Bendigo is another famous Gold mining town situated at the junction of five highways and is the third largest regional town of Victoria. The city presents exotic remnants of historical wealth and rich rewards derived from gold of the Chinese who came to these Goldfields, and still remained.

Golden Dragon Museum celebrates the Chinese community's history within the Bendigo region. The centrepiece of the museum is the Sun Loong Dragon, more than 100 metres long, and the longest imperial Dragon in the world. The dragon's head alone weighs 29kg and the whole dragon requires 52 people to carry with another 52 relievers during processions.

Day to day memorabilia such as opium pipes and mah-jong tiles are displayed with richly embroidered costumes. Take a fascinating tour of the mines, which display the surface and underground workings of the mines. Items to see are rock drills, boilers, a stokehold and winding engine. The underground mine tour offers a reality of the old times demonstrating the workings of a rock drill, ore lifters and air pipes.



Distance

• 150 kms from Melbourne via Calder Highway.

Activities

• Get rich and prospect for gold with the Bendigo Goldfields Experience, grab your metsl detector and pick and start looking.
• Talking Tram Tour runs over a 4.2 kilometre route - 8.4 kms round trip - with the tour commencing at the Central Deborah Gold Mine.
• Golden Dragon Museum declares itself 'a living history of the Chinese people of Bendigo from the goldrush of the 1850s to the present day.
• Bendigo Art Gallery is a symbol of the wealth generated by gold. Recognised as one of the finest regional art galleries in Australia.