Bendigo

As of 2022, the urban core area of Bendigo had an official population of 103,818 making it Australia's 19th-largest city by population. Bendigo is the fourth-largest inland city in Australia and the fourth-most populous city in Victoria.

Bendigo is administered by the City of Greater Bendigo. The council area encompasses roughly 3,000 square kilometres. The city is surrounded by smaller towns such as Castlemaine, Heathcote, Kyneton, Maryborough, Elmore, Rochester, Goornong and Axedale.

The traditional owners of the area are the Dja Dja Wurrung (Djaara) people. The discovery of gold on Bendigo Creek in 1851 transformed the area from a sheep station into one of colonial Australia's largest boomtowns. News of the finds intensified the Victorian gold rush, bringing an influx of migrants from around the world, particularly Europe and China. Bendigo became eastern Australia's largest 19th-century gold-mining economy, and the wealth generated during this period is reflected today in the city's Victorian architectural heritage. From 1853 until 1891, Bendigo was officially named Sandhurst.