A Couple of Days in Bendigo

On By Coral WaightIn Australia, Victoria

For some reason, I’d never had a good look around Bendigo and thought it was about time I did.

Bendigo is a prosperous city, 90 minutes north-west of Melbourne, begun when gold was discovered in 1851. The original finds were the first of 9 billion dollars worth of gold found in the Bendigo area, making it the seventh richest gold field in the world.

I was able to find a motel right in the middle of town, and so left the car in its spot and spent the two days I was there mostly on foot.

The Alexandra Fountain, named after Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law, is the introduction to the city centre.

Alexandra Fountain

A fair amount of income from the gold mines was pumped back into the city and so Bendigo now has one of the finest collections of Victorian buildings of any inland city in Australia.

Old Post Office, now the Bendigo Visitor Centre
Military Museum
Town Hall
Art Gallery
This is, if you can believe it, the State Primary School

The opulent Shamrock Hotel has been the queen of Bendigo’s social scene since 1897.

Shamrock Hotel

Streets are tree-lined.

Homes are also beautiful.

I seriously want this house.

No shortage of old pubs.

There are vintage trams that do a loop of the city, while giving you the history of the city and the goldfields. $17 gets you a day of hopping on and off at the various attractions.

Rosalind Park covers a large area along the east side of High Street and continues up  Camp Hill, giving a good lookout over the city centre. It encompasses the Camp Hill Primary School, Bendigo Senior Secondary College,  the Queen Elizabeth Oval and various other sporting venues.

A rather beautiful grandstand at Queen Elizabeth Oval

Also part of the park is the new Ulumbarra Theatre, housed in the old Sandhurst Gaol. There were no shows on so I missed out on getting a look inside. Definitely something to go back for.

Old Sandhurst Gaol

I spent a lot of time in the park, as it’s a very pleasant way of getting from one spot to another.

Rosalind Park ready for Christmas

Rosalind Park Rose Garden
Entrance to Fern Gully
Fern Gully

 

View over the town centre from Camp Hill Lookout

Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral is the largest in the state outside of Melbourne. Set on a hill, its spire dominates Bendigo’s skyline.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Next time I’ll feature the Golden Dragon Museum, which was opened in 1991 to honour the significance of Chinese people on the goldfields. It deserves a post all of its own.

What better way to finish off the day  than a glass of red on the balcony of the Shamrock Hotel.

32 thoughts on “A Couple of Days in Bendigo”

    1. It was very well to do, Marion, thanks to the gold rush, so they splashed out on their buildings. And the park is in the middle, creating a softening effect to the busy town centre. Yes, it’s worth a thought for the future, though I’m sure some of those houses would be out of my league. Cheers.

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  6. Suzanne Byrne

    It’s a lovely city with a lot to offer; the Gallery has had some excellent exhibitions, some of the houses are fabulous like the Queen Anne one you found, the cathedral magnificent . But I’ll havd to return to see Fern Gully

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  8. Penny Caulfield

    Iove Bendigo Coral, it is a place George and I have been saying that we would love to go there for a few days “one day soon” when we have time, unfortunately that day is still coming so we are going to have to “make time”

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  12. Yes, that’s the feeling I got while I was there. I think the gardens in the centre of town give it a lovely feel and it seems awfully well looked-after. I’ll be back next year to catch something at the theatre. I love the idea of going to a show in a gaol. Cheers.

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