Woven into the City: The Story of Bendigo’s Trams
Bendigo Tramways has been in operation since June 1890. From that time, the citizens of Bendigo have experienced battery, steam and electric trams. Over the years Bendigo’s trams have become intrinsically entwined with the city’s identity and the community that they serve.
Bengek womin-dji-ka bengen-ano djandak, Larrak Dja Dja Wurrung kundidja
(I welcome you to my Country, Home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people)
Bendigo Tramways is renowned for being storytellers of Bendigo’s fascinating history. Thanks to the introduction of the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram in 2017, Bendigo Tramways now shares the story of Bendigo’s first people.
Read more: Aboriginal Culture comes to life aboard the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram
Gold In The Balance
The “official” discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 sparked an unprecedented period of mass migration to Australia with gold seekers from a wide range of different nationalities, ethnic groups, and cultural backgrounds following the lure of gold. They came from all corners of the globe with the larger migrant groups originating from places like Great Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe, America, and southern China. For some it was the adventure of a lifetime, an opportunity to find a fortune beyond their wildest dreams. For many others it was a chance to make a new life for themselves and their families, an opportunity to escape famine, poverty, unemployment, war, political instability, economic turmoil, and religious persecution.
People from all over the world came to Bendigo in search of gold, but perhaps none is as evident and celebrated as the Chinese. Bendigo is still known today as ‘Dai Gum San’ or ‘Big Gold Mountain’ by the Chinese.
In the mid-1800s, 20 percent of Bendigo’s population hailed from China. They came as miners and merchants, bringing their customs, culture and beliefs to the goldfields. Today, the city still celebrates the impact that they made.
Gold was officially discovered at Bendigo in September 1851 at a location known as “The Rocks” near the junction of the Bendigo Creek and Golden Gully in what is now Golden Square. The discovery was made by Mrs. Margaret Kennedy and Mrs. Julia Farrell, the wives of two employees of the nearby Ravenswood Run. Gold discoveries had been made in this area by shepherds and prospectors as early as the 1840’s. However, these discoveries were kept secret by the squatters and the Victorian colonial government who feared that a gold rush would disrupt the colony’s pastoral industry and social order.
Read more: Unearth the Rich History of the Bendigo Gold Rush!
Bendigo’s story goes back 400 million years when – during the Paleozoic Era – volcanic activity resulted in sedimentary rock becoming tightly folded and intruded by gold bearing quartz.
Hundreds of millions of years later two farmers’ wives were washing their clothes in the creek and saw gold nuggets glistening in the water, sparking the biggest gold rush in the world at the time.
Gold was officially discovered at Bendigo in September 1851 at a location known as “The Rocks” near the junction of the Bendigo Creek and Golden Gully in what is now Golden Square.
The discovery was made by Mrs. Margaret Kennedy and Mrs. Julia Farrell, the wives of two employees of the nearby Ravenswood Pastoral Run. Gold discoveries had been made in this area by shepherds and prospectors as early as the 1840’s however these discoveries were kept secret by the squatters and the Victorian colonial government.
Read more: Bendigo is a City Built on Gold!
Are you tired of all the “usual” camps but don’t know where else to go?
Does your current list of camps offer limited options in terms of things to see and do or involve too many hours of bus travel?
Read more: Seven great facts about Bendigo for your next school camp
In Bendigo, we’re always raving about our gold mining history, but Bendigo isn’t the only place in Australia where gold was discovered, so what’s the big deal?
As it turns out, there are a few reasons why the Bendigo goldfield was a bigger deal than most other places in Australia … starting with the amount of gold that was found!
Bendigo Heritage acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Bendigo Heritage celebrate the stories, culture, and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who also work and live on this land.
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