Bendigo

Bendigo, formerly known as Sandhurst, is a city in north-central Victoria, Australia. It lies in the Bendigo Valley about 150 kilometres (93 mi) northwest of Melbourne. As of 2022, around 103,818 people live in Bendigo, making it Australia's 19th-largest city and the fourth-largest inland city in the country.

The area was home to the Dja Dja Wurrung people before gold was discovered on Bendigo Creek in 1851. This started a big rush for gold, bringing many people from around the world, especially Europe and China, to the area. Bendigo grew quickly into a busy town and became a major gold-mining center in the 19th century. The wealth from this time can still be seen today in the city's beautiful Victorian architectural buildings.

After the gold boom slowed down, Bendigo grew again from the 1930s as a place for making things and providing services for the area. Even though some gold mining still happens, most new people now live in the city's suburbs. With better roads like the Calder Freeway connecting it to Melbourne, Bendigo has become one of the fastest-growing areas in Victoria.

History

Indigenous history and European settlement

The traditional owners of the Mount Alexander area, called Leanganook, are the Dja Dja Wurrung people. They lived in the rich hunting grounds before white settlers arrived in 1837. These settlers brought sheep and changed the land. The Dja Dja Wurrung people were moved from their homes, and their way of life was disrupted.

Gold was found in October 1851 on Bendigo Creek, which was named after a local shepherd nicknamed “Bendigo” after an English boxer. Thousands of people came looking for gold, changing the area quickly.

Gold mining boom

More gold was found in 1851, just after it was discovered nearby in Castlemaine. Many people moved to the area, and the population grew to 40,000 in less than a year. Some of these people were from China, and their families still live in the region today.

A man named William Swan Urquhart made maps of the area and chose where the town would be, calling it “Sandhurst.” The town grew fast, with many grand buildings. By 1863, it became a borough, still called Sandhurst but known to most as Bendigo.

The railway reached Bendigo in 1862, helping the town grow even more. Factories, mills, and other industries started up. When the easy gold ran out, people dug deeper to find more.

Decline and regeneration

Bendigo became a city in 1871. As the population grew, there wasn’t enough water, so a new viaduct was built to bring water from the Coliban River. An architect named William Charles Vahland designed many buildings in the town, including a famous fountain with dolphins and other statues.

After a time when the population dropped, growth returned in the 1930s as Bendigo became a place for making things and providing services for the area. Gold mining still continues today. In 2013, the Dja Dja Wurrung people were officially recognized as the traditional owners of part of Central Victoria, including the land where Bendigo is located.

In 1994, the City of Bendigo joined with nearby areas to become the larger City of Greater Bendigo. The population grew from about 78,000 in 1991 to around 100,617 in 2012, making Bendigo one of the fastest-growing places in Victoria.

Geography

The city of Bendigo is surrounded by parts of the Greater Bendigo National Park and the Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region, which is important for birds like swift parrots and other woodland birds. The area is also home to many insect-eating bats and the grey-headed flying fox.

Climate

Bendigo has a dry temperate climate with warm summers and cool winters. Summers can get very hot, with temperatures sometimes above 35 °C, while winters are chilly with occasional frosts. The city receives most of its rain between June and September. Snow is rare, but sleet can occur.

Extreme weather events

Bendigo has experienced many floods throughout its history, with major flooding happening in 1859 and 1903. Tornadoes are rare but have occurred, like the 2003 Bendigo tornado that caused damage to homes and businesses. The city faced severe drought from 2006 to 2010, leading to strict water restrictions. Bendigo was also affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, which destroyed homes and caused power outages. Flash floods have occurred in March 2010, September 2010, October 2022, and January 2024.

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, 92,379 people lived in the Bendigo Urban Centre.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.8% of the population.
• 84.6% of people were born in Australia. Other common countries of birth were England 1.6%, India 0.7%, New Zealand 0.6%, Myanmar 0.5%, and Thailand 0.4%.
• 88.1% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Karen 0.9%, Mandarin 0.5%, Malayalam 0.2%, Punjabi 0.2% and Hindi 0.2%.
• The most common responses for religion were No Religion 36.2%, Catholic 22.0% and Anglican 12.9%.

According to the City of Greater Bendigo Community Profile, the population estimate for 2019 for this area was 118,093.

