Bendigo

Bendigo sat on one of the richest quartz reef goldfields in the world, and the wealth produced a city out of scale with its population: the Shamrock Hotel, the Alexandra Fountain, the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Capital Theatre and a regional art gallery founded in 1887 with a serious collection. The Central Deborah Mine, worked until 1954, runs tours descending to sixty-one metres and deeper on specialist trips. Chinese miners came in numbers from the 1850s, and the Golden Dragon Museum holds imperial processional dragons including Sun Loong, along with the Yi Yuan gardens and a joss house. Restored trams run a tourist circuit through the city.

What you actually see

• The Central Deborah Mine - underground tours descending into a quartz reef mine.
• The Golden Dragon Museum - Chinese heritage and the processional dragons.
• The gold-boom architecture - cathedral, hotel, fountain and theatre.
• The heritage trams - restored trams on a tourist circuit.

When to go

March to November for comfortable weather; the Easter Festival, running since 1871, brings the dragon parade and fills the city. Summer is hot and dry. The art gallery and museums operate year-round.

Honest expectations

Mine tours involve a cage descent and confined spaces, unsuitable for claustrophobia. Individual attractions charge separately and add up. The city is spread out, so walking between sights takes time in summer heat.

Nearby

Castlemaine and Maldon lie south; Echuca is north on the Murray.