourne for architecture and compactness". A glazed timber-framed screen was constructed in lieu of the original solid wall on the northern side of the front entrance perch, possibly around

3036-471: A thermal fanlight . The Lyttleton Street elevation is punctuated at its basement level by five arched entries to a loggia , recalling the five arches on Clark's Melbourne Treasury. The southernmost bay of the arcade has since been incorporated into the public space at the southeast corner of the building. This is the larger of two trailing wings, similarly detailed, that return to flank the central courtyard. These wings discard their rustication just inside

3168-466: Is grus , which is often made up of coarse-grained fragments of disintegrated granite. Climatic variations also influence the weathering rate of granites. For about two thousand years, the relief engravings on Cleopatra's Needle obelisk had survived the arid conditions of its origin before its transfer to London. Within two hundred years, the red granite has drastically deteriorated in the damp and polluted air there. Soil development on granite reflects

3300-545: Is microgranite . The extrusive igneous rock equivalent of granite is rhyolite . Granitic rock is widely distributed throughout the continental crust . Much of it was intruded during the Precambrian age; it is the most abundant basement rock that underlies the relatively thin sedimentary veneer of the continents. Outcrops of granite tend to form tors , domes or bornhardts , and rounded massifs . Granites sometimes occur in circular depressions surrounded by

3432-517: Is 3–6·10 Pa·s. The melting temperature of dry granite at ambient pressure is 1215–1260 °C (2219–2300 °F); it is strongly reduced in the presence of water, down to 650 °C at a few hundred megapascals of pressure. Granite has poor primary permeability overall, but strong secondary permeability through cracks and fractures if they are present. A worldwide average of the chemical composition of granite, by weight percent, based on 2485 analyses: The medium-grained equivalent of granite

3564-528: Is also their work), is rare in a building of the early 1860s. The iron crested mansard attic storey, elaborate detailing of both the corner chimneys, and pedimented dormer windows of the street and side elevations make the Imperial Hotel historically significant as one of the more distinctive hotel buildings in Victoria and a critical component in an important historic townscape. On 17 November 1983

3696-410: Is an excess of aluminum beyond what can be taken up in feldspars (Al 2 O 3 > CaO + K 2 O + Na 2 O) are described as peraluminous , and they contain aluminum-rich minerals such as muscovite . The average density of granite is between 2.65 and 2.75 g/cm (165 and 172 lb/cu ft), its compressive strength usually lies above 200 MPa (29,000 psi), and its viscosity near STP

3828-637: Is believed to have a mass of around 81 tonnes. It was the tallest temple in south India. Imperial Roman granite was quarried mainly in Egypt, and also in Turkey, and on the islands of Elba and Giglio . Granite became "an integral part of the Roman language of monumental architecture". The quarrying ceased around the third century AD. Beginning in Late Antiquity the granite was reused, which since at least

3960-434: Is called a binary or two-mica granite. Two-mica granites are typically high in potassium and low in plagioclase, and are usually S-type granites or A-type granites, as described below . Another aspect of granite classification is the ratios of metals that potentially form feldspars. Most granites have a composition such that almost all their aluminum and alkali metals (sodium and potassium) are combined as feldspar. This

4092-689: Is centred around Harcourt. The Coliban Ward covers the villages of Chewton, Elphinstone and Taradale. In state politics , Castlemaine is located in the Legislative Assembly districts of Bendigo West currently held by the Australian Labor Party . In federal politics , Castlemaine is located in a single House of Representatives division – the Division of Bendigo . The Division of Bendigo has been an Australian Labor Party seat since 1998. Castlemaine's largest industry

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4224-626: Is in manufacturing, particularly food manufacturing. The biggest employer is KR Castlemaine (formerly the Castlemaine Bacon Company, established 1905), producing smallgoods with over 900 employees. Cultural and heritage tourism is another large industry in Castlemaine, with the historic art gallery being a major drawcard. Castlemaine has joined the likes of nearby Daylesford with gaining tourism from Melbourne, offering an array of local cafes and bars which have increased

4356-433: Is limited by the amount of thermal energy available, which must be replenished by crystallization of higher-melting minerals in the magma. Thus, the magma is melting crustal rock at its roof while simultaneously crystallizing at its base. This results in steady contamination with crustal material as the magma rises. This may not be evident in the major and minor element chemistry, since the minerals most likely to crystallize at

4488-564: Is located at 149 Pyrenees Highway, Castlemaine, and has over 70 stalls selling a range of merchandise, local products and farmers' products. The old wooden mill beside Barkers Creek opposite the Botanical Gardens was at one stage a carpet factory As a gold rush town, Castlemaine attracted migrants from all over the world. So in addition to 'established' churches such as the Anglicans, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics, arrivals in

4620-484: Is marked by four piers rising from a dentilled cornice as the fourth level steps inward, and these are topped with swagged urns on pedestals . The elevations comprise a rusticated basement with arched windows and accentuated voussoirs , and a piano nobile with arched windows and flat-pedimented, balustraded aedicules. These aedicules are astylar with elongated consoles supporting their cornices; immediately below these cornices are supporting friezes corbelled out from

