Bendigo
Population 40,340
Bendigo is almost in the centre of Victoria, at the junction of the Calder,
McIvor, Northern and Loddon Valley Highways. It is 151km (94 miles) from
Melbourne, 661km (411 miles) from Adelaide, 892km (554 miles) from Sydney
and 653km (406 miles) from Canberra.
Climate
Average temperatures: January max 29C (84F) - min 14C (57F); July max 12C
(54F) - min 3C (37F). Average annual rainfall: 550mm (22 in).
Characteristics
Bendigo was once one of the richest gold mining towns in Australia. It
is proud of its mining history and has preserved relics of the period
for present and future generations. The most tangible of these is a complete
mine in working condition, in the town - the Central Deborah Mine.
How to Get There By Bus
Greyhound Pioneer stop at Bendigo on their Melbourne/Mildura routes. A
mini-bus service operates between Ballarat and Bendigo.
By Rail
A regular daily service operates between Melbourne and Bendigo, and the
journey takes two hours. Bendigo is also linked by rail to Echuca, Cohuna,
Swan Hill and Charlton.
By Road
From Melbourne by the Calder Highway is a two hour trip. From Albury/Wodonga,
take the Hume Highway, then the Midland Highway for the 279km (173 miles)
trip to Bendigo.
Tourist Information
The Bendigo Visitor Information & Interpretive Centre is located inhe
Historic Post Office, 51-67 Pall Mall, (03) 5444 4445 or 1800 813 153.
It is open seven days a week 9am-5pm. Email them at tourism@bendigo.vic.gov.au
or visit the website www.bendigo
tourism.com Another website, for the wider region, is www.
goldfields.org.au, but it is less detailed.
Accommodation
There are 24 motels, 7 hotels, 10 caravan parks and a youth hostel. Here
is a selection, with prices for a double room per night, which should
be used as a guide only. The telephone area code is 03.
All Seasons International Motor Inn, 171 McIvor Highway, 5443 8166. 49
units, licensed restaurant (closed Sunday), swimming pool, spa - $125-180.
Bendigo Colonial Motor Inn, 483 High Street, 5447 0122. 30 units, licensed
restaurant (closed Sunday), indoor swimming pool, spa, sauna - $120-180.
Central Deborah Motor Inn, 177 High St (Calder Hwy), 5443 7488. 26 units,
licensed restaurant (closed Sunday), spa - $95-115.
Lakeview Motor Inn, 286 Napier Street, 5442 3099. 33 units, licensed restaurant
(closed Sunday), swimming pool, spa, bbq - $95-110.
Bendigo Motor Inn, 232 High Street, Kangaroo Flat, 5447 8555. 32 units,
licensed restaurant (closed Sunday), swimming pool, spa, sauna, playground,
bbq - $75-90.
Shamrock Hotel Bendigo, cnr Pall Mall & Williamson Street, 5443 0333.
30 rooms, licensed restaurant - $70-145.
The Elm Motel, 454 High St, 5447 7522. 15 rooms (private facilities) -
$55-70.
Calder Motel, 296 High Street (Calder Hwy), Kangaroo Flat, 5447 7411. 12
units, swimming pool, bbq - $50-65.
Caravan Parks
Ascot Lodge, 15 Heinz Street, White Hills, 5448 4421. (No pets) - powered
sites $20-22 for two, cabins (en-suite) $60-90 for two, cabins (standard)
$45-55 for two.
Robinley Caravan Park, Calder Hwy, Maiden Gully, 5449 6265. (No pets) -
powered sites $15-20 for two, on-site vans $35-40 for two.
Central City Caravan Park, 362 High Street (Calder Hwy), Golden Square,
5443 6937. (Dogs allowed on leash) - powered sites $17 for two, on-site
vans $35 for two.
Eating Out
There's a good range of restaurants and cafes in Bendigo, offering various
types of cuisine. Pub lunches are widely available and usually represent
good value. They range from the humble ploughman's lunch to hearty steak
and vegies. Good restaurants include:
Bazzani, Howard Place, 5441 3777 - licensed - hopen 7 days.
