Bendigo was founded after gold was discovered in 1851 and soon became an impressive city with grand Victorian architecture on its tree-lined streets. The city has a very English feel to it, with the main street named Pall Mall and a group of buildings called Charing Cross. Notable public buildings include the Town Hall (1859), School of Mines & Industries (1872) and Post Office (1883-87), which includes a 43m-high bell tower housing a five-bell carillon.
We had a look inside the massive (75m long, 43m wide and 87m high) Gothic Revival-style Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral, founded in 1895, and marvelled at the wealth reflected there.
At Bendigo Pottery, Australia’s oldest working pottery started by a Scottish settler in the 1850s, we saw the crumbling remains of brick kilns and browsed through the pottery still being produced there. Next we strolled around Lake Weeroona, surrounded by deciduous trees showing off their autumn colour.
Then to the Tramways Depot where we saw several trams which run through the city carrying tourists, giving a recorded commentary along the way. Trams were introduced to Bendigo in 1890 and were at first powered by battery. However they were unreliable and steam soon took over. By 1903 the trams were powered by electricity via overhead wires and ran until the tramway was closed in 1972, soon afterwards being reopened as a tourist attraction.
The following day we took a drive south to Castlemaine, scorning the highway and taking the tree-lined, winding backroads through picturesque, rolling hills dotted with horses, sheep and cattle, apple orchards and vineyards. Gold was discovered at Forest Creek in 1851 and Castlemaine was soon established, with substantial public buildings erected. Notable buildings include the Telegraphic Office (first telegraph communication sent in January 1857), Post Office (1875) and Town Hall (1898).
We walked around the Old Gaol, modelled on Pentonville Prison in London, which opened in 1861 and closed in 1990. The surrounding gardens feature many sculptures and afford spectacular views over the town.
By late morning it was beginning to rain so after a stroll through the autumnal Botanic Gardens under umbrellas, we ended our day in Castlemaine with a visit to the 1887 Garfield Water Wheel which powered a 15-head stamp battery to crush the gold-bearing rock. The wheel diameter was 72ft, the gear diameter 38ft and it carried 220 buckets with a capacity of 5 gallons each.
Rod and Julie on the road 