4752-451: Is now simply the largest town in the Shire. The Theatre Royal opened in 1856 to provide entertainment for the gold diggers , with a notable performance being provided by the world-renowned Lola Montes and her celebrated Spider Dance. It remains mainland Australia's oldest continuously operating theatre. In 1859, the historic Castlemaine Football Club was established. Evidence makes it

4884-427: Is pavilion-planned. Dutch-Flemish architecture inspires the gabling of the projecting wings, the verticality of the windows and the superimposed post-and-lintel system with Tuscan and composite capitals, while the panelling and representation of fans to the side of the lower windows is unusual. Two storeys of pedimented porticos stacked in top of each other form the central element with a 'broken' upper pediment, while

5016-404: Is permeated by sheets and channels of light granitic rock (the leucosome ). The leucosome is interpreted as partial melt of a parent rock that has begun to separate from the remaining solid residue (the melanosome). If enough partial melt is produced, it will separate from the source rock, become more highly evolved through fractional crystallization during its ascent toward the surface, and become

5148-454: Is relieved when overlying material is removed by erosion or other processes. Chemical weathering of granite occurs when dilute carbonic acid , and other acids present in rain and soil waters, alter feldspar in a process called hydrolysis . As demonstrated in the following reaction, this causes potassium feldspar to form kaolinite , with potassium ions, bicarbonate, and silica in solution as byproducts. An end product of granite weathering

5280-411: Is some concern that some granite sold as countertops or building material may be hazardous to health. Dan Steck of St. Johns University has stated that approximately 5% of all granite is of concern, with the caveat that only a tiny percentage of the tens of thousands of granite slab types have been tested. Resources from national geological survey organizations are accessible online to assist in assessing

5412-479: Is that magma will rise through the crust as a single mass through buoyancy . As it rises, it heats the wall rocks , causing them to behave as a power-law fluid and thus flow around the intrusion allowing it to pass without major heat loss. This is entirely feasible in the warm, ductile lower crust where rocks are easily deformed, but runs into problems in the upper crust which is far colder and more brittle. Rocks there do not deform so easily: for magma to rise as

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5544-410: Is the case when K 2 O + Na 2 O + CaO > Al 2 O 3 > K 2 O + Na 2 O. Such granites are described as normal or metaluminous . Granites in which there is not enough aluminum to combine with all the alkali oxides as feldspar (Al 2 O 3 < K 2 O + Na 2 O) are described as peralkaline , and they contain unusual sodium amphiboles such as riebeckite . Granites in which there

5676-753: Is the first of its kind in Australia. It embraces gold rush relics and bushland. Home to rare and threatened species of both flora and fauna it offers opportunities for bush walking, bird watching, wildlife monitoring and study while providing a bush setting for the township. Housed in an historic building, the Mechanics Institute at 212 Barker Street in which it was established in 1857, the Castlemaine Library held 4,781 volumes in 1877, and since 1996 has expanded its services and offerings and access to 222,931 items (in 2021–22) as part of

5808-515: Is the inclusion of a centrally located clocktower, imbuing the design with an uncommon, strongly symmetrical language. Typologically, Castlemaine Post Office is an example of a large regional post and telegraph office with quarters combined with government offices. The separate components are fully integrated within the overall composition, but clearly demarcated within the internal planning, still largely (and unusually) evident. The building demonstrates principal functional and aesthetic characteristics of

5940-459: Is typically orthoclase or microcline and is often perthitic . The plagioclase is typically sodium-rich oligoclase . Phenocrysts are usually alkali feldspar. Granitic rocks are classified according to the QAPF diagram for coarse grained plutonic rocks and are named according to the percentage of quartz , alkali feldspar ( orthoclase , sanidine , or microcline ) and plagioclase feldspar on

6072-428: Is uncommon, is classified simply as quartz-rich granitoid or, if composed almost entirely of quartz, as quartzolite . True granites are further classified by the percentage of their total feldspar that is alkali feldspar. Granites whose feldspar is 65% to 90% alkali feldspar are syenogranites , while the feldspar in monzogranite is 35% to 65% alkali feldspar. A granite containing both muscovite and biotite micas

6204-682: The Castlemaine Art Museum at 14 Lyttleton Street was classified by the National Trust which notes its significance as "an exceptional building in its intent and execution and ... historically important as one of the earliest examples of the 'modern movement' in provincial Victoria". Despite the onset of the Depression , £3,250 was raised in only six weeks from private individuals and local companies, augmented by state government grants totallng £1,500, which together covered

6336-530: The Dja Dja Wurrung people, also known as the Jaara people. They were regarded by other tribes as being a superior people, not only because of their rich hunting grounds but because from their area came tachylite , a hard glassy volcanic stone valued for weapons and tools Early Europeans described the Dja Dja Wurrung as a strong, physically well-developed people and not belligerent. The Jaara people have

6468-552: The Goldfields region about 120 kilometres (75 miles) northwest by road from Melbourne and about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the major provincial centre of Bendigo . It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander . The population at the 2021 Census was 7,506. Castlemaine was named by the chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright, in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine . Built on