Whirrakee Restaurant, 17 View Point, 5441 5557 - overlooks Alexandra Fountain
- licensed - modern Australian cuisine.
Jo Joes, 4 High Street, 5441 4471 - international cuisine - changing menu
- hopen 7 days for lunch and dinner.
The Boardwalk Restaurant & Cafe, Nolan Street, 5443 9833 - lakeside
dining, hopen for breakfast lunch and dinner 7am-7pm daily - licensed.
Cafe Tram, 76 Violet Street, 5443 8255 - licensed - bookings essential
- hopen for dinner Fri & Sat, lunch on Sun.
Malayan Orchid Restaurant, 157 View Street, 5442 4411 - Thai, Cantonese
and Malaysian curries - hopen Mon-Fri 12-2pm, dinner seven days.
Fortunes Restaurant, 171 McIvor Road, 5443 8166 - open 7 days - a la carte
- lunch and dinner - licensed.
There is also a Pizza Hut on the corner of High & Violet Streets, 5443
2122, and McDonald's is at 63 High Street.
Points of Interest
The heart of Bendigo is well worth exploring on foot, with much to see
and admire in the busy shopping area and nearby parks. The Vintage Talking
Trams will take you to many other places of interest. A Bendigo Heritage
Walk leaflet is available from the Information Centre.
Bendigo has been described as, architecturally, the most interesting and
integrated provincial city in Australia. Solidly built with the wealth
that gold gave it, the city has some of the best preserved Victorian-era
buildings and street-scapes to be found anywhere.
Pall Mall is Bendigo's main boulevard, and has some of the city's grandest
Victorian buildings. Take note of: the Italianate post office (1887) and
law courts (1896); the Shamrock Hotel (1897); Alexandra Fountain (1881);
the Beehive Store (1872); National Bank (1887) and Grand United HBS building
(1886). Other buildings nearby include: the Bendigo Town Hall (1885); Bendigo
Gaol (1864); Old Police Barracks (1859); St Paul's Cathedral (1868); Goldmines
Hotel (1857); Specimen Cottage (1856).
View Street begins at the Alexandra Fountain, and also has some impressive
19th century buildings: Atkinson Building (1877); Bendigo Trades Hall (1885);
Bendigo Art Gallery (1890); Capital Theatre (1874); Dudley House (1858);
National Australia Bank (1863); Old Fire Station (1899); Rifle Brigade
Hotel (1887); Sandhurst Trustees (1891).
Alexandra Fountain is situated at the head of Bendigo's Pall Mall, Charing
Cross. The fountain was a gift from George Lansell 'the quartz king'. Designed
by W.C. Vahland and erected in 1881, it is made from 20 tonnes of Harcourt
granite and features seahorses and nymphs.
Chinse Joss House, Finn Street, Emu Point, 5442 1685. The original Chinese
temple was built in the 1860s of handmade bricks and timber, and painted
red, the traditional Chinese colour for strength. To get there, follow
the tram tracks towards Echuca, then turn at Lake Weeroona. The Joss House
is operated by the National Trust, and is open daily 10am-5pm. Admission
is adults $3, children $1.
Golden Dragon Museum and Chinese Gardens, 5 - 13 Bridge Street, 5441 5044.
Trace the history of Chinese influence in Bendigo, going right back to
the gold rush days, in this impressive setting. Entry is $7 adult, $4 child,
and the complex is open daily 9.30am-5pm.
Central Deborah Gold Mine, 76 Violet Street, 5443 8322. The last deep-reef
goldmine in Bendigo - sunk in 1909, closed in 1954 - has been restored
and is open for inspection. It is 411m (135 ft) deep with 17 levels. The
tourist level at 61m (200 ft) includes a 350m (383 yds) circuit which illustrates
the various geological features of the Bendigo region, and the machinery
used in the gold retrieval process. Above ground there are many exhibits
to be inspected. The mine is open daily 9.30am-5pm, the tour takes about
1.5-2 hours, and there is an admission charge.