Religion

In the 19th century, many people in Bendigo followed the Catholic Christian tradition. A Catholic priest named George Henry Backhaus set up the first church services in 1852. By the end of that year, he was camped at the site of Bendigo's first church, St Kilian's Church, which was finished in 1858. Backhaus left money for the church, which helped build Sacred Heart Cathedral in 1897. This large church was completed in 1977 and is the biggest church building outside major cities in Australia. As of 2016, 22% of people still followed Catholicism, while 36.2% reported having "no religion".

In the mid-19th century, Chinese people made up 20% of Bendigo's population. They built the Bendigo Joss House Temple, a special place for their beliefs that include Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Bendigo is also home to the largest stūpa in the Western world, called the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, which contains a very special large jade Buddha statue. As of 2016, Buddhism was followed by 1.4% of Bendigo people, and Islam by about 0.5%. In 2019, construction started on Bendigo's first mosque and Islamic community centre, even though some groups protested against it.

Urban structure

City centre

The central part of Bendigo has about 20 blocks where people can shop and do different activities. The main street here is called the Midland Highway, and a part of it in the centre is known as Pall Mall. Hargreaves Mall is one of the main shopping places, named after a gold prospector named Edward Hargreaves.

Suburbs

The city of Bendigo covers around 82 square kilometres, and some of its suburbs used to be separate towns. The suburbs are mostly near the Bendigo Creek and its smaller streams. Some outer suburbs reach into areas with bushes and trees.

Architectural heritage

Because of its history with gold, Bendigo has many buildings made in the late Victorian style. Some important buildings include the Bendigo Town Hall, the Old Post Office, and the Bendigo Law Courts. There is also a big church called the Sacred Heart Cathedral, which is one of the largest in Australia. The city has many old and beautiful buildings, including a historic temple built by Chinese miners.

Parks and gardens

Rosalind Park is a big garden near the city centre, with statues and a large blue stone bridge. The park has a statue of Queen Victoria and a fountain called Alexandra Fountain. There is also Lake Weeroona, a large decorative lake, and the Bendigo Botanic Gardens, which opened in 1869 and has many plants and animals.

Culture and events

The Bendigo Art Gallery is one of Australia's oldest and largest regional art galleries. In 2012, it welcomed a royal visit from Princess Charlene of Monaco for an exhibition about Grace Kelly.

The Capital Theatre, once a Masonic temple, is next to the art gallery and hosts performing arts and live music. The Ulumbarra Theatre opened in April 2015. It was once the old Sandhurst/Old Bendigo Gaol and can seat nearly 1,000 people. This theatre also hosts performing arts, live music, and serves as a space for schools and universities.

Bendigo holds many fun events each year. The Bendigo Writers Festival began in 2012 and brings together writers and readers. The city also hosts the Bendigo National Swap Meet for car parts each November, which is one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. The Groovin' the Moo music festival happens at the Bendigo Showgrounds in late April or early May, featuring many popular musicians. The Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival each November includes over 80 artists and ends with a big free concert in Rosalind Park. The Bendigo Easter Festival in the Easter weekend includes parades, exhibitions, and a street carnival.

There are also many places to enjoy music in Bendigo. The Bendigo Town Hall hosts concerts, including the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. Local bands and orchestras, like the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra, perform regularly.

Media

Bendigo has two newspapers, the Bendigo Advertiser and the Bendigo Weekly. The Bendigo Weekly is now included in the Saturday edition of the Bendigo Advertiser.

There are eight local radio stations, including 105.1 Life FM, Gold 1071am, 98.3FM, Hit 91.9, 3BO FM, ABC Central Victoria, Radio KLFM 96.5, Phoenix FM, Fresh FM, and Vision Australia Radio 3BPH Bendigo 88.7 FM.

Network television in Bendigo is provided by the Seven Network, WIN Television, Network 10, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the Special Broadcasting Service. WIN Television shows a half-hour news program each weeknight at 5:30 pm, made in Bendigo but broadcast from Wollongong. Network 10 and the Seven Network also give short news and weather updates from their studios in Hobart and Canberra.

Analogue television stopped in Bendigo on May 5, 2011, and all TV is now shown digitally as part of Australia’s switch to digital broadcasting.

Sport

Cricket and Australian rules football are the most popular sports in Bendigo. The Queen Elizabeth Oval, known locally as the QEO, is where both sports are played. Bendigo is a key place for state-level sports, holding competitions for football, cricket, and other games every year.

Bendigo had a team called Bendigo Gold that played in the Victorian Football League until 2014. The area is also home to the historic Bendigo Football League, which includes 10 teams. One of its original clubs, Sandhurst Football Club, was started in 1861, making it one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Other teams from the city and nearby areas play in different leagues.

