Its first official name was Castleton after the mining town Castleton, Derbyshire, England. Sandhurst, after the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, became the official designation for the settlement in 1854, although the nickname of "Bendigo" remained popular. After a plebiscite (referendum) in 1891 the city was renamed to the more popular "Bendigo", although the name Sandhurst has a legacy and is still used by a number of organizations.
Like Beechworth, Bendigo was built from gold. Bendigo is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia. Gold was discovered in 1851 at The Rocks on Bendigo Creek and the Bendigo Valley was found to be a rich alluvial field where gold could easily be extracted. Bendigo is notable for its Victorian architectural heritage and gold mining history. Since 1851 over 22 million ounces of gold (over 600 tonnes) have been extracted from its goldmines, making it the highest producing goldfield in Australia in the 19th century and the largest gold mining economy in eastern Australia. Bendigo quickly grew from a “city of tents” to become a substantial city with great public buildings. As a legacy of the gold boom Bendigo has many ornate buildings built in a late Victorian colonial style. Many buildings are on the Victorian Heritage Register and registered by the National Trust of Australia.
As such, I figured a self-guided walking tour of some of the buildings here in Bendigo was a good way to acquaint myself with the city.
Soldiers Memorial Hall was opened in 1921 and was erected by the citizens of Bendigo to commemorate the deeds of the Bendigo soldiers in the Great War. The building is located over a mine shaft.
What is today the Visitor Information Centre was the former Post Office and built in 1887. The clock tower stands 43 metres tall.
Next door are the Law Courts which were built in 1896. Both the Post Office and the Law Courts were built by the same architect and designed to be viewed from all sides and be as equally beautiful.
Built in 1864, this building was originally the School of Mines and Industry and is now part of the Bendigo Regional Institute of T.A.F.E. (Technical and Further Education).
The foundation stone for a church on this site was first laid in 1856 and a stone church was built. 30 years later that building was condemned as the walls were cracking and crumbling and a 'temporary' weatherboard structure was built in 1888. That temporary structure still stands today, and St. Killian's Catholic Church is considered to be the largest wooden church in the Southern Hemisphere.
The gaol here in Bendigo was built between 1859 and 1862. It was a medium security prison and most of the prisoners were assessed as suitable for treatment in the area of substance abuse and addictive/compulsive behaviours. Accommodation was mostly in single cells, with a small number of shared cells. The prison was officially closed in January 2006.
Camp Hill Primary School was built in 1877 and the fire brigade used the tower as a look out for many years until a reliable telephone service was installed.
Dudley House, built in 1859, is the first permanent District Lands and Survey Office and is the oldest surviving ex-governmental office in Bendigo, and is a fine example of the gold era architecture.
This historical Fire Station was built to house the Bendigo Fire Brigade in 1896.
The Masonic Temple and Hall was built in 1874 and its 18 metre high portico is supported by six 10m tall Corinthian columns. Nowadays the building is known as "The Capitol" - Bendigo's Performing Arts Centre.
The Penfold's Building was built in 1879 for the distinguished Dr. Oliver Penfold. Dr. Oliver Penfold, the grand old man of Bendigo, and Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold of Penfold's Wines were cousins.
Temperance Hall was built in 1895 for the Temperance Movement.
The Sandhurst Trustees Building was built in 1869 and it was the very original post office of Sandhurst which operated until 1887.
Alexandra Fountain is a landmark in Bendigo situated centrally on the most prominent intersection in the city. Built as a symbol of the rapid development and consequent wealth of Bendigo as a result of the successful gold fields during the second half of the nineteenth century, Alexandra Fountain is a good example of late Victorian ornamental exuberance. It was named after Alexandra, Princess of Wales whose sons, Princes Albert and George, attended the opening ceremony in 1881.
The original Beehive store was built in the mid 1850s, replaced by a two storey building in 1864 and then razed by fire and replaced by the present building in 1871. The first floor housed the Gold Exchange and brokers' offices.
The building on the left is the original National Bank, built in 1887. When the National and Colonial Banks merged, the National Bank moved next door into the former Colonial Bank building, also built in 1887.
The Shamrock began life in 1854, as a small hotel known as The Exchange Hotel, servicing miners during the gold rush. The hotel's patronage quickly grew with the booming goldfields and it was renamed the Shamrock in 1855. It was rebuilt for the first time in 1864 and then this building in 1897. Dame Nellie Melba was one of the notable guests of the hotel during the Edwardian era, she stayed in the third floor corner suite opposite the Bendigo Post Office clock tower and demanded its hourly chime be turned off. Prince Charles and Princess Diana also stayed here during a royal visit in 1983.
The original town hall building was built in 1858, but then in the early 1880s one of the city's most influential architects transformed the Bendigo Town Hall into this grand building.
While I was out walking I also came across this piece of public art which I particularly loved. It's called "After the Procession" and was made to commemorate the Easter Parade and Fair held every year in Bendigo.
And to give you a bit of an arial view of Bendigo, I climbed up a poppet head tower which is located near to the CBD area of Bendigo and it affords a great view out over the city.
Quite a nice little city is Bendigo - and I'm looking forward to learning more about it over the next couple of days.
thankyou - growing up with the buildings but not knowing the origins! Mind you it is a few years since I lived here.
ReplyDelete