5 things to do in Bendigo this weekend

Bendigo's combination of extraordinary Victorian architecture, one of Australia's best regional art galleries, the tram network, and the wine region to the northeast make it a weekend that routinely surprises visitors who underestimate what regional Victoria can offer at this level of quality.

Bendigo Art Gallery

The Bendigo Art Gallery is consistently ranked among Australia's best regional art galleries, and the ranking is justified by the permanent collection of Australian and international art, and more particularly by the blockbuster temporary exhibitions that the gallery has become famous for staging. Exhibitions drawn from the Louvre, the V&A, and major US museum collections have established Bendigo as a genuine destination for art tourism in a way that very few regional galleries in the world have achieved.

Central Deborah Gold Mine

The underground mine experience at Central Deborah takes visitors 61 metres underground through the drives that produced almost a tonne of gold during the mine's active life. The tour includes the equipment, the working conditions, and the geological context that makes the goldfields history tangible rather than merely architectural. The tram that runs from the mine along Pall Mall to the Tramways Museum adds to the heritage immersion.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

The Gothic Revival cathedral on Wattle Street is among the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in regional Australia, the sandstone facade, the rose window, and the proportions of the nave are of a quality that would be remarkable in a city ten times Bendigo's size. Guided tours are available; the cathedral is open to visitors during daylight hours.

The Heathcote wine region

The Heathcote wine region, 50 kilometres south of Bendigo, produces some of Victoria's finest Shiraz from the ancient Cambrian soils of the Mt Ida ridge. Jasper Hill, Heathcote Estate, and Wild Duck Creek Estate are among the producers that have established Heathcote as a destination for wine tourism that complements the Bendigo weekend beautifully.

Golden Dragon Museum

The largest collection of Chinese ceremonial objects outside China tells the story of the Chinese miners who played an essential and often underacknowledged role in the Bendigo goldfields. The museum's imperial dragons, used in the Easter Fair procession since 1892, are extraordinary objects, the longest ceremonial dragons in the world.