Editing Bendigo (section)

== Economy ==
Bendigo is a large and growing service economy. The major industries are health, finance (headquarters of the [[Bendigo and Adelaide Bank]] – Australia's fifth largest bank), tourism, commerce, education, food processing and primary industries, with some significant engineering industries (see below under "Manufacturing").

Bendigo's growth has stimulated growth in small surrounding rural towns (such as [[Elmore, Victoria|Elmore]], [[Heathcote, Victoria|Heathcote]], [[Rochester, Victoria|Rochester]], [[Inglewood, Victoria|Inglewood]], [[Dunolly, Victoria|Dunolly]] and [[Bridgewater on Loddon, Victoria|Bridgewater]]).

===Tourism===
[[File:Bendigo talking tram.jpg|thumb|Tourist tram passing the [[Bendigo Post Office]]]]
Tourism is a major component of the Bendigo economy, generating over A$364&nbsp;million in 2008/09.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://121.50.208.46/bendigo/BTB%20AnnRep%20FINAL.pdf |title=Bendigo Tourism Board Inc : Annual Report : 2008–2009 |publisher=121.50.208.46 |access-date=31 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081001/http://121.50.208.46/bendigo/BTB%20AnnRep%20FINAL.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Bendigo is popular with [[Heritage tourism|heritage tourists]] and [[cultural tourism|cultural tourists]] with the focus of tourism on the city's gold rush history. Prominent attractions include the [[Central Deborah Mine|Central Deborah Gold Mine]], the [[Trams in Bendigo|Bendigo Tramways]] (both of which are managed by the Bendigo Trust, a council-intertwined organisation dedicated to preserving Bendigo's heritage), the [[Golden Dragon Museum]], the [[Bendigo Pottery]], and the Great Stupa.

===Commerce===
[[File:Bendigo offices - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|Bendigo Bank (left)]]
The main retail centre of Bendigo is the central business district, with the suburbs of Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat, Golden Square, Strathdale, and Epsom also having shopping districts.

The city was home to one of Australia's few provincial [[stock exchanges]], the [[Bendigo Stock Exchange]], founded in the 1860s.

The city is the home of the headquarters of the [[Bendigo Bank]], established in 1858 as a building society. It is now a large retail bank with community bank branches throughout Australia. The bank is headquartered in Bendigo and is a major employer in the city (it also has a regional office at [[Melbourne Docklands]]).

===Manufacturing===
The City of Greater Bendigo Community Profile indicated that about 10.2% of the workforce were employed in manufacturing in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profile.id.com.au/bendigo/industries |title=Industry sector of employment &#124; City of Greater Bendigo |publisher=Profile.id |date=10 January 2011 |access-date=31 March 2015}}</ref> After the [[Victorian gold rush]], the introduction of deep quartz mining in Bendigo caused the development of a heavy manufacturing industry. Little of that now remains, but a large foundry (Keech Castings) makes mining, train, and other steel parts and a rubber factory remains (Motherson Elastomers, formerly Empire Rubber). [[Thales Australia]] (formerly ADI Limited) is an important heavy engineering company. Australia Defence Apparel is another key defence industry participant making military and police uniforms and bulletproof vests. [[Intervet]] (formerly Ausvac) is an important biotechnology company, producing vaccines for animals.

===Education===
[[File:Bendigo Mine Industries-01+ (573050550).jpg|thumb|Bendigo School of Mines]]
The [[Bendigo Senior Secondary College]] is the largest VCE provider in the state. [[Catherine McAuley College]] follows close after, which ranges from years 7–9 at the Coolock campus and 10–12 at the St Mary's campus. [[Girton Grammar School]], an independent school, provides education to students from years Prep-12. The Bendigo campus of [[La Trobe University]] is also a large and growing educational institution with nearly 5,000 undergraduates and postgraduates.

===Farming and agriculture===
The surrounding area, or "gold country", is quite harsh, rocky land with scrubby regrowth vegetation. The [[box-ironbark forest]] is used for timber (mainly sleepers and firewood) and beekeeping.

Sheep and cattle are grazed in the cleared areas. There are some large poultry and pig farms. Some relatively fertile areas are present along the rivers and creeks, where wheat and other crops such as [[canola]] are grown. The area produces premium wines, including [[Shiraz grape|Shiraz]], from a growing [[viticulture]] industry. [[Salinity]] is a problem in many valleys,<ref>Edwards, M. D., & Webb, J. A. (2003, November). Ground-Truthing of a Tempest Airborne Electromagnetic Survey in the Salinised Kamarooka Catchment, Near Bendigo in Central Victoria. In Proceedings CRC LEME Regional Regolith Symposium, Adelaide (pp. 110-114)</ref><ref>Lane, R., Heislers, D., & McDonald, P. (2001). Filling in the gaps? validation and integration of airborne EM data with surface and subsurface observations for catchment management? an example from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. Exploration Geophysics, 32(4), 225-235.</ref> but is under control.<