6600-568: The National Trust of Australia (Vic). Adjacent to the solicitors' offices is the library, built in 1857 as a mechanics' institute with additions in 1861, 1872 and 1893. Next to it is the Faulder Watson Hall which opened in 1895 and adjacent is the old telegraph office (1857). On the Lyttleton Street corner of Barker Street is the decorative Neoclassical post office (1873–75). It is in the form of an Italian palazzo with

6732-454: The 1940s. The whole building had been overpainted white by this time. In c. 1940s, a small infill building replaced an earlier structure within central courtyard, located between strong room and original post office mail room. The single-storey rear addition on the western side of the east wing existed by this time. The southern bay of the Lyttleton Street arcade was incorporated into the internal floor at an unknown date post-1940s, extending

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6864-571: The A-Q-P half of the diagram. True granite (according to modern petrologic convention) contains between 20% and 60% quartz by volume, with 35% to 90% of the total feldspar consisting of alkali feldspar . Granitic rocks poorer in quartz are classified as syenites or monzonites , while granitic rocks dominated by plagioclase are classified as granodiorites or tonalites . Granitic rocks with over 90% alkali feldspar are classified as alkali feldspar granites . Granitic rock with more than 60% quartz, which

6996-674: The Castlemaine Post Office on 1 January 1854.) The first official Post Office was established after "The Argus" (Melbourne) correspondent at Forest Creek had an article published in November 1851 that put the case forward for a Post Office to be established somewhere between the Forest Creek goldfield and Kyneton. At the same time (November 1851) he described the Forest Creek diggings as having many businesses such as stores and licensed hawkers and "at least 8000 persons on

7128-560: The Church of England, and the Congregational Church, and despite the town's topographical limitation to the valley of the two creeks, broad streets and grand buildings convey an atmosphere of spaciousness. Named after William Barker, the pioneer pastoralist whose run included part of the land which is now Castlemaine. The whole eastern side of Barker Street, between Templeton Street and Lyttleton Street, has been classified by

7260-476: The Eaglehawk Town Hall in 1901. Constructed by H D McBean, builder of many substantial buildings in Castlemaine, including part of the hospital and Thompson's foundry, it cost £2,000. Essentially a Queen Anne building with elements of Dutch Renaissance, its complex eclecticism is typical of the period. Constructed of face red brick and coloured cement dressings (now painted white) and a tiled roof, it

7392-615: The European Union safety standards (section 4.1.1.1 of the National Health and Engineering study) and radon emission levels well below the average outdoor radon concentrations in the US. Granite and related marble industries are considered one of the oldest industries in the world, existing as far back as Ancient Egypt . Major modern exporters of granite include China, India, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Spain and

7524-695: The North Central Goldfields Regional Library Corporation which services also the City of Greater Bendigo, Loddon Shire and Macedon Ranges Shire; an area of 12,979 square kilometres. The shire contributes a budget of around $ 500,000. The Castlemaine branch is the most subscribed of all the NCGRL branches with 53% (10,687) of the Mount Alexander Shire population holding a library card and having used

7656-424: The Shire of Mount Alexander and the former main road leading to it from Melbourne – Mount Alexander Road. Major Mitchell passed through the region in 1836. Following his discovery, the first squatters arrived in 1837 to establish vast sheep runs. In 1854, Chief goldfields commissioner, Captain W. Wright, renamed the settlement 'Castlemaine' in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine . On 20 July 1851 gold

7788-511: The United States. The Red Pyramid of Egypt ( c.  2590 BC ), named for the light crimson hue of its exposed limestone surfaces, is the third largest of Egyptian pyramids . Pyramid of Menkaure , likely dating 2510 BC, was constructed of limestone and granite blocks. The Great Pyramid of Giza (c. 2580 BC ) contains a huge granite sarcophagus fashioned of "Red Aswan Granite". The mostly ruined Black Pyramid dating from

7920-465: The aegis of William Wardell . Castlemaine Post Office is also a cohesive and well-composed design enhanced by high-quality, albeit restrained, detail and bold massing. It is one of the most prominent components in Castlemaine's historic townscape and forms a widely known landmark (Criterion e). The post office demonstrates a high degree of artistic merit, and is regarded as one of J. J. Clark's most skilled compositions and characteristically inventive. While

8052-419: The base of the chamber are the same ones that would crystallize anyway, but crustal assimilation is detectable in isotope ratios. Heat loss to the country rock means that ascent by assimilation is limited to distance similar to the height of the magma chamber. Physical weathering occurs on a large scale in the form of exfoliation joints , which are the result of granite's expanding and fracturing as pressure

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8184-418: The big difference in rheology between mafic and felsic magmas makes this process problematic in nature. Granitization is an old, and largely discounted, hypothesis that granite is formed in place through extreme metasomatism . The idea behind granitization was that fluids would supposedly bring in elements such as potassium, and remove others, such as calcium, to transform a metamorphic rock into granite. This

