Destination guides > Australia > Victoria > Goldfields > Bendigo
Bendigo
This important provincial city was a major gold mining centre in the 1850s. The city’s mineral wealth has resulted in excellent Victorian architecture in the downtown area along Pall Mall.
Practical information
Bendigo Visitor Information Centre
51-67 Pall Mall, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5444 4445
Website www.bendigotourism.com
Open 9am-5pm daily
Coming & going
Bendigo is 2½ hours north of Melbourne with regular bus and train connections. V/line (tel 13 22 32) buses and trains stop at the station on Railway Plaza at the southern end of Mitchell Street.
Local transport
Christian’s Bus Company operates a network of 13 bus routes in the Bendigo area. It costs $1.80 for two hours of unlimited travel in the Bendigo area.
Hostel accommodation
Buzza’s Backpackers (Bendigo YHA)
33 Creek Street South, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5443 7680
Ironbark Bush Cabins
Watson Street, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5448 4140
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo’s art gallery dates from 1887 and features a collection of local and national art.
42 View Street, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5443 4991
Website www.bendigoartgallery.com.au
Admission free
Open 10am-5pm
Bendigo Joss House
This temple was built in the 1860s by Chinese miners and is regional Victoria’s only surviving joss house.
Emu Point, Finn Street, North Bendigo
Tel (03) 5442 1685
Admission $5.00
Open Wed & Sat-Sun 11am-4pm
Bendigo Tramways
Bendigo’s talking trams run from the Central Deborah Goldmine along Pall Mall to the Bendigo Joss House stopping at major attractions along the way. They are known as talking trams because of the commentary explaining Bendigo’s attractions. They operate hourly on weekends and school holidays.
Terminus Violet Street, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5443 8070
Website www.bendigotramways.com
Two day ticket $14
Trams run 10am-4pm with departures every hour
Central Deborah Goldmine
Bendigo’s last goldmine closed in 1954 and was re-opened for tourists in 1972. The Central Deborah Goldmine has been restored both above and below ground and is a great insight into how gold is mined.
76 Violet Street, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5443 8322
Website www.central-deborah.com
Mine experience tour $24; underground adventure tour $68
Open 9.30am-5pm daily
Golden Dragon Museum
This museum, run by the Bendigo Chinese Association, has exhibits on Chinese culture in Bendigo from the 1850s to the present day. Exhibits include Sun Loong, the world’s longest imperial dragon at more than 100m in length.
5-13 Bridge Street, Bendigo
Tel (03) 5441 5044
Website www.goldendragonmuseum.org
Admission $8
Open 9.30am-5pm daily
