Our Local Area

We enjoy many features of a thriving regional town with a strong community spirit.

Download maps of the Greater Bendigo area.

Snapshot

• A population of more than 110,000, and growing by 1.6% per annum

• A diverse history -  the riches from the 1880's goldrush days are evident in our beautiful streetscapes and historic buildings

• 40,000 hectares of regional, state and national parkland

• A pleasant 90 minute drive or slightly longer rail trip from Melbourne

• A range of services and infrastructure for north central Victoria

• Recognition by UNICEF/UNESCO as a Child Friendly City

Our history

• The Aboriginal people of the area are the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Gurai-illam Wurrung language groups of the Central Kulin nation

• Gold was first discovered in 1851 by Margaret Kennedy, an overseer's wife from the nearby Ravenswood sheep run

• More than 3,000 Chinese settled on the goldfields in 1854

• The goldfields town was called Sandhurst until 1891 when it was officially named Bendigo. Our name came from a shepherd who worked on the Ravenswood Run who grazed his sheep along Bendigo Creek. The shepherd was handy with his fists and was nicknamed Bendigo after the world famous bareknuckled boxer, William 'Bendigo' Thompson from Nottingham in England

• German architect William Charles Vahland designed the Bendigo Town Hall, the Shamrock Hotel,  Anne Caudle Hospital, School of Mines, Masonic Temple (now The Capital - Bendigo's Performing Arts Centre) and Alexandra Fountain

• One of our more significant citizens was Sir John Quick - a lawyer and politician who was instrumental in the formation of the Federation of Australia

Our economy

• Bendigo is now the third largest concentrated economic base in Victoria, with an annual Gross Regional Product (GRP) of over $5.1 billion in 2012

• Greater Bendigo's GRP grew by $1.3 billion in the period 2002-2012

• The rate of growth during 2002-2012 was 3.4% per annum, the fastest rate of growth of all regional cities in Victoria for the period

• A diverse economic base with major employers including Bendigo Health, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Hazeldene’s Poultry, Thales Australia, Hofmann Engineering, Keech Australia, Jimmy Possum Furniture, La Trobe and Monash Universities, Bendigo-Kangan TAFE, Australian Defence Apparel, Parmalat, City of Greater Bendigo, numerous major retailers, Fosterville Gold Mine, Mandalay Mine Costerfield, Powercor, Industrial Conveying, Andy’s Earthmovers, State Trustees, CVGT Australia, Coliban Water Authority, Haven (former Loddon-Mallee Housing), St. Luke’s Anglicare, Catholic College Bendigo, Girton Grammar School Bendigo and various Victorian Government departments, agencies and schools

 Our unique features

• We are located in the geographic heart of Victoria, 150 kilometres north west of Melbourne and only 90 minutes from Melbourne Airport

• Bendigo is located at the junction of three highways with excellent connections to interstate highways

• With Bendigo as its largest centre, our municipality includes the thriving smaller communities of Heathcote, Elmore, Goornong, Marong, Redesdale and Axedale

• We are located in the Murray Darling Basin, the North Central Catchment Region and catchments of the Loddon and Campaspe rivers (with the exception of a small area in the east of the municipality)

• Our municipality is surrounded by parkland and nature reserves including the Whipstick and Kamarooka State Parks; One Tree Hill and Eaglehawk Regional Parks; Maiden Gully, Marong, Wellsford and Mandurang State Forests;, Diamond Hill Historic Reserve and various flora and fauna reserves and bushland reserves

• We boast the only known area where the vivid flowering Whirrakee Wattle can be found

• Our community has some of north central Victoria's most outstanding natural features including a variety of eucalyptus including blue and green eucalyptus, Bull Mallee Grey Box and Ironbark

• Our forests, parks nature and bush reserves are home to more than 200 species of birds including the Grey Shrike-Thrush, White-Wing Chough, 44 species of mammals such as the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Black Wallaby, echidna, 40 species of reptiles and 12 species of frogs