The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) and, in August 2021, had a population of 121,470.[3] It includes the city of Bendigo and the towns of Axedale, Elmore, Heathcote, Marong, Raywood and Strathfieldsaye. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the former City of Bendigo with the Borough of Eaglehawk, Shire of Strathfieldsaye, Shire of Huntly and parts of the Rural City of Marong and Shire of McIvor.[2] It is the state's third largest economy base and is considered a service and infrastructure centre for north central Victoria. The city is surrounded by 40,000 hectares of regional, state and national parkland.[4]
| City of Greater Bendigo Victoria | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location in Victoria | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 121,470 (2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 40/km2 (105/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1994 | ||||||||||||||
| Gazetted | 7 April 1994[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 3,000 km2 (1,158.3 sq mi)[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Andrea Metcalf | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Bendigo | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Loddon Mallee | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Bendigo | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Website | City of Greater Bendigo | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The city is governed and administered by the Greater Bendigo City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Bendigo, it also has service centres located in Heathcote, Huntly, Marong and a couple of other locations within Bendigo. The city is named after the main urban settlement lying in the centre-west of the LGA, that is Bendigo, which is also the LGA's most populous urban area with a population of 99,122.[5]
Council
edit
Current composition
editThe council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward.[6] The most recent election was held in October 2024.
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axedale | Independent Liberal | Shivali Chatley | ||
| Eppalock | Independent | Aaron Spong | ||
| Epsom | Independent | Andrea Metcalf | Mayor | |
| Golden Square | Independent | Karen Corr | ||
| Kennington | Independent Labor | Abhishek Awasthi | ||
| Lake Weeroona | Independent | Thomas Prince | ||
| Lockwood | Independent | John McIlrath | ||
| Ravenswood | Independent Labor | Damien Hurrell | ||
| Whipstick | Victorian Socialists | Owen Cosgriff | ||
Administration and governance
editThe council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Bendigo Town Hall offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre on Lyttleton Terrace in Bendigo and its service centres in Heathcote, Huntly and Marong and also on Hopetoun Street and St Andrews Avenue in Bendigo.
2023 Council Election Review
editIn the lead up to the 2024 Victorian local elections, The Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a review into the electoral structure of multiple Victorian councils, including the City of Greater Bendigo, The review found that the city should adopt nine single-councillor wards at the election, namely:
- Axedale Ward
- Eppalock Ward
- Epsom Ward
- Golden Square Ward
- Kennington Ward
- Lake Weeroona Ward
- Lockwood Ward
- Ravenswood Ward
- Whipstick Ward
Townships and localities
editAt the 2021 census, the city had a population of 121,470 up from 110,477 in the 2016 census[8]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Argyle | 215 | 272 |
| Ascot | 1,968 | 2,571 |
| Avonmore | 43 | 42 |
| Axe Creek | 352 | 452 |
| Axedale | 802 | 984 |
| Bagshot | 288 | 355 |
| Bagshot North | 30 | 39 |
| Barnadown | 17 | 12 |
| Bendigo | 5,512 | 5,652 |
| Big Hill | 261 | 281 |
| California Gully | 4,363 | 4,476 |
| Costerfield | 75 | 70 |
| Derrinal | 49 | 99 |
| Drummartin | 38 | 42 |
| Eaglehawk | 5,691 | 5,538 |
| Eaglehawk North | 5 | 13 |
| East Bendigo | 2,092 | 2,246 |
| Elmore | 776 | 847 |
| Emu Creek | 359 | 376 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Eppalock | 685 | 746 |
| Epsom | 4,325 | 5,014 |
| Flora Hill | 3,955 | 3,989 |
| Fosterville | 63 | 57 |
| Golden Gully | 211 | 213 |
| Golden Square | 8,820 | 9,220 |
| Goornong | 654 | 718 |
| Harcourt North^ | 265 | 291 |
| Heathcote | 2,793 | 2,962 |
| Hunter | 44 | 23 |
| Huntly | 2,379 | 3,585 |
| Huntly North | 43 | 46 |
| Ironbark | 1,095 | 1,163 |
| Jackass Flat | 1,141 | 1,907 |
| Junortoun | 3,201 | 3,862 |
| Kamarooka^ | 92 | 89 |
| Kangaroo Flat | 10,394 | 11,328 |
| Kennington | 5,649 | 5,880 |
| Kimbolton | 73 | 96 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Knowsley | 160 | 168 |
| Ladys Pass | 111 | 118 |
| Leichardt^ | 125 | 167 |
| Lockwood | 754 | 806 |
| Lockwood South^ | 961 | 1,052 |
| Long Gully | 3,383 | 3,420 |
| Longlea | 506 | 570 |
| Maiden Gully | 4,992 | 5,407 |
| Mandurang | 641 | 753 |
| Mandurang South | 247 | 280 |
| Marong^ | 1,416 | 2,005 |
| Mia Mia^ | 178 | 213 |
| Mount Camel | 106 | 136 |
| Myers Flat | 459 | 545 |
| Myrtle Creek^ | 67 | 68 |
| Neilborough | 290 | 379 |
| North Bendigo | 4,059 | 4,277 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Quarry Hill | 2,339 | 2,365 |
| Ravenswood^ | 436 | 443 |
| Raywood^ | 318 | 329 |
| Redcastle^ | 68 | 67 |
| Redesdale^ | 240 | 299 |
| Sailors Gully | 711 | 743 |
| Sebastian^ | 217 | 251 |
| Sedgwick | 546 | 614 |
| Shelbourne^ | 452 | 423 |
| Spring Gully | 3,000 | 3,092 |
| Strathdale | 5,663 | 5,756 |
| Strathfieldsaye | 5,428 | 6,850 |
| Toolleen^ | 182 | 221 |
| Wellsford | 126 | 144 |
| West Bendigo | 375 | 378 |
| Whipstick | 10 | 18 |
| White Hills | 3,219 | 3,620 |
| Wilsons Hill | 77 | 88 |
| Woodvale | 449 | 556 |
^ – Territory divided with another LGA
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "2021 Greater Bendigo, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Order Constituting the Greater Bendigo City Council ..." Victoria Government Gazette (S12). State Government of Victoria: 1–5. 7 April 1994. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2021: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2021), 2021". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2021.
- ^ "About Greater Bendigo". City of Greater Bendigo.
- ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
- ^ Local Government in Victoria. "Greater Bendigo City Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ VEC. "Results". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 11 January 2023.
External links
edit
Media related to City of Greater Bendigo at Wikimedia Commons- Greater Bendigo City Council official website
- Bendigo information and community site
- Metlink local public transport profile
- Link to Land Victoria interactive maps Archived 24 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
