How to Have a Perfect Weekend in Bendigo
Bendigo’s transition from gold-rush epicentre to thriving cultural capital is now complete. A weekend in this regional Victorian town, 150 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, reveals a treasure trove of riches: it’s been designated a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy for its vibrant culinary scene, regularly hosts travel-worthy art exhibitions and offers a year-round calendar of festivals and events. Here’s our guide on what to do during your next visit.
Brush up on culture
Embark on a self-guided street-art tour, gallery-hop through the View Street Arts Precinct, and make a beeline for Bendigo Art Gallery – one of regional Australia’s oldest and largest – to catch a blockbuster exhibition. In 2024, BAG will host Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image between 15 March and 13 July 2025. The international exclusive features the artist’s personal belongings – photographs, clothing and even make-up – and artworks on loan from Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City. To celebrate, the city will also host Fiesta Bendigo throughout this landmark exhibition’s duration with Mexico- and Frida-inspired events and packages designed to captivate locals and visitors alike.
Absorb the history and drama of the imposing gold-rush era gaol that now serves as the state-of-the-art 1000-seat Ulumbarra Theatre. Head off on a guided tour of the 1860s building, which takes its name from the local Dja Dja Wurrung word meaning to ‘gather together’, and book a ticket to an upcoming show – Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke and Irish balladeer Damien Rice are on the current roster. Jailhouse rock never sounded so good.
Seeking peace? Amid 89 hectares of lush bushland, the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is the largest stupa in the Western world. Do some forest bathing or bask in the Zen presence of the four-tonne jade Buddha inside.
The ideal retreat for a weekend of cultural immersion, Bendigo Ernest Hotel is another converted heritage building. Established in 1864, this former bank has been transformed into a boutique hotel with 10 Australian-art-laden suites. And the location couldn’t be better – it’s just a stone’s throw from Bendigo Art Gallery
Embrace your inner culture vulture during an art-filled weekend in Bendigo. Start making plans at bendigoregion.com.au
Explore nature
Bendigo’s green spaces are just as sumptuous as its lavish buildings. Opened in 1870, Rosalind Park’s 200-year-old trees and 19th-century Conservatory are spread over 24 manicured hectares in the centre of town.
Further afield, check out 30,000 climate-resilient plants in the Garden for the Future at Bendigo Botanic Gardens, climb One Tree Hill for panoramic views over the town, or walk the 20-minute loop around Lake Weerona with a cone of lemon meringue gelato from Favourite Flavours.
The national and regional parks that surround Bendigo have earned it the nickname “city in a forest”. Tackle a section of the Bendigo Bushland Trail that circumnavigates the city via the 65-kilometre loop or gain a deeper understanding of the landscape with Traditional Owners. Dumawul’s half-day Kooyoora Walking Tour takes place in Kooyoora National Park to the north-west. Following a Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony, visitors journey through granite formations, rock pools and lush vegetation while gaining insight into the rich cultural heritage and connection to Country of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.
Indulge in topnotch produce
Bendigo joined cities including Parma, Italy and Rouen, France as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy in 2019. In addition to acknowledging Bendigo’s thriving culinary scene, the designation recognises the city’s dedication to sustainability, innovation and traditional food systems.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Start at Omari where brunch-time zucchini fritters with whipped feta or decadent buttermilk waffles fuel a stroll around the surrounding Bendigo Botanic Gardens.
At The Woodhouse, native red gum feeds flames that smoke, grill and roast cuts delivered direct from Central Victorian farms. Award-winning Alium Dining cherrypicks from world cuisines using seasonal ingredients with delicious results in dishes including Skull Island prawns with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and Roaring Forties lamb backstrap with moghrabieh (Lebanese couscous).
Join a citywide celebration
In summer, free events light up Bendigo’s parks and this year’s Bendigo Chamber Music Festival (5-9 February) features a performance by soprano Alexandra Flood, on loan from the Vienna Volksoper opera house. March welcomes the Lost Trades Fair (8-10 March) a three-day celebration of the skills, craftsmanship and passed-down knowledge of blacksmiths, leather tailors, wood turners and more.
Similarly skilled pit-masters take over Bendigo Showgrounds over two protein-filled days at Meatstock (14-15 March). Throughout the Easter long weekend, the Rosalind Park hub of the 154th Bendigo Easter Festival (18-21 April) hums with roving entertainers, markets and an epic hunt for 80,000 Easter eggs. In winter, the Bendigo Writers Festival (15-17 August) hosts workshops, book launches and sell-out literary events. By spring, thousands of tulips pop along Pall Mall for Bloom, transforming Bendigo into a kaleidoscopic floral haven.
Treat your taste buds to a culinary expedition around this gastronomic gem. Start planning your Bendigo adventure here.
