WELCOME TO GREATER BENDIGO FOR NEW RESIDENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The City of Greater Bendigo is on both Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country. The City acknowledges and extends its appreciation to the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung People, the Traditional Owners of this land. The City pays its respects to leaders and Elder’s past, present and emerging for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes of all Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Peoples. We express our gratitude in the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and cultural costs of that sharing, and our hope that we may walk forward together in harmony and in the spirt of healing. CONTENTS 4 WELCOME TO THE CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO 21 GENERAL WASTE, ORGANICS & RECYCLING 5 REGIONAL OVERVIEW 24 GETTING AROUND 8 YOUR COUNCILLORS 25 HOME SUPPORT SERVICES 26 LIBRARIES 9 SERVICES FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY 27 PARKING 10 ANIMALS & PETS 28 PARKS, PLAY SPACES & NATURAL RESERVES 11 ARTS & CULTURE 31 PAYING YOUR RATES 14 BUILDING SERVICES 32 ROADS & DRAINAGE 15 BUILDING ASSISTANCE 33 STATUTORY PLANNING 16 CHILDREN & FAMILIES 34 STRATEGIC PLANNING 17 CITY CENTRE EVENTS & ACTIVITIES 35 TOURISM & MAJOR EVENTS 18 COMMUNICATIONS 37 VOLUNTEERING 19 COMMUNITY GRANTS 37 YO BENDIGO (YOUTH SERVICES) 19 CUSTOMER REQUESTS 20 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 38 SERVICES CONTACT LIST WELCOME TO THE CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO Dear resident, Welcome to Greater Bendigo and thank you for choosing to make your home here. You join a growing number of people who are discovering the many benefits of living and working in our vibrant and progressive community. Our many attributes include award-winning restaurants and cafes, a celebrated arts and culture scene, a range of festivals and major events, Qantas flights to Sydney and beyond, quality sport and recreation facilities, affordable housing, and beautiful heritage and natural surrounds. Through this booklet we are delighted to introduce the many services provided by the City of Greater Bendigo. We deliver many services to the community including maternal and child health, immunisation, aged care, road, drainage and footpath construction and maintenance, waste collection, The Capital and Ulumbarra theatres, Bendigo Art Gallery and the Post Office Gallery, Visitor Information Centres, economic development, parks and gardens maintenance, swimming pools and sports grounds, and much more. For more information about the many ways we serve our community and how we can assist you, please visit our website at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au If you have any questions, please contact one of our friendly Customer Support staff by calling 5434 6000. They will be happy to help you. I hope you enjoy getting to know your new community. Sincerely, Craig Niemann Chief Executive Officer 4 REGIONAL OVERVIEW Greater Bendigo has played a significant role in the history of Australia as one of the country’s largest, richest and important goldfields and now as a major regional Victorian city. The discovery of gold in the Bendigo Creek in 1851 sparked a rush of people to the area, transforming a remote and quiet valley into a prosperous and thriving city. While Bendigo owes much of its bright future to the legacies provided by its rich golden past, it has gone on to become one of Australia’s most progressive and beautiful cities boasting a growing population of more than 116,000 people and an enviable lifestyle for its residents – in short it’s a great place to live, work, invest, play and raise a family. LOCATION AND WEATHER Located north of the Great Dividing Range in the exact geographic centre of Victoria, Bendigo enjoys a temperate climate featuring dry summers, cool winters, sunny springs, mild autumns and beautiful blue skies. ACCESS BENDIGO Bendigo is strategically placed with easy access to ports, excellent road and rail infrastructure, and a recently upgraded MELBOURNE airport. It is within a 100 minute drive or rail trip to central Melbourne and a 90 minute drive to Melbourne Airport. Bendigo is accessed by the Calder, McIvor, Midland, Loddon Valley and Wimmera Highways. 