The regional city of Bendigo is situated about 140 km north of Melbourne in the Goldfields region of central Victoria that includes the townships of Ballarat, Castlemaine, Creswick, Maryborough, Clunes, Maldon and Dunolly. There are a large array of entertainment facilities, attractions, tourist and holiday activities in Bendigo and the surrounding district. You can explore the fascinating history of the Bendigo Gold Fields with several mines still operating to this day. Other attractions include the famous Bendigo Pottery, the Chinese Museum and Gardens, the tourist areas via the Bendigo Tram. The area is also renowned for its local boutique wines, restautants and fresh food outlets. The central area of Bendigo township showcases many wonderful examples of the regional heritage architecture
many of it dating from the boom times of the gold rush era. Bendigo also features 100 year-old gardens, fabulous restaurants, lovely pubs and wine bars and friendly cafes. People interested in the arts will enjoy the wide range of art galleries, craft and antique stores in Bendigo itself and the surrounding towns. Some of the major attractions in and around Bendigo are: # Central Deborah Gold Mine # the Dja Dja Aboriginal Museum # Bendigo Art Gallery # Dragon Museum. Bendigo is a major regional town of about 110,000 people and is the 4th largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Ballarat (3rd) and Geelong (2nd). The area was originally known as 'Bendigos Creek', and was originally settled in about 1851 and the city was proclaimed in 1871, with the official name of Sandhurst. The name was switched
back to 'Bendigo' in 1891. The first gold 'rush' in the Bendigo area took place in late 1851 when miners at nearby Castlemaine (Forest Creek) heard of gold being discovered in the area. The original gold was alluvial and the miners involved in the rush traced the gold downstream in Bendigo Creek to the site of the present township of Epsom and upstream to the modern suburb of Kangaroo Flat. Additional gold discoveries were made in the tributary creeks at Diamond Hill and Eaglehawk. Bendigo is about 2 hours away by car from Melbourne and one hour from Ballarat, which offers additional entertainment venues. There is a wide range of pubs and clubs in Bendigo, many of which offer live entertainment.