Bendigo’s story goes back 400 million years when – during the Paleozoic Era – volcanic activity resulted in sedimentary rock becoming tightly folded and intruded by gold bearing quartz.
Hundreds of millions of years later two farmers’ wives were washing their clothes in the creek and saw gold nuggets glistening in the water, sparking the biggest gold rush in the world at the time.
Bendigo's gold rush not only shaped Bendigo, but Melbourne and the State of Victoria as a whole.
Over 700,000kg of gold was found on the Bendigo Goldfield, more than three times that found in Ballarat and around a third of all the gold found in Victoria at the time.
The remarkable story of Bendigo’s gold rush is expertly told on guided underground tours at Central Deborah Gold Mine, a real gold mine only 600m from Bendigo’s CBD.
The discovery of gold was not viewed by everyone positively and for the local indigenous tribes it had a devastating effect on their community and way of life. The Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Tribe’s proud story of survival is told on the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram.
Gold attracted people from all over the world and turned Bendigo into a mixing pot of cultures. As is still the case today, intolerance was displayed towards different cultures especially the Chinese who were herded into camps and forced to live separately from other diggers.
The Bendigo Joss House Temple is a colourful reminder of the Ironbark Chinese Camp and bears testament to the resilience of the Chinese who survived and thrived despite significant challenges along the way.
Bendigo’s Chinese community played a significant role in the building of the city including feeding the diggers through their market gardens, helping them build their homes thanks to their brick making skills and fundraising for healthcare through events such as the Bendigo Easter Festival that still continues today. The festival includes the world’s longest imperial dragon which is on display all year round at the Golden Dragon Museum.
World War One hit hard in Bendigo, with many of its citizens heading off to the front line, never to return. Stories of these brave souls and the families they left behind can be heard on the Anzac Centenary Tram.
Today, Bendigo is a thriving contemporary city which recognises that its identity is deeply entrenched in respecting its past. As a result, the city is the only regional city in Australia to have retained its trams which still run through the centre of the city every day offering the Vintage Talking Tram tour. In addition, fascinating tours of the Bendigo Tramways Depot & Workshop – where many heritage trams are restored to their former glory – are available.
Bendigo also has a world class art gallery with a fantastic range of school programs and is proud to be one of the few regional cities with its own science centre.
Watch this video for a taste of the experiences we offer at Bendigo Heritage Attractions:
You might also like to read: Seven great facts about Bendigo for your next school camp
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