5 LOCAL ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT Greater Bendigo’s economy continues to grow with the establishment of new businesses, the expansion of existing businesses and the relocation of others to our city. Greater Bendigo offers a strong labour force across a diverse and productive industry and professional base. Education and training, health, retail and the manufacturing sector employ half of the region’s workforce. Bendigo is also a major regional finance centre and home to the national headquarters of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Australia’s leading regional bank, and the Rural Finance Corporation. Bendigo is the major service centre for surrounding towns and has a catchment population in excess of 165,000 people located within a 45 minute radius of its city centre. It also serves populations in northern Victoria and southern New HOUSING South Wales as a major centre for health, government and a Bendigo has some of the finest examples of Victorian range of specialised services. architecture in the country and has a superb range of housing, There are over 8,200 registered businesses across Greater from quaint miner’s cottages, to large turn-of-the-century Bendigo with 97 per cent of these businesses employing fewer homes and modern contemporary houses. On average, than 20 staff. Bendigo’s housing costs considerably less than Melbourne’s. Wherever you are in Bendigo, you are only a walk or a short drive away from the centre of town. EDUCATION Bendigo offers a full range of higher education facilities and course options through La Trobe University Bendigo and HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICES Bendigo TAFE. In addition, Bendigo boasts a number of Bendigo is home to the largest regional public hospital in private and public secondary schools, including Bendigo Victoria, as well as a private hospital and day surgery and Senior Secondary College (Victoria’s biggest VCE college) and boasts an abundance of allied health and wellbeing providers, a large number of primary schools, pre-schools and child care and various medical training facilities. facilities. 6 LIVEABILITY Greater Bendigo offers a fantastic regional lifestyle with a great As a major service centre, Bendigo offers a comprehensive climate, clean air, quality water and no noise pollution. It is a selection of leading retail centres, strip shopping, weekend lifestyle that makes you time-rich, so you can spend more time markets and other shopping venues. Bendigo’s major retailers with your family or pursue other recreational activities. and its many specialty shops offer an excellent choice and Bendigo is celebrated for its arts and culture offerings, with range of goods. attractions including the renowned Bendigo Art Gallery, The Greater Bendigo offers an enviable lifestyle, the Capital and Ulumbarra theatres, Bendigo Pottery, Central people are warm and welcoming, and the Deborah Gold Mine and Golden Dragon Museum. unique combination of businesses, Bendigo hosts a range of great events including the annual recreational and cultural attractions Bendigo Easter Festival - Australia’s oldest ongoing festival, combine to make it a great the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Groovin the Moo music place to live, work, play, festival and the Summer in the Parks program that attract visit and do business. people to the region and provide entertainment for residents. Greater Bendigo has a long and proud sporting heritage and has some of the best sport and recreational facilities available in regional Victoria. The grand parks, lakes and tranquil bushland areas feature a network of hundreds of kilometres of shared walking and cycling tracks that offer a quiet escape for jogging, cycling or walking. The region is well known for its excellent wineries, restaurants, cafes and great pubs. 7 YOUR Pictured L-R: Deputy Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf, Cr Vaughan Williams, COUNCILLORS Cr Julie Sloan, Cr Greg Penna, Mayor Cr Jennifer Alden, Cr Dave Fagg, Cr Margaret O’Rourke, Cr Rod Fyffe OAM and Cr Matthew Evans. The Greater Bendigo City Council comprises nine Councillors who are elected by the community every four years to represent the interests of all residents and ratepayers in the municipality. The next Council elections will be in 2020. Elmore More information on the role of Councillors can be found online WHIPSTICK WARD at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/councillors Raywood Neilborough COUNCIL WARDS Sebastian Goornong Lockwood Ward Huntly Mayor Cr Jennifer Alden Eaglehawk Bendigo Phone: 4408 6695 Myers Flat Epsom Email: [email protected] Marong Maiden Gully Cr Rod Fyffe OAM Golden Square Flora Hill Axedale Phone: 4408 6688 Strathfieldsaye Email: [email protected] LOCKWOOD WARD Kangaroo Flat Mandurang Cr Vaughan Williams Lockwood EPPALOCK WARD Phone: 4408 6696 Costerfield Email: [email protected] Ravenswood Heathcote Localities include: Big Hill, Golden Gully, Golden Square, Harcourt North, Kangaroo Flat, Leichardt, Lockwood, Lockwood South, Maiden Gully, Mandurang, Mandurang South, Marong, Mia Mia Myers Flat, Quarry Hill, Ravenswood, Sailors Gully, Sedgwick, Redesdale Shelbourne, Spring Gully, West Bendigo and Wilsons Hill. Whipstick Ward Deputy Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf Eppalock Ward Phone: 4408 6697 Cr Margaret O’Rourke Email: [email protected] Phone: 4408 6692 [email protected] Cr Dave Fagg Email: Phone: 4408 6698 Cr Greg Penna Email: [email protected] Phone: 4408 6690 [email protected]