Vintage Talking Trams, 1 Tramways Avenue, 5442 2821. The Bendigo Trust
has a collection of 34 vintage trams, and they are one of Bendigo's most
popular tourist attractions. They run through the city centre, via Pall
Mall, and along the 8km route between Central Deborah Mine and North Bendigo.
A recorded commentary highlights more than 50 features along the way, and
a stop at the Tram Museum in Tramways Avenue, 5442 2821, is included in
the tour. The trams hdepart from Central Deborah Mine Mon-Fri 9.30am, 1
and 2pm, hourly on weekends and school and public holidays from 9.30am-4.30pm.
The tour takes approximately one hour.
Hargreaves Mall is a retail shopping area in the city centre, and has a
wide selection of specialty shops and boutiques.
Lake Weeroona, cnr Midland Highway & Nolan Street, is a delightful
ornamental lake close to the city centre. Surrounded by trees and gardens,
there are boat hire, picnic and barbecue facilities.
Discovery & Science Technology Centre, 7 Railway Place, 5444 4400,
has hands-on exhibits and a vertical slide. Admission is $7.50 adult, $4.50
child and it is open daily 10am-5pm.
Within a few minutes drive from the city centre there are many interesting
places to visit -
Bendigo Pottery, Midland Highway, Epsom, 5448 4404, hopen daily 9am-5pm,
with guided tours at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Admission is free.
Bendigo Market Place, 116 - 120 Mitchell Street, Bendigo, 5441 6906, open
daily.
Kennington Reservoir, Reservoir Road, Bendigo - swimming, boating, windsurfing
and canoeing. Barbecue and picnic grounds.
Espsom Market, off Midland Highway at Epsom past the Bendigo Pottery, 5448
8411, hopen every Sunday 8.30am-3pm. Country Victoria's largest undercover
market.
Eaglehawk, an historic town 8km north-west of Bendigo, and the site of
a gold rush in 1852.
One Tree Hill Lookout, 8km south of Bendigo - from the Fountain follow
Mitchell Street, then Carpenter Street, into Spring Gully Road. Continue
south and the turn-off is just before Tannery Lane.
Wineries in Bendigo include:
Balgownie Vineyards, Hermitage Road, Maiden Gully, (8km west), 5449 6222,
closed Sunday; Chateau Leamon, Calder Highway, Big Hill, 10km south of
Bendigo, 5447 7995, closed Tuesday; Chateau Dore Vineyard, 8km south-east
of Bendigo at Mandurang Valley, 5439 5278, closed Monday.
For information on other wineries in the surrounding districts, contact
the Visitor Information Centre.
Festivals
The Easter Fair has been staged for more than a century. The ten day festival
commences with a street carnival on Easter Saturday, a 'waking of the
dragon' ceremony takes place on Easter Sunday when a small lion wakes
'Sun Loong' with fireworks. Sun Loong is 100m long and is the largest
known ceremonial Chinese dragon in the world. It is a colourful feature
of the major procession on Easter Monday.
Facilites
Lawn bowls, ten-pin bowling, ice skating, roller skating, golf, tennis,
swimming, croquet, indoor cricket, squash, horse racing and trotting
and greyhound racing.
Outlying Attractions Castlemaine
Nestling in a dip of the Great Dividing Range 38km (24 miles) south of
Bendigo, Castlemaine is another gold mining town. Attractions in and around
town include nineteenth-century Buda Historic Home & Garden in Hunter
Street; Skydancers Butterfly Sanctuary on the Midland Highway, Harcourt;
Kyirong Emu Farm on Strathlea Road, Strathlea; and Maldon Porcupine Township,
a recreation of life in early Victoria, cnr Bendigo and Allan Roads, Maldon,
5475 1000. The Castlemaine Visitor Information & Interpretive Centre
is in Market Building, Mostyn Street, 5470 5566 or 1800 171 888.
