Wednesday 23 May, 2012 – Bendigo, Australia
Just two hours train from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station lies the regional city of Bendigo. Population: Just shy of 100,000. On first glance, Bendigo appears to be just your average small city , but on closer inspection there is something special about it – a combination of the tree lined streets (crisp and golden at this time of the year – I just wanted to pull out my gummies and go jumping), all named for London streets due to the Gold Rush in the 1800s. It is obvious that Bendigo has a rich history – the architecture has a very regal look about it.
You can learn all about the Gold Rush history at Central Deborah Gold Mine, where Laurie will take you 9 levels (228m) underground.
But Bendigo isn’t just about the gold…it has an awesome mix of art, vintage fashion, and food & wine.
A great place to visit is the local Gelati – Steve. Steve has a vast selection of gelato and sorbet, but my favourite flavour is definitely the’ Grace Kelly’, which Steve has formulate especially to go along with the Grace Kelly exhibition which is currently showing at Bendigo Art Gallery. The gelato consists of watermelon, rose petal extract, and nashi pear – who knew a gelato could be perfectly matched to a person’s characteristics?!
For a great local Shiraz, be sure to visit Wine Bank and have a natter with the owner Mark, who can tell you a great deal about the history of the building. For beautiful high class food, check out the Shamrock Hotel up on the balcony, overlooking the clock tower. Or for something a bit more contemporary, try the food at El Gordo (Spanish for the Fat One). Bendigo is a city on the rise, and it’s definitely worth a visit.
WHEREISLAUS 
Hi Laura, nice blog and some great photos. We visited Bendigo too as part of our little JWalking trip (https://jwalkingin.wordpress.com/) and found it so interesting. Had a great guide. Liked the town as well, it seemed to have a lot of character and a few nice little bars.
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Hi Jonno! Great to see someone with similar photos from the gold mine in Bendigo – I can’t say I have come across anyone else who has visited this lovely little town, until now, so thank you for your comment. It is very sweet – it reminded me of my home town (Invercargill, New Zealand) in some ways, although Invercargill doesn’t have quite so much of the rich history.
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We really liked Bendigo, haven’t visited Invercargill unfortunately. Couldn’t fit it into our trip this time. Maybe next time. Just read your Alphabet Dating article, brilliant idea. So good for just keeping dates exciting. Loved it.
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Hi Laura, glad you had a safe and enjoyable trip over. Just read the blog ~ keep up the good work, stay safe and hope you manage to pack plenty into your time over there. Love Nana xoxoxo
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