8316-427: The centre of Castlemaine's historic central district. The L-shaped site contains the post office complex, which is constructed to the street on both principal street elevations, behind which is the original rear yard. The western side of the yard is flanked by the later Castlemaine Telephone Exchange which has been subdivided from the original post office building. The rear yard is fenced along the Lyttleton Street side by

8448-423: The clock tower is supported on a breakfront that indicates the main front entrance which is screened by an elaborate cast iron pair of gates. Its shaft, the third (lantern vent) stage and the fourth (clock) stage, are bordered with Tuscan pilasters . The third stage vents are stilted round arches on panelled astylar pilasters with angled vanes and accentuated keystones . The transition between third and fourth stages

8580-437: The courtyard after the rustication cuts out. The roof cornice is bracketed with a dentil moulding and the chimneys are similarly bracketed with a recessed panel on each side of their stacks. A first floor loading door is placed at the centre of the north elevation, east wing, with a non-original steel gantry within its arch. The original ground floor doors, at the front and on one side elevation, are arched with sidelights and

8712-425: The courtyard entrance. Castlemaine Post Office has been unsympathetically painted in recent years, but is very largely intact and in good condition. Externally, Castlemaine Post Office's ability to demonstrate its original design is exceptionally good with regard to architectural conception, principle materials and detail despite a small number of alterations and additions. These changes have been largely confined to

8844-557: The designs of the Public Works Department of Victoria. This post office replaced a neighbouring bluestone structure of c. 1852. Symmetrical in arrangement, the stuccoed structure features an arcaded side, with clock tower (with locally cast bell) to the other facade . Smooth rustication and hoods are features. Castlemaine Post Office is located on a prominent site at the intersection of Barker and Lyttleton Streets, two principle civic, commercial and retail areas at

8976-586: The diggers. Initially they preached in tents and from tree stumps but by 1853 the first rough churches had been built. Granite Granite is typical of a larger family of granitic rocks , or granitoids , that are composed mostly of coarse-grained quartz and feldspars in varying proportions. These rocks are classified by the relative percentages of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase (the QAPF classification ), with true granite representing granitic rocks rich in quartz and alkali feldspar. Most granitic rocks also contain mica or amphibole minerals, though

9108-525: The displacement of large numbers of people, with many families leaving in search of jobs elsewhere. The area's precious goldrush history and heritage was, however, increasingly recognised, along with its notable population of arts practitioners. Substantial planning and activity helped create new industries in heritage tourism, arts tourism, nature tourism and so on. As a result, Castlemaine began to be visited – and settled – by more 'outsiders', primarily from Melbourne. Some of these more recent arrivals added to

9240-447: The district included Methodists, Baptists and Congregationalists from mining areas in provincial Britain where nonconformist churches were more popular, as well as Lutherans from continental Europe. Initially the churches in Victoria were unable to cope with huge numbers of migrants settling in areas which had been sparsely populated. However a few proactive clergymen set out for the diggings where they were assisted by lay preachers amongst

9372-404: The division between S-type (produced by underplating) and I-type (produced by injection and differentiation) granites, discussed below. The composition and origin of any magma that differentiates into granite leave certain petrological evidence as to what the granite's parental rock was. The final texture and composition of a granite are generally distinctive as to its parental rock. For instance,

9504-473: The early 16th century became known as spolia . Through the process of case-hardening , granite becomes harder with age. The technology required to make tempered metal chisels was largely forgotten during the Middle Ages. As a result, Medieval stoneworkers were forced to use saws or emery to shorten ancient columns or hack them into discs. Giorgio Vasari noted in the 16th century that granite in quarries

9636-526: The employ of Barker as shepherds and a bullock driver, immediately teamed with Peters in working the deposits by panning in Specimen Gully where the gold had been found, which they did in relative privacy during the next month. When Barker sacked them and ran them off his land for trespass, Worley, on behalf of the party "to prevent them getting in trouble", mailed a letter to The Argus (Melbourne) dated 1 September 1851 announcing this new goldfield with

9768-579: The first magma to enter solidifies and provides a form of insulation for later magma. These mechanisms can operate in tandem. For example, diapirs may continue to rise through the brittle upper crust through stoping , where the granite cracks the roof rocks, removing blocks of the overlying crust which then sink to the bottom of the diapir while the magma rises to take their place. This can occur as piecemeal stopping (stoping of small blocks of chamber roof), as cauldron subsidence (collapse of large blocks of chamber roof), or as roof foundering (complete collapse of

9900-596: The first small village was established. By the end of the year there were about 25,000 on the field. The first small village developed at Chewton, today in effect a suburb of Mount Alexander Shire, which included the Commissioner's tent, stores, an office for The Argus newspaper, and an office for the Mount Alexander goldfields' own newspaper the Daily Mail . On 28 January 1852, William Henry Wright

10032-446: The following notice: "- The Lieutenant Governor has appointed John Fletcher, Esq., J.P., to be Police Magistrate at Castlemaine; but where Castlemaine is situate[d] we cannot tell." A court house was established on what is today known as Goldsmith Crescent, Castlemaine near the new government camp. Stores were also established nearby. The first official Post Office at Castlemaine, named "Forrest Creek", opened on 1 March 1852. (Renamed

