Our Society’s history in brief

• 1935 – A local historical society was formed at a public meeting on 19th June. Functioned until September 1936.

• 1950 – Public meeting in September lead to further activity of a society.

• 1958 – First meeting of the Bendigo Historical Society of Victoria, 6th November.

• 1977 – Location of the Society in the historic 1858-era Survey Office ‘Dudley House’ in View Street.

• 1990 Incorporation as the Bendigo Historical Society Inc. (11th May).

• 1999 – Bendigo City Council requested Society vacate Dudley House while building renovated. Collection stored off-site and not accessible to the public. After renovations completed other uses were made of Dudley House. In conse-quence, the Society met initially in a room at the Town Hall and, more recently, in a room adjacent to the Library.

• 2003 – Establishment of working space for cataloguing work upstairs in the Goldfields Regional Library, Bendigo. Collection remains
in inadequate storage off-site.
Publication of the ‘Historic Guide to Bendigo’

• 2004 - Through its committee, the Society continues to search for a permanent and suitable ‘home’ with provisions for meeting space and secure storage for its collection. Computer and digital camera equipment purchased.

• 2005 – Major exhibition (‘Making Tracks’) is
mounted at Dudley House for one month with large attendance figure.

• 2007 – The Society's collection moved into a secure environment in the de-commissioned Bendigo Gaol. This provided space for sorting and cataloging work by members and volunteers. A Significance Assessment was conducted by Lauretta Zilles and A Preservation Needs Assessment was conducted by Christine and Duncan Rolley

• 2009 - 2010 – In addition to our continual search for a permanent location, The Society was active in providing Collection Items for numerous exhibitions. These included The National Museum, The Post Office Gallery, The Central Deborah Mine and the Bendigo Library.

• 2011 –In May the BHS relocated to a new secure facility in Nolan Street , Bendigo . It provides optimum conditions for storing our historical documents, but we are continuing to attempt to gain suitable storage for our collection of 3-D items. Due to the lack of Public Access negotiations and searching continues for a suitable “Front of House” location

 

Early Art Exhibition Private Collection. Fine Arts Exhibition at the Sandhurst Mechanics Institute, 1869. In 1890 the Art Gallery moved to what had been the Orderly Room of the Volunteer Rifle Corps which remains part of the present Gallery complex in View Street.