Image courtesy of the City of Greater Bendigo.
More than a century and a half after its goldrush heyday, the City of Greater Bendigo is a boomtown once again. But this time the city is mining a rich local resource of a different kind – a thriving artistic, cultural and gastronomic scene.
This economic resurgence centres on the world-class Bendigo Art Gallery, placed firmly on the national and international tourism map by dynamic director Karen Quinlan. Her series of clever and edgy contemporary exhibitions in recent years have drawn visitors in the tens of thousands to the grand 1887 Victorian building.
With a background in textiles and an NGV-trained eye for curation, Quinlan managed to edge out competition from larger galleries to bring international blockbusters to the town, including Dior: The Golden Age of Couture in 2009, The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions in 2011 and Grace Kelly: Style Icon in 2012.
As the tourist crowds grew, so did the town’s creative spirit, luring a fresh community of artists, artisans and craftspeople of all persuasions from Melbourne and beyond. The past five years have seen an explosion of high quality restaurants, cafes, boutiques, coffee bean roasteries, micro-breweries and artisanal studios in heritage buildings housing designers, photographers, jewellers and leathercrafters.
‘There’s even a new trade group known as “food fossickers”, people who find local growers to supply the restaurants so they can put local produce on the table,’ said Bendigo Tourism Manager Kathryn Mackenzie. ‘There’s an amazing energy in this city being generated through arts and culture, everyone is on the same page and it’s so exciting.’
Major cultural investment has followed, including the transformation of a decommissioned jail into the impressive 1000-seat Ulumbarra Theatre, upholstered and fitted by local furniture craftsman Jimmy Possum. The old gold-mining prison turned high-security facility, which once held notorious killer Chopper Read, hosted the world premiere of NED A New Australian Musical last week and other productions including Mary Poppins will be staged later this year.
Other redevelopments including modern extensions and upgrades to the gallery to house its growing permanent and touring collections, the refurbishment of magnificent historic homes into function venues and a new 128-room Mark Schaller Art Series Hotel have all helped create this tableau of a new arts culture against a heritage backdrop.
A thriving festival scene has sprung up too, with the Bendigo Writers Festival in August, the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music in September, and the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival in November.
As a regional centre for contemporary arts, Bendigo is an absolute goldmine.
For more information visit the City of Greater Bendigo.
