Bendigo
Melbourne • Yarra Valley • Mornington Peninsula • Geelong • Ballarat • Bendigo • Gippsland • Western Districts & Shipwreck Coast • Northern & Northeastern Victoria • The Mallee
Like Ballarat, Bendigo’s main claim to fame was the 1850s Gold Rush and it has remained a large regional centre since then.
The Easter Festival is an impressive set of cultural events.
Golden Dragon Museum & Chinese Gardens
Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia
Built on the site of one of Bendigo’s historical Chinatowns, the museum showcases the history of Chinese immigrants to the Bendigo and their culture.
Where do you think the world’s oldest Chinese Dragon is? If you guessed “I don’t sodding know, China?” You’d be wrong, it’s in Bendigo. Also living here is the world’s loooooooooooooooooooooongest dragon.
It includes an impressive collection of Chinese currency through the ages, as well as an extensive collection of 19th century Chinese costumes
Central Deborah Gold Mine
Website • Google Maps
It’s a 17 level gold mine reaching more than 400m below the surface that lets you down the shaft to have a look at how gold mining works.
Technically, they still do a bit of mining here, but it’s basically to fill in time between when tourists are about.