Sights in Bendigo
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Golden Dragon Museum & Chinese Gardens
Bendigo’s proud Chinese heritage can be explored at the wonderful Golden Dragon Museum & Chinese Gardens. Two enormous processional dragons, Old Loong (the world’s oldest) and Sun Loong (the world’s longest), reside here. Old Loong arrived in 1892 for the annual Bendigo Easter Festival, and Sun Loong took over in 1970 when Old Loong retired. The museum traces the involvement of the Chinese community in the development of Bendigo. Across the road are the pretty ornamental Chinese gardens and there’s a tearoom serving light meals and yum cha.
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Rosalind Park
In the city centre, this lovely green space has lawns, big old trees, fernery and the fabulous Cascades Fountain, which was excavated after being buried for 120 years. Climb to the top of the lookout tower for sensational 360-degree views or wander through the Conservatory Gardens.
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Bendigo Pottery
Australia's oldest pottery works, the Bendigo Pottery was founded in 1857 and is classified by the National Trust. The historic kilns are still used; watch potters at work, admire the gorgeous ceramic pieces or throw a pot yourself (half-/full day $12/18). The attached museum (adult/child $8/4) tells the story of pottery through the ages. It's 7km northeast of the centre.
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Bendigo Art Gallery
One of Victoria's finest regional galleries, the permanent collection here includes outstanding colonial and contemporary Australian art, such as work by Charles Blackman, Fred Williams, Rupert Bunny and Lloyd Rees; the annual temporary exhibitions are cutting edge. The Gallery Café overlooks Rosalind Park.
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Sacred Heart Cathedral
You can't miss the soaring steeple of this wonderful cathedral. Inside, beneath the high vaulted ceiling, there's a magnificently carved bishop's chair, some beautiful stained-glass windows, and wooden angels jutting out of the ceiling arches.
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Confectionery Capers
It’s fun, fun, fun at Confectionery Capers. No lollies here (8km southeast of town), just an amazing display of whirls, whizzes and word plays: Barbie dolls in a line? A tree in a toilet? You have to go there for it all to make sense…
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Goldfields Historic Chinese Cemetery
The Goldfields Historic Chinese Cemetery is the oldest and most significant of its kind in Australia, with a prayer oven where paper money for the spirits of the dead was burnt.
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White Hills Botanic Gardens
Just 2km north of town, the gardens feature many exotic and rare plant species, a small fauna park, aviary, and barbecue facilities.
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Discovery Science & Technology Centre
The huge Discovery Science & Technology Centre has a wide range of interesting and educational exhibits, including a planetarium.
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Chinese Joss House
Painted red, the traditional colour for strength, this is the only remaining practising joss house in central Victoria. It's 2km northwest of the centre.
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Tramways Museum
the last stop on the Bendigo Talking Tram line; covers the history of Bendigo Tramways.
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Lake Weeroona
Bendigo's little lake is a favourite spot for boating, kayaking or just walking around the path that encircles it. It's 1.5km northeast of the centre.
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Golden Dragon Museum & Gardens
Bendigo's obvious Chinese heritage sets it apart from other goldfields towns, and this fantastic museum and garden is the place to experience it. Walk through a huge wooden door into an awesome chamber filled with dragons, including the Imperial Dragons Old Loong (the oldest in the world) and Sun Loong (the longest in the world at over 100m). Outside, the Yin Yuan (Garden of Joy) classical Chinese gardens are a tranquil little haven with bridges, water features and ornamental shrubs.
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Central Deborah Goldmine
For a very deep experience, descend into this 500m-deep mine with a geologist. Worked on 17 levels, about 1000kg of gold has been removed. After donning hard hats and lights, you're taken down the shaft to inspect the operations, complete with drilling demonstrations.
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Bendigo Talking Tram
For an interesting tour of the city, hop aboard one of the restored vintage 'talking' trams. The hop-on, hop-off trip runs from the Central Deborah Mine to the Tramways Museum every half-hour making half a dozen stops.
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