The Bendigo Cup is an important horse-racing event. The Bendigo Stadium was used for basketball during the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Bendigo's men's basketball team is called the Bendigo Braves, and the women's team is called the Bendigo Spirit. The women's team won the Women's National Basketball League championship in both 2013 and 2014. Bendigo also shared hosting duties for the 2003 FIBA Oceania Championship.

The Bendigo Crushers are the city's rugby league club, and Bendigo was the host for the second Commonwealth Youth Games in 2004. There was also a raceway called Bendigo International Raceway, which opened in 1971 and held many types of racing events, including motorcycle speedway. It hosted the Victorian Individual Speedway Championship in 1995.

Economy

Bendigo has a strong and growing service-based economy. Key industries include health, finance, tourism, commerce, education, food processing, and farming. The city is home to the headquarters of the Bendigo Bank, which is one of Australia's largest banks.

Tourism plays a big role in Bendigo's economy. Visitors enjoy learning about the city's history from the gold rush era. Popular spots include the Central Deborah Gold Mine, the Bendigo Tramways, the Golden Dragon Museum, and the Great Stupa. The city also has many shops, with the main area in the central business district and other shopping places in nearby suburbs.

Bendigo has some manufacturing, including factories that make steel parts, rubber products, and materials for the military. The city also has schools and a campus of La Trobe University. The surrounding countryside is used for farming, growing crops like wheat and canola, and raising animals. Bendigo is also known for its wine, especially Shiraz. The area once had lots of gold mines, which were very important during the gold rush times.

Infrastructure

Transport

Bendigo is connected to Melbourne by the Calder Freeway, making the trip by car less than two hours. Roads near Bendigo have been improved, allowing drivers to go up to 110 km/h for most of the journey. The city is also a key link for travel to other towns in the area.

Bendigo is an important place for trains in northern Victoria. It has several train lines, including one that goes to Melbourne. Trains run regularly between Bendigo and Melbourne, with some trips taking about 91 minutes. There are also train stops in nearby towns like Kangaroo Flat, Epsom, and Eaglehawk. New train stations are being built as part of a project to improve travel to places like Swan Hill and Echuca.

Buses also help people get around Bendigo, mostly starting from the city center. There are taxi services too. In the past, trams were used for transport, but now they mostly run as a tourist attraction.

Bendigo has an airport north of the city, which has been updated with new runways and lighting. In 2019, flights between Sydney and Bendigo began.

Health

The main hospital in Bendigo is Bendigo Health. There is also a private hospital and a smaller surgical center.

Utilities

Bendigo gets its water from Lake Eppalock, a large reservoir. A pipeline was built to bring water from Waranga to Lake Eppalock and then to Bendigo in 2007. In the past, an engineer named Joseph Brady designed a system to bring water from Malmsbury to central Victoria.

Sister cities

Bendigo has special connections with cities in other countries. These are called sister cities.

One sister city is Penzance in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Another is Los Altos in California, United States. There is also a connection with Tianshui in Gansu, China, though this partnership ended in 2013.

Notable residents

Bendigo has been home to many interesting people in different fields.

Arts and entertainment

Bendigo has produced well-known names in entertainment such as TV actress Bunney Brooke, singer Amy Castles, and Australian Idol winner Kate DeAraugo. Other notable artists and performers include sculptor Ola Cohn, singer and actress Colleen Hewett, and journalist and television host Virginia Trioli.

Business

The city has also seen successful business leaders like Fletcher Jones, inventor of the Chiko Roll, and Sidney Myer, founder of the Myer department store chain.

Military

Among Bendigo's military figures is Sir Gilbert Dyett, a long-serving president of the Returned and Services League of Australia, and John Campbell Ross, the last Australian veteran of World War I.

Politics

Bendigo has contributed to Australia's political landscape with leaders such as Jacinta Allan, the current Labor Premier of Victoria, and John Bannon, former Labor Premier of South Australia.

Religion

Religious leaders from Bendigo include Sydney James Kirkby, an Anglican bishop, and Thomas Cahill, a Roman Catholic bishop.

Science

In science, Bendigo is known for individuals like Struan Sutherland, an antivenom researcher, and John Irvine Hunter, a professor of anatomy.

Sport

The city has many sports stars, including Australian Test cricket captain Billy Murdoch, Olympic swimming champion Faith Leech, and PGA Tour golfer Rhein Gibson, who holds a Guinness World Record for the lowest golf round ever (55).