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 more than 100 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. 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 South Wales as a major centre for health, government and a range of specialised services. There are over 7,900 registered businesses across Greater Bendigo with 98 per cent of these businesses employing fewer than 20 staff. HOUSING Education and training, health, retail and the manufacturing Bendigo has some of the finest examples of Victorian sector employ half of the region’s workforce. Bendigo is also architecture in the country and has a superb range of housing, a major regional finance centre and home to the national from quaint miner’s cottages, to large turn-of-the-century headquarters of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Australia’s homes and modern contemporary houses. On average, leading regional bank, and the Rural Finance Corporation. 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 the HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICES Bendigo Kangan Institute (TAFE). In addition, Bendigo boasts Bendigo is home to the largest regional public hospital in a number of private and public secondary schools, including Victoria, as well as a private hospital and day surgery and Bendigo Senior Secondary College (Victoria’s biggest VCE boasts an abundance of allied health and wellbeing providers, college) and a large number of primary schools, pre-schools and various medical training facilities. and child care 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 selection of leading retail centres, strip shopping, weekend a lifestyle that makes you time-rich, so you can spend more markets and other shopping venues. Bendigo’s major retailers time 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 (Standing L-R): Jennifer Alden, Malcolm Pethybridge, Rod Fyffe, Susie Hawke, George Flack (seated L-R): Margaret O’Rourke, James Williams, Andrea Metcalf and Matt Emond. YOUR COUNCILLORS 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. More information on the role of Councillors can be found online at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/councillors COUNCIL WARDS Eppalock Ward Cr Margaret O’Rourke Phone: 0429 061 096 Email: [email protected] Cr George Flack Phone: 0429 083 993 Email: [email protected] Cr Susie Hawke Phone: 0427 462 358 Email: [email protected] Localities include: Argyle, Axe Creek, Axedale, Bendigo, Costerfield, Derrinal, East Bendigo, Emu Creek, Eppalock, Flora Hill, Heathcote, Junortoun, Kennington, Kimbolton, Knowsley, Ladys Pass, Longlea, Lyal, Mia Mia, Mount Camel, Myrtle Creek, Whipstick Ward Redcastle, Redesdale, Strathdale, Strathfieldsaye and Tooleen. Cr James Williams Lockwood Ward Phone: 0427 211 677 Cr Rod Fyffe OAM Email: [email protected] Phone: 0419 874 015 Cr Malcolm Pethybridge [email protected] Email: Phone: 0427 376 983 Cr Matt Emond Email: [email protected] Phone: 0499 007 473 Cr Andrea Metcalf [email protected] Email: Phone: 0499 009 096 Cr Jennifer Alden Email: [email protected] 0499 005 735 Phone: Localities include: Ascot, Avonmore, Bagshot, Bagshot Email: [email protected] North, Barnadown, Bendigo, California Gully, Drummartin, Localities include: Big Hill, Golden Gully, Golden Square, Eaglehawk, Eaglehawk North, East Bendigo, Elmore, Epsom, Harcourt North, Kangaroo Flat, Leichardt, Lockwood, Lockwood Fosterville, Goornong, Hunter, Huntly, Huntly North, Ironbark, South, Maiden Gully, Mandurang, Mandurang South, Marong, Jackass Flat, Kamarooka, Long Gully, Neilborough, North Myers Flat, Quarry Hill, Ravenswood, Sailors Gully, Sedgwick, Bendigo, Raywood, Sebastian, Wellsford, Whipstick, White Hills Shelbourne, Spring Gully, West Bendigo and Wilsons Hill.