The city of Bendigo is just over 150km from Melbourne and while it may be off the radar of a lot of Kiwis, Bendigo Tourism says it’s well worth a visit because there are a lot of things that are unique about the area.
In the 1880s Bendigo was considered the richest city in the world due to the huge amount of gold beneath it. Visitors can still prospect for gold around the city but by far the most valuable piece of natural product found there these days is the 2.5-metre-high Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, the biggest jade buddha in the world which was carved from a single boulder. Bendigo is also famous for its dragon dancing parade, which has been held for 154 years and is onto its third dragon. The ritual began with the Chinese gold diggers, most of whom were indentured or contract labourers. The city’s historic trams have been restored so well that old trams from around the world are sent to be reconditioned by the not-for-profit Heritage Rail Workshop, which can be visited as part of Bendigo Heritage Attractions.
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Bendigo has Australia’s oldest working pottery, which opened in the 1850s and has also been recognised as a UNESCO City of Creativity and Gastronomy.
See details on Bendigo’s food and wine offerings HERE. See more about Bendigo HERE.
