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Bendigo is a city in the state of Victoria,
Australia located very close to the geographical
centre of the state and approximately 150 kilometres
(93 mi) north west of the state capital Melbourne.
It is the second largest inland city and fourth most
populous city in the state. The estimated urban
population is 89,995. It is the administrative
centre for the City of Greater Bendigo which
encompasses both the urban area and outlying towns
spanning an area of approximately 3,000 square
kilometres (1,158 sq mi). Inhabitants of Bendigo are
known as Bendigonians.
Originally taking its name from the Bendigo Creek,
the name became official in 1891.
Bendigo is one of the most significant Victorian era
boomtowns in Australia. Gold was discovered in 1851
at The Rocks on Bendigo Creek and the Bendigo Valley
was found to be a rich alluvial field where gold
could easily be extracted. News of the finds
intensified the Victorian gold rush bringing an
influx of migrants to the city from around the world
within a year and transforming it from a station to
a major settlement in the newly proclaimed Colony of
Victoria.
Bendigo is notable for its Victorian architectural
heritage and gold mining history. Since 1851 over 22
million ounces of gold have been extracted from its
goldmines, making it the highest producing 19th
Century goldfield in Australia in the nineteenth
century and the largest gold mining economy in
Eastern Australia. It is the largest finance centre
in Victoria outside of Melbourne as home to
Australia's only provincially headquartered retail
bank, the Bendigo Bank, and the Bendigo Stock
Exchange (BSX).
Urban structure
The central area (CBD) of Bendigo consists of
approximately 20 blocks of mixed use area. The main
street is the McIvor Highway, the section running
through the CBD is also known "Pall Mall" while the
main shopping area is centred around Hargreaves
Mall.
Suburbs
Bendigo is a major regional city and has expanded
with several suburbs some of which (such as
Eaglehawk) were once independent satellite townships
and many which extend into the surrounding bushland.
Bendigo's suburbs include: Ascot; Big Hill;
California Gully; Eaglehawk; Eaglehawk North; Epsom;
Flora Hill; Golden Square; Ironbark; Kangaroo Flat;
Kennington; Maiden Gully; North Bendigo; Quarry
Hill; Sailors Gully, Spring Gully; Strathdale;
Strathfieldsaye; West Bendigo and White Hills.
Architectural heritage
As a legacy of the gold boom Bendigo has many
magnificent ornate buildings built in a late
Victorian colonial style. Many buildings are on the
Victorian Heritage Register and registered by the
National Trust of Australia. Prominent buildings
include the Bendigo Town Hall (1859, 1883–85), Post
Office, Law Courts (1892–96), Shamrock Hotel (1897),
Institute of Technology and Memorial Military Museum
(1921) all in the Second Empire-style.
Architect Vahland, encouraged European artisans to
emigrate to the Sandhurst gold fields and so create
the Vienna(Wien) of the south.
Bendigo's Sacred Heart Cathedral, a large sandstone
church, is the third largest cathedral in Australia
and one of the largest cathedrals in the Southern
Hemisphere. The main building was completed between
1896–1908 and the soaring spire between 1954 and
1977.
Fortuna Villa is a large surviving Victorian
mansion, built for Christopher Ballerstedt and later
owned by George Lansell.
Many other examples of Bendigo's classical
architecture rank amongst the finest classical
commercial buildings in Australia and include the
Colonial Bank building (1887) and the former Masonic
Hall (1873–74) which is now a performing arts
centre.
Bendigo's Joss house, a historic temple, was built
in the 1860s by Chinese miners and is the only
surviving building of its kind in regional Victoria
which continues to be used as a place of worship.
The historic Bendigo Tram Sheds and Power Station
(1903) now house Bendigo's tramway museum.
The Queen Elizabeth Oval still retains its ornate
1901 grandstand.
Parks and gardens
The central city is skirted by Rosalind Park, a
Victorian style garden featuring statuary and a
large blue stone viaduct. The main entrance corner
of the park is on the intersection known as the
Charing Cross, formerly the intersection of two main
tram lines (now only one). It features a large
statue of Queen Victoria.
The Charing Cross road junction features the large
ornate Alexandra fountain (1881) and is built on top
of a wide bridge which spans the viaduct. The park
elevates toward Camp Hill, which features a historic
school and former mine poppet head.
Further from the city is Lake Weroona, a large
ornamental lake, adjacent to the Bendigo Botanical
Gardens first opened in 1869.
Tourism is a major component of the Bendigo economy,
generating over AUD$364 million in 2008/09. Bendigo
is popular with heritage tourists and cultural
tourists with the focus of tourism on the city's
gold rush history. Prominent attractions include the
Central Deborah Gold Mine, Golden Dragon Museum and
the Bendigo Tramways (all three of which are managed
by The Bendigo Trust, a council-intertwined
organisation dedicated to preserving Bendigo's
heritage).
Bendigo is connected via the Calder Freeway to
Melbourne, which is less than two hours by car. The
remaining section of highway nearest Bendigo was
recently upgraded to dual carriageway standard
ensuring that motorists can travel up to speeds of
110 km/h for most of the journey. Many other
regional centres are also connected to Melbourne via
Bendigo, making it a gateway city in the transport
of produce and materials from Northern Victoria and
the Murray to the Port of Melbourne and beyond.
Regular passenger rail services to Melbourne operate
over the Bendigo railway line that was upgraded as
part of the Regional Fast Rail project completed in
2006. The line is owned and operated by V/Line.
There are also additional train services to and from
Swan Hill, and Echuca. Bendigo, along with Ballarat
and Geelong is to benefit from the Regional Rail
Link, which will enable more passenger services to
connect Melbourne and Bendigo, allowing for growing
patronage to be accommodated in the future and
providing Bendigo with a direct link with Southern
Cross Station in central Melbourne.
Bendigo is also served by an extensive bus network
which radiates mostly from the CBD towards the
suburbs. The city is also serviced by several
expansive taxi services.
Trams in Bendigo have historically operated an
extensive network a form of public transport,
however the remains of the network was reduced to a
tourist service in 1972. Short trials of commuter
tram services was held in 2008 and 2009 with little
ridership.
Bendigo is served by Bendigo Airport, which is
located to the north of the city on the Midland
Highway. The Bendigo Airport Strategic Plan was
approved in 2010 for proposed infrastructure
upgrades including runway extension and buildings to
facilitate larger planes and the possibility of
regular passenger services from major cities in
other states.
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