10164-552: The gaol had been built, and Castlemaine was moving from 'tent' town to bricks and mortar. Notable prominent businesswoman Fanny Finch was running a restaurant and lodging house at Forest Creek at this time. A local government was formed on 23 April 1855 and was later to become the Town of Castlemaine and in 1965 became the City of Castlemaine . However, with municipal amalgamations in the early 1990s, Castlemaine lost its 'City' status and

10296-486: The gentrification of the Victorian era town, helping to preserve its already charming country aspect and enhancing it by establishing a number of cafes and restaurants. As with much gentrification, however, consequent rising house prices placed increased economic pressure on many earlier inhabitants who sometimes struggle to continue living in the area. The town has, overall, taken on a fresh lease of life, combining some of

10428-418: The government department and further afield, which fully embodies the mid-Victorian Renaissance mode and a symmetrical composition with restrained yet bold detail. The weight and quality of the design is enhanced by its imposing siting and landmark clock tower. Architecturally, Castlemaine Post Office is an example of the enduring and highly regarded Public Works Department architect, J. J. Clark (1852-1879) under

10560-713: The grotto is a highly regarded piece of Buddhist art , and along with the temple complex to which it belongs, Seokguram was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola Dynasty in South India built the world's first temple entirely of granite in the 11th century AD in Tanjore , India . The Brihadeeswarar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built in 1010. The massive Gopuram (ornate, upper section of shrine)

10692-461: The infrastructure the indigenous people created over generations to maximise seasonal drainage patterns; channels and weirs they built out of timber stakes, to slow receding summer flows, were wrecked; water holes where the people gathered in smaller groups during periods of scarce rainfall and from which they transported water in skin bags when moving, were muddied, polluted and drained; the soaks they had dug between banks into sandy sediment to tap into

10824-442: The internal courtyard area of the building with the exception of alterations to the southern bay of the loggia, installation of private letter boxes, construction of the screen within the entrance porch and construction of the telephone exchange in the rear yard. Accretions such as later gates, paving, signage and lighting are generally superficial and reversible and have not diminished the overall integrity or level of significance of

10956-478: The lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Castlemaine began as a gold rush boomtown in 1851 and developed into a major regional centre, being officially proclaimed a City on 4 December 1965, although since declining in population. It is home to many cultural institutions including the Theatre Royal, the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia. Castlemaine colonised the traditional lands of

11088-588: The library over any two-year period. The building, administered and maintained by the shire, also houses the 231-seat Phee Broadway Theatre and a foyer exhibition space. Since 1976, Castlemaine has biennially been the home of the Castlemaine State Festival. Running for ten days, the festival is one of Victoria's most notable regional arts events. It was originally held over the Melbourne Cup period in November before it lost $ 130,000 in

11220-474: The lower crust , rather than by decompression of mantle rock, as is the case with basaltic magmas. It has also been suggested that some granites found at convergent boundaries between tectonic plates , where oceanic crust subducts below continental crust, were formed from sediments subducted with the oceanic plate. The melted sediments would have produced magma intermediate in its silica content, which became further enriched in silica as it rose through

11352-729: The lower continental crust at high thermal gradients. This leads to significant extraction of hydrous felsic melts from granulite-facies resitites. A-type granites occur in the Koettlitz Glacier Alkaline Province in the Royal Society Range, Antarctica. The rhyolites of the Yellowstone Caldera are examples of volcanic equivalents of A-type granite. M-type granite was later proposed to cover those granites that were clearly sourced from crystallized mafic magmas, generally sourced from

11484-435: The magma is inevitable once enough magma has accumulated. However, the question of precisely how such large quantities of magma are able to shove aside country rock to make room for themselves (the room problem ) is still a matter of research. Two main mechanisms are thought to be important: Of these two mechanisms, Stokes diapirism has been favoured for many years in the absence of a reasonable alternative. The basic idea

11616-426: The magma. Other processes must produce these great volumes of felsic magma. One such process is injection of basaltic magma into the lower crust, followed by differentiation, which leaves any cumulates in the mantle. Another is heating of the lower crust by underplating basaltic magma, which produces felsic magma directly from crustal rock. The two processes produce different kinds of granites, which may be reflected in

11748-408: The magmatic parent of granitic rock. The residue of the source rock becomes a granulite . The partial melting of solid rocks requires high temperatures and the addition of water or other volatiles which lower the solidus temperature (temperature at which partial melting commences) of these rocks. It was long debated whether crustal thickening in orogens (mountain belts along convergent boundaries )

11880-592: The main shopping strip, is a rare example of such buildings and, according to the Victorian National Trust, is one of the most important in the country. An 1861 design of town surveyor William Beynon Downes, it is one of the most distinctive classical revival buildings in Australia. It was classified on 11 December 1958, then acquired by the National Trust in 1967 which restored it from a dilapidated condition. Its symmetrical elevation features

12012-405: The mantle. Although the fractional crystallisation of basaltic melts can yield small amounts of granites, which are sometimes found in island arcs, such granites must occur together with large amounts of basaltic rocks. H-type granites were suggested for hybrid granites, which were hypothesized to form by mixing between mafic and felsic from different sources, such as M-type and S-type. However,

12144-415: The more desirable aspects of urban Melbourne with the charm and openness of old Castlemaine. Castlemaine is nestled in a valley. The urban area extends to several suburban areas, north toward Barkers Creek , west to McKenzie Hill , east to Moonlight Flat and Chewton and south to Campbells Creek . In local government , the Castlemaine region is covered by the Shire of Mount Alexander . The council

12276-554: The oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia. It hosts films (including several world and Australian premieres), concerts and functions. See Buda Historic Home and Garden Castlemaine also hosts a local farmers market where the finest producers of the Mount Alexander Shire region, all in one place. The market is currently held on the Western Reserve, Forest Street, Castlemaine The Wesley Hill Community Market operates every Saturday from 9a.m. to 2 p.m. It

12408-402: The original finishes in some cases. Such works include the installation of floor linings, replacement ceilings, mechanical ducting, cabinetry, lighting and over painting of timber components. Having said this, such alterations are considered to be cosmetic and essentially reversible. The original planning and operation of the place, however, remains largely unchanged and is clearly demonstrative of

12540-432: The original function despite the removal of a small number of original partition walls and the construction of some additional stud-framed partitions. Externally and internally the building appears generally to be in sound condition, and well maintained. Apart from minor cracks, the render and embellishments of the elevations are sound. Of concern, however, is the damage being caused by a large pigeon infestation. Internally,

12672-441: The overlying crust. Early fractional crystallisation serves to reduce a melt in magnesium and chromium, and enrich the melt in iron, sodium, potassium, aluminum, and silicon. Further fractionation reduces the content of iron, calcium, and titanium. This is reflected in the high content of alkali feldspar and quartz in granite. The presence of granitic rock in island arcs shows that fractional crystallization alone can convert

12804-400: The place. Where repairs or conservation works have been carried out, they have generally replaced like with like, maintaining the architectural integrity of the original. The building exterior appears to have been generally well maintained with the exception of damage caused by pigeon droppings. Internally, cumulative refurbishment works throughout the building have diminished the legibility of

12936-493: The precise location of their workings. This letter was published on 8 September 1851. "With this obscure notice, rendered still more so by the journalist as 'Western Port', were ushered to the world the inexhaustible treasures of Mount Alexander" also to become known as the Forest Creek diggings. Within a month there were about 8,000 diggers working the alluvial beds of the creeks near the present day town of Castlemaine, and particularly Forest Creek which runs through Chewton where

13068-522: The proportions are robust, the combination of solidity, gravitas and elegance typified Clark's best work and the leading work of the Victorian PWD under William Wardell. Castlemaine Post Office has been a key and prominent component of the historic townscape for over 130 years and is a widely known symbol which is identified with the town's origin and prominence in the 19th century. It has social value for its longevity of use and for its prominence as

13200-497: The region's appeal. Castlemaine is also home to the Castlemaine Rod Shop (CRS), a company known Australia-wide for its aftermarket components for Holden , Ford and many others, especially Australian-made vehicles. The Castlemaine goldfields' legendary prosperity raised expectations of Castlemaine becoming Victoria's second city. That is reflected in imposing buildings erected in the town's first few years. Though

13332-736: The reign of Amenemhat III once had a polished granite pyramidion or capstone, which is now on display in the main hall of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (see Dahshur ). Other uses in Ancient Egypt include columns , door lintels , sills , jambs , and wall and floor veneer. How the Egyptians worked the solid granite is still a matter of debate. Tool marks described by the Egyptologist Anna Serotta indicate

13464-416: The rich alluvial diggings were largely exhausted within 15–20 years causing the town's population to shrink after the 1870s, a rich legacy remains in the form of its buildings and intact nineteenth century streetscapes comprising public buildings as well as simple miners' cottages. The historic area tells the history of Castlemaine in relics of significance, including the former steam flourmill (now 'The Mill'),

13596-508: The risk factors in granite country and design rules relating, in particular, to preventing accumulation of radon gas in enclosed basements and dwellings. A study of granite countertops was done (initiated and paid for by the Marble Institute of America) in November 2008 by National Health and Engineering Inc. of USA. In this test, all of the 39 full-size granite slabs that were measured for the study showed radiation levels well below

13728-418: The rock's high quartz content and dearth of available bases, with the base-poor status predisposing the soil to acidification and podzolization in cool humid climates as the weather-resistant quartz yields much sand. Feldspars also weather slowly in cool climes, allowing sand to dominate the fine-earth fraction. In warm humid regions, the weathering of feldspar as described above is accelerated so as to allow

13860-414: The rocks often bear a close resemblance. Under these conditions, granitic melts can be produced in place through the partial melting of metamorphic rocks by extracting melt-mobile elements such as potassium and silicon into the melts but leaving others such as calcium and iron in granulite residues. This may be the origin of migmatites . A migmatite consists of dark, refractory rock (the melanosome ) that

