Bendigo, Victoria

In 1851, Bendigo transformed itself from sheep station in to one of Australia’s largest gold mining boomtowns. The wealth during this period is reflected in the city’s Victorian architecture buildings. As with many gold rush towns, the city has had its booms and busts. Although gold mining continues, other industries such as tourism, commerce and manufacturing, have maintained its growth. 

We drove through the expanding outer suburbs into the city centre, parking at the tourist information centre. With map in hand we strolled around. There’s plenty to see and do but unfortunately our visit was limited by my sore knee which I injured earlier this morning. So we will have to comeback to explore more fully another time. 

The tourist office is in the former Post Office, built in 1887, in the French Renaissance style.

Across the road was the opulent Hotel Shamrock, having hosted many famous faces since its opening in 1897.

The Bendigo Town Hall interior was decorated by a German artist who was also commissioned to do Denmark’s royal palace. 

As we crossed the road we admired the Alexandra Fountain. 

The Christmas decorations were going up throughout the town in readiness for the festive season.

We walked up View Street passing the Sandhurst Trustees building, the city’s first permanent Post and Telegraph office. 

Next was the Temperance Hall, built as a meeting place for those keen to curb miner’s hard drinking habits.

The Bendigo Trades Hall reflects the important role in agitating for fairer working conditions.

The Art Gallery building shows the importance placed on art and culture.

Next door the Masonic Hall is now a performing arts centre.

The former fire station has also been transformed into a theatre.

The last building, Dudley House, is the oldest surviving public building (1859). It was here that the city’s first surveyor designed Bendigo as it’s seen today. 

We admired the historic grandstand at Queen Elizabeth Oval.

Then made our way to Poppet Head lookout, set on top of a hill, it provided an elevated view (we could only climb up to the 1st level as the rest was closed). The park was once the a shantytown of mud and tents, home of the original gold rush settlement.

The fountain was made by Blinman, a local foundry in Castlemaine

Set in the park we passed the beautiful Camp Hill school built in 1877.

Lastly we walk around the Soldiers Memorial Hall (1921). It is built over a capped mine with its water and gasses still escaping into Bendigo Creek… this explained the Sulfur smell we were experiencing!

We were lucky to have a quick look inside the prominent Sacred Heart Cathedral, as they were setting up for a function. The building began in 1896, opened in 1901 and was finished in 1977! We were wowed by the workmanship of both the exterior and interior, but especially found the timber ceilings amazing.

Well that’s about as much as my knee could take for today, so we had a pub lunch at the Huntly Hotel. Mark had a Plum Parma with bacon and I had a slow cooked beef cheek stew.

Then we made our way to our camp spot for tonight at the nearby Streamside Reserve for a quiet night.