Central Deborah Gold mine

Bendigo Tram

Bendigo Law Courts

Bendigo Chinese Gardens

Shamrock Hotel

Bendigo is one of the major goldmining towns from the goldrush which swept central Victoria in the 1850s. Unlike many towns that sprung up with the discovery of gold but died just as quickly when the gold ran out, Bendigo has survived to become a major centre in the Central Goldfields region of Victoria.

Where is it?: Victoria: Central. Bendigo is 155 km north of Melbourne on the Calder Highway.

Things to see and do:

Bendigo is interesting architecturally in that it is probably the best preserved example of Victorian building tastes left in Australia. Built in the ornate neo-classical style of the mid 19th century, many of its public and commercial buildings were built in the flush days of the goldrush and were solidly built. Architectually, it is the most interesting and integrated provincial city in Australia.

The original 1860’s Chinese Joss House and the Golden Dragon Museum display the Chinese heritage of the area and house the world’s oldest Imperial Dragon, Loong. 

A ride on the Bendigo Tramways Vintage Talking Tram is the best way to take in the city's architectural heritage.

A visit to the Central Deborah gold mine is a "must do". Central Deborah Gold Mine was one of the last two commercial mines to cease operation in the wealthy Bendigo goldfields, operating for just 15 years between 1939 and 1954.

Australia’s highest Vertical Slide at Discovery Science & Technology Centre is one of a host of physical challenges at Life Adventure Park.

La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre, Regional Victoria's award winning contemporary art gallery is an inspiring venue for business and community events.

Surrounding area:

Bendigo Pottery is famous, with its display and sales complex set around vast old beehive kilns.  Dozens of smaller studios and galleries in Bendigo profile artists of the region. 

Victorian Goldfields Railway, a classic steam era branch line linking historic towns of Castlemaine and Maldon.

Greater Bendigo National Park

About Bendigo

As early as 1848 the creek on which Bendigo now stands was referred to as Bendigo Creek. Bendigo received its name from a corruption of the name Abednego. William Abednego Thompson, a famous English bare-knuckle boxer, was nicknamed "Bendigo". A shepherd from the Mt. Alexander North Run at Ravenswood was also good with his fists, so he was nicknamed "Bendigo" after the boxer. With the published discovery of gold late in 1851 the name Bendigo became synonymous with gold.
From a tent city in 1851/2, there was a rapid transformation to a solid-looking town. William Larritt had surveyed a street plan in 1854 and land auctions were held soon afterwards. Banks and other institutions along with well provisioned shops were quickly established. Initially the diggers concentrated their efforts in seeking alluvial gold. Particularly the German diggers by 1853 were already turning their attention to the quartz reefs which were destined to produce gold for a century. Steam powered machinery for mining was being set up as early as 1855. Technology was on the march with local foundries supplying mining equipment.
By 1861 there were churches, schools, hospital, asylum, gaol, courts, post office, breweries, hotels, newspapers, gas lighting, connection by telegraph and soon by rail to Melbourne. People came from all parts of the world, the majority from the British Isles. Each national group has left some imprint on the growth and development of Bendigo. Most numerous were the Cornish, whose long association with mining made Bendigo a 'home away from home'. Chinese during the peak of alluvial mining in 1855-56 numbered under 3,000, whilst the overall population was estimated to be 20,000. The first Municipal Council was formed in 1856.
Initially the rapid development of reef mining was inhibited by lack of capital and efficient means of crushing quartz. In the early 1860s Bendigo experienced its first mining boom. Many hundreds of companies were formed but only 59 were paying their way.
As technology and mine administration improved, so did the confidence of investors. Larger steam plants and winding engines were installed so the mines could be worked at greater depth and also control ground water inflow. A new town hall was constructed, as were a mechanics institute, theatres and trappings of a permanent town.
Another mining boom was in full swing in 1871. In a two year period, over one thousand new mining companies were floated. A mad frenzy in buying and selling shares occurred at the Beehive Mining Exchange. The boom bubble soon burst, but mines operating successfully were penetrating the reefs ever deeper. 1871 also saw Bendigo being proclaimed a city. Importantly, a permanent water supply from the Coliban was opened in 1877; this helped Bendigo's mining industry enormously.
High quality machinery of all kinds was manufactured in Bendigo. R. G. Ford successfully trialled his patent rock-drilling machine in the latter half of 1868 in the Hustlers Reef Company's mine. Mitchell's drills were on order from many mining companies in the late 1870s. These became a common feature of successful mining companies. The first locally made rock boring machines were used under ground in 1881. The following year 1882, one mine introduced electricity for lighting underground.
In the 1880s Bendigo became in addition to mining an important service centre, particularly for the agricultural industry. An art gallery was established in 1887. Bendigo was able to weather the economic storm of the 1890s depression better than many other centres, as over one hundred mines were operating profitably. A very grand post office completed in 1887, and law courts were added in 1894 giving an opulent air to Pall Mall.
The seeds of Australian federation were being planted by a local lawyer TJ Connelly. At a meeting of the ANA in 1898, Bendigo delegates sponsored a motion for federation. John Quick who later played a major role in drafting the Australian constitution was prominent among those ANA delegates at the Shamrock Hotel.
Bendigo's mines were working at great depths which made them less profitable and equipment was not up to the demands being made on it. Early this century, with many of mining's leading men now in old age, or passing from the scene, Bendigo's mines began a steady decline.
Water pumping from the deepest mines became such a problem in 1910 that the lower levels became flooded. Out break of the Great War in 1914 spelt the end of mining as it had been known earlier. After the war a handful of mines continued to operate.
Sewerage was being laid in the Bendigo City in 1922. Efforts were being made to attract other industries; however the city stagnated. There was no reversal of fortune until the 1920-30s depression, when the price of gold rose and suddenly there was a gold mining revival. Cyaniding old mine battery sands became a big industry and so life in Bendigo continued until the outbreak of World War 2. A local ordnance factory became a major employer during the War. Again the mines closed because of the war, with only a few permitted to continue operation.
When peace was restored mining never picked up again, with the last two mines closing in 1954, because of rising costs and shortage of skilled personnel. Poultry, service and small manufacturing industries were established. Bendigo's population started to grow as the urban area spread.
Today Bendigo has a diverse range of industries; one of the largest is education. The prospects of mining recommencing look brighter in the 1990s than it has for many decades. Tourism has grown significantly as an industry since the early 1970s.

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