13992-415: The roof cornice, which is punctuated with vents where the attic windows would normally be. This extends all round the courtyard. The piano nobile is separated from the basement by a cornice with scroll brackets under each of the window aedicules immediately above it, repeated ovals indented between the bracket pairings, and a frieze immediately below, distinct from the basement rustication, which runs round

14124-492: The roof of a shallow magma chamber accompanied by a caldera eruption.) There is evidence for cauldron subsidence at the Mt. Ascutney intrusion in eastern Vermont. Evidence for piecemeal stoping is found in intrusions that are rimmed with igneous breccia containing fragments of country rock. Assimilation is another mechanism of ascent, where the granite melts its way up into the crust and removes overlying material in this way. This

14256-524: The second oldest football club in Australia and one of the oldest football clubs in the world. In 1877-80 the residences numbered over 2000, and there was a population in the township of 7,500, forming an electorate in itself, within the district, the County of Talbot, of 19,000 people. Four trains ran daily to and from Melbourne with fares at 13 shillings (A$ 80 value in 2021) for First Class, and 8s. 6d. (A$ 52.70) for Second. As gold mining gradually ceased

14388-591: The southeast ground floor room and providing enlarged public space. The dates of two further changes are unknown: a steel gantry was installed above the east wing back door, north elevation, and a semi-detached telephone exchange wing constructed at the northwest corner of the main building, linked with the original building by a continued rustication in its walling. Conservation works carried out in 1979 included repairs to stone and replacement of some original lathe and plaster ceilings with plasterboard ceilings, retaining original coved cornices and ceiling roses. The building

14520-465: The strong room and both sets of stairs . The 1874 Castlemaine Post Office is a key element in the historic town centre and a marker of Castlemaine's status in the mid-19th century as one of the Colony's most important gold-mining settlements. This is further emphasised by the inclusion of sub-branches of multiple government departments within the complex. The building also demonstrates the rapid growth of

14652-435: The surface than magmas of I-type granites, which are thus more common as volcanic rock (rhyolite). They are also orogenic but range from metaluminous to strongly peraluminous. Although both I- and S-type granites are orogenic, I-type granites are more common close to the convergent boundary than S-type. This is attributed to thicker crust further from the boundary, which results in more crustal melting. A-type granites show

14784-440: The texture is known as porphyritic . A granitic rock with a porphyritic texture is known as a granite porphyry . Granitoid is a general, descriptive field term for lighter-colored, coarse-grained igneous rocks. Petrographic examination is required for identification of specific types of granitoids. Granites can be predominantly white, pink, or gray in color, depending on their mineralogy . The alkali feldspar in granites

14916-422: The total cost of £4,132. Architect Percy Meldrum 's design in an American Art-deco style was constructed by local builder Frank Pollard in local brick, slate and granite, by April 1931 for the official opening, free of debt. It consisted of a main gallery behind two smaller galleries and with the museum in the basement with storerooms. The gallery walls are naturally and indirectly lit from concealed windows of

15048-490: The tourist centre. Castlemaine has its own botanical gardens , established in 1860, which are on the Victorian Heritage Register . The gardens feature Lake Joanna (an artificial lake), many exotic tree species and structures dating to the Victorian era. The Castlemaine public swimming pool is 50m in length and is located next to the botanical gardens. The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park

15180-474: The two creeks (Forest and Barker)". The need pointed out in "The Argus" in November 1851 had resulted in an unofficial Post Office being established on the diggings at Chewton (Forest Creek) in December 1851, a Post Office then described as being "on the most central part of the diggings". On 15 February 1853 town lots were offered for sale. By that time the first Castlemaine District Hospital had been opened,

15312-415: The type including an accomplished application of style and endowment of monumental civic form; incorporation of frontal components such as accessible offices, clock tower, loggia and porch; clear separation of a residential component; and increased size to reflect increased volume of a rapidly developing region. Stylistically, Castlemaine Post Office is an impressive Italianate palazzo design, then popular in

15444-502: The uranium washes into the sediments from the granite uplands and associated, often highly radioactive pegmatites. Cellars and basements built into soils over granite can become a trap for radon gas, which is formed by the decay of uranium. Radon gas poses significant health concerns and is the number two cause of lung cancer in the US behind smoking. Thorium occurs in all granites. Conway granite has been noted for its relatively high thorium concentration of 56±6 ppm. There

15576-617: The use of flint tools on finer work with harder stones, e.g. when producing the hieroglyphic inscriptions. Patrick Hunt has postulated that the Egyptians used emery , which has greater hardness. The Seokguram Grotto in Korea is a Buddhist shrine and part of the Bulguksa temple complex. Completed in 774 AD, it is an artificial grotto constructed entirely of granite. The main Buddha of

15708-709: The vertical line is continues above a balconied parapet, completed by a square tower with glazed circular openings on all four sides, surmounted by an onion dome. Opposite the town hall is the Imperial Hotel, a thirty-room, two-storey hotel with attic erected in 1861 for Faulder Watson at a cost of £4,000 and classified in 1982 by Heritage Victoria which describes it as "one of the most innovative classical revival buildings in Victoria". The sophisticated design in French Renaissance style by leading Melbourne architects Purchas and Swyer (the Glenara homestead at Bulla

