There’s more than Gold in Bendigo
There’s plenty of gold in Bendigo, but it’s not all in form of the valuable yellow metal discovered there in the mid-1800s. On my short visit to Bendigo, about 150km northwest of Melbourne, I find ‘gold’ in surprising places.
Central Deborah Gold Mine
But first, I find the real stuff on a tour of the Central Deborah Gold Mine. It takes our small tour group 90 seconds to descend 61 meters underground. We stop with a jolt on level 2. Our headlamps dance on the rough-cut walls of the 3m wide and 2m high tunnels, their size dictated by the machinery used to cart the rubble out.
It’s cool down here. My feet slosh through shallow puddles. Cool water drips onto my shoulder. Then I see it. A tiny lump of gold folded into a narrow white seam of quartz which winds through the hard black granite face.
But, as I’ve said, there’s plenty more ‘gold’ to be found above ground in Bendigo.
The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion
The white exterior of the largest stupa (pagoda) in the Western world sparkles in the summer sun. Donning sunglasses, I wander along a path through the Peace Park to the stupa. Prayer flags flutter in the breeze and a row of prayer wheels, hand-crafted in Nepal, spin when I run my hand across their decorated surface.
Funded by donations from visitors and sponsors, the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is being completed one project at a time. The ceiling in the main hall, the Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) Mandala was finished only days before my visit. The bright primary colours and geometric shapes, painted and installed in separate pieces, rather like a jigsaw puzzle, all have specific meanings.
On display in the main hall is a 2.5m high Jade Buddha. Considered priceless, it was carved by skilled Thai craftsmen from an 18-tonne boulder of translucent jade found in Canada. It’s the largest Jade Buddha in the world weighs around 4 tonnes.
Bendigo Tramways
Back in town, there’s more to discover. One way to do so is by stepping on board the Vintage Talking Tram. If you’re lucky, you might take a seat on Tram No. 30, the tram driven by King Charles (then Prince) back in 1974.
Over 40 heritage trams are stored in the Bendigo Tramways Depot, where the Manager, Darcy Baird, points to tram number 12. With absent windows, peeling paint, and a shambles of dusty metal and boards piled onto the open floor beams, it seems beyond repair.
Next to it is tram number 8, lovingly restored by a team of skilled craftsmen. Darcy says that number 8 was in even worse condition than number 12. Completed in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the Vintage Talking Tram, the restoration took eleven years.
Golden Dragon Museum
More heritage is to be found in the Golden Dragon Museum. On display are three dragons, two with claims of world significance. Loong, the world’s oldest Imperial Dragon is 125 years old and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
His colours have faded over time but looking closely at the detail in each carefully crafted scales, it’s not difficult to imagine his earlier brilliance. Each year, from 1901 to 1970, Loong paraded through the streets of Bendigo in the Bendigo Easter Festival. When he retired, his successor, Sun Loong took over.
The younger Dai Gum Loong, created in 2018/2019 now has that honour. Made in Hong Kong by celebrated dragon maker, Master Hui, he is believed to be the longest traditional style dragon in the world. With over 7000 scales in bright bold colours, and his gaping red mouth fringed in white, he’s a magnificent creature.
Ulumbarra CBD Walking Tour
Another magnificent creature soars across the façade of the Bendigo Law Courts. An artwork created by Indigenous artist Racquel Kerr, Bundjiyl, the wedge-tailed eagle, is the Dja Dja Wurrung’s ancestral creator spirit. Indigenous artworks around the Law Courts provide Indigenous people using the courts with a connection to Country.
Yaram Yaram Mirndayi (Chain of Ponds Serpent) winds its way through the forecourt. Bec Phillips, Djaara woman and guide on our Ulumbarra CBD Walking Tour, together with Aunty Marilyn Nicholls created this piece. She points to the spoor of a kangaroo, a goanna dragging its tail and an echidna then, taking large steps, she demonstrates how she determined where to place the emu’s three-toed feet.
It’s time for lunch. On my short stay in Bendigo, I’ve learnt that in 2019 Bendigo was designated a UNESCO Region of Gastronomy. No wonder my meals are top notch.
Bendigo, a UNESCO Region of Gastronomy
The Dispensary Bar in Chancery Lane, a laneway reminiscent of Melbourne, offers a selection of share plates washed down with a fresh local Viognier. A dispensing pharmacy here “dished up nourishment in a different way,” explains our waiter, James Belford. As he pours our wine, he says “Not much has changed. Kids with teething problems were given morphine and alcohol.”
Dinner tonight is at Alium Dining. I have the prime spot, sitting at the window of the former Royal Bank, looking across to the BENDIGO sign and Alexandra Fountain. Gum nuts feature in the plasterboard ceiling and stained-glass detail decorates the arched window. Our tasting menu, based on local produce is both surprising and delightful. I’ve not tasted eel before. Its fishy yet unexpectedly good with a beetroot donut!
Lake Weeroona
With much good food to savour, I’m pleased that this morning, before coffee and a light breakfast at the Tram Café, I stepped out on the 1.5km circuit around Lake Weeroona, opposite the Julie-Anna Motel where I’m staying. It’s early summer and ducklings ranging in size from fluffy day-old chicks to more savvy youngsters waddled behind their parents in the green grass.
At one point I was mobbed by a flock of Eurasian Coots. As they followed me, their funky feet ‘paddling’ furiously on the concrete path, I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
I found plenty of gold in Bendigo
On my short trip, I discovered that there’s plenty of gold in Bendigo. It’s just not the shiny yellow metal kind.
Other places worth a visit that are nearby:
- The Spannerman Garden: a garden of oversized sculptures created from old, rusted spanners
- The Eucalyptus Distillery: a model distillery showing how 5kg of eucalyptus leaves are needed to make 50ml of oil.
- The Bridgewater Hotel: take a walk alongside the Loddon River before settling in for a relaxing lunch in the garden of the art deco hotel.
Getting to Bendigo is easier than you think
It took me a long time to get to Bendigo. Now that I know how easy it is to get there – there are direct flights from Sydney and a train from Melbourne. If you fly to Tullamarine, there’s a shuttle bus option.