Bendigo, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bendigo lies in north-central Victoria, roughly 150 kilometres north-west of Melbourne and close to the state's geographic centre, set in a shallow valley around Bendigo Creek. The traditional owners of the area are the Dja Dja Wurrung, also called the Djaara. A quiet sheep run until gold was found in 1851, it swelled into one of eastern Australia's richest goldfields, and the wealth still shows in its grand Victorian streetscapes. Landmarks include the soaring Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Central Deborah Gold Mine, and the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. The city's name is thought to trace to a local shepherd nicknamed after an English prize-fighter, though the story is debated. Bendigo Bank keeps its name nationally known.
Around the national middle
Bendigo is more socio-economically advantaged than about 48% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 983, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bendigo at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,652
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,429
- SEIFA score
- 983
- Coordinates
- -36.7562, 144.2814
Bendigo demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bendigo using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 45% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 726 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 734 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,465 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,549 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,163 | 21% |
Share of the 5,637 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 775 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 559 | 22% |
| Rented | 1,115 | 45% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,048 | 82% |
| Townhouses & semis | 374 | 15% |
| Flats & apartments | 63 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,506 occupied private dwellings in Bendigo.
- Median weekly rent
- $290
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,482
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,984
- Median weekly personal income
- $821
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 714 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 477 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 126 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,697 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 1,649
- Employed part-time
- 1,023
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Bendigo
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Bendigo is January (average daytime high around 30.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.8°C). The area receives roughly 585 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.1°C | 15.7°C | 42 mm |
| Feb | 28.6°C | 14.8°C | 19 mm |
| Mar | 25.7°C | 13.6°C | 37 mm |
| Apr | 20.5°C | 10.4°C | 56 mm |
| May | 15.5°C | 7.6°C | 52 mm |
| Jun | 12.5°C | 5.6°C | 55 mm |
| Jul | 11.8°C | 4.7°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 12.9°C | 4.8°C | 55 mm |
| Sep | 16°C | 6.4°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 20.3°C | 8.7°C | 63 mm |
| Nov | 23.6°C | 10.8°C | 58 mm |
| Dec | 27.3°C | 13.3°C | 43 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Bendigo
Where is Bendigo?
Bendigo is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Bendigo?
At the 2021 Census, Bendigo had a population of about 5,652.
Is Bendigo an advantaged area?
Bendigo has an ABS SEIFA score of 983, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 48 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 48% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Bendigo?
Bendigo has average daytime highs of about 20.4°C and overnight lows of about 9.7°C, with roughly 585 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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