15840-419: The wall surface. The aedicular window reveals are panelled. The rear windows, mostly arched, have plain outlines and reveals, and have been joined by a series of non-original smaller square windows around the upstairs toilet areas. On these sections the basement rustication cuts out two metres around each corner leading into the courtyard . There is no attic storey, though one is suggested in the deep frieze below

15972-459: The water table were likewise obliterated. Some of their waterholes in rock platforms of the Creek that they found or enlarged, then covered with slabs to protect them from animals, may still remain, unidentified. The first European settlers named it Forest Creek and as the population grew it became known as Mount Alexander . The old name is still present in some place names in Victoria including

16104-456: Was completed by 1875 on a site adjoining the old post office, at a cost of £10,540. The clock bell was supplied by William J. Horwood's local Albion Foundry in 1878–9, and was "the first large bell successfully cast in Victoria". A clock for the tower was also supplied in this year by T. Gaunt. A telephone exchange was established in April 1907. In 1908, Thomas Odgers converted the battery room into

16236-442: Was constructed at an unknown date post-1980 in the rear yard adjacent to the rear door and earlier fire escape stair. In 1986–87, the clock was electrified and general conservation works and internal refurbishment undertaken including wholesale exterior repainting, repaving of front porch, installation of mat wells, kitchenettes, public space counters and joinery. The former treasury area (later postmen's room, ground floor, west wing)

16368-511: Was constructed during 1859. The first two post offices were located on various unconnected sites in Castlemaine with the third, including the 1857 telegraph station, established on the site adjoining the present building. In 1872, the Department of Public Works ' architect John James Clark prepared drawings for additional public offices, which included the post and telegraph offices, sub-treasury, water supply office and quarters. This complex

16500-535: Was created in 1995 as an amalgamation of a number of other municipalities in the region with the Council and Civic Centre in the former School of Mines, in central Castlemaine, next to the original town hall. Castlemaine Town is represented by the Castlemaine Ward. The Loddon River Ward is centred around the township of Newstead. The Tarrengower Ward is centred around the township of Maldon. The Calder Ward

16632-645: Was discovered near present-day Castlemaine (Mt Alexander Goldfields) at Specimen Gully on Barkers Creek . The gold was discovered by Christopher Thomas Peters, a shepherd and hut-keeper on the Barker's Creek, in the service of Dr William Barker on his Mount Alexander run. When the gold was shown in the men's quarters, Peters was ridiculed for finding fool's gold, and the gold was thrown away. Barker did not want his workmen to abandon his sheep, but in August they did just that. John Worley, George Robinson and Robert Keen, also in

16764-503: Was one of nearly 200 men who were assigned or affirmed as Territorial Magistrates for Victoria. Not long after, he took control of the Mount Alexander diggings and set up a government camp on Forest Street near the junction of Barker and Forest Creeks (today's Camp Reserve). This was to be the new township of Castlemaine. The first reference in a newspaper to the township is found in the Geelong Advertiser of 13 March 1852 with

16896-571: Was originally based on Castlemaine Post Office , entry number 105514 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2019 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 9 March 2019. Castlemaine, Victoria Castlemaine ( / ˈ k æ s əl m eɪ n / KASS -əl-mayn , non-locally also / ˈ k ɑː s -/ KAHSS- ) is a town in west central Victoria , Australia, in

17028-432: Was overpainted with dark walls and white dressings and joinery by this time or as part of these works. Other internal works may have included the removal of a small number of original first floor internal partition walls and refurbishment of these areas with acoustic ceilings, suspended fluorescent lighting and vinyl flooring. A steel-framed motorbike shed with galvanised iron skillion and a barrel-section galvanised iron porch

17160-399: Was subdivided at an unknown date to provide a private letter box room and sorting area. The public space was refurbished c. 1990s with standard angled counters, slat wall display units, lighting and carpet. Castlemaine Post Office is at 202 Barker Street, corner Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine, comprising the whole of Lot 1 PS317843. It is a large, two storey building erected in 1873–74 to

17292-405: Was sufficient to produce granite melts by radiogenic heating , but recent work suggests that this is not a viable mechanism. In-situ granitization requires heating by the asthenospheric mantle or by underplating with mantle-derived magmas. Granite magmas have a density of 2.4 Mg/m , much less than the 2.8 Mg/m of high-grade metamorphic rock. This gives them tremendous buoyancy, so that ascent of

17424-564: Was supposed to occur across a migrating front. However, experimental work had established by the 1960s that granites were of igneous origin. The mineralogical and chemical features of granite can be explained only by crystal-liquid phase relations, showing that there must have been at least enough melting to mobilize the magma. However, at sufficiently deep crustal levels, the distinction between metamorphism and crustal melting itself becomes vague. Conditions for crystallization of liquid magma are close enough to those of high-grade metamorphism that

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