Architectural and Heritage Features

The history of Bendigo still lives on in the architecture of the earlier days of settlement and the boom of the gold rush days. Within 21 years of the finding of gold, Sandhurst (its then-current official name) had been declared a City and established schools, churches, public buildings, commercial establishments and homes were part of that municipal landscape.

Many of these buildings still survive and speak testimony, not only to the wealth of those times, but to the confidence and forward planning of the pioneers. Many of the surviving buildings still maintain their original use while some now have a quite different role in the life of the city.

Various sampling of the existing architecture is helpful in conveying a sense of this earlier history of Bendigo. Four web resources serve to provide a very wide selection of the heritage and architectural features of the area.

The Australian Heritage Photographic Database
(website)...offers the opportunity to do this through...

1. Entering Bendigo in the ‘Location’ box on that page
2. Clicking on any chosen image and then
3. Clicking on ‘Place ID …’ for details in print.

Victorian Heritage Register On-Line
(website)...is a searchable database with Keyword or Advanced options. It features many buildings as well as many mining features. For example, enter Bendigo as a keyword or refine a search with the Advanced provisions.

National Trust of Australia (Victoria) – Search the Register (website)...is a Register which widens the scope but details and images may, in comparison, be lacking. For a search strategy, for example, use the drop down menu putting Greater Bendigo City into the Municipality box.

Australian Heritage Place Inventory
(website)...enter Bendigo as key word in 'Local Government'.

Disclaimer: While providing a link to the above database websites, the Society makes no claim that the information contained therein is completely accurate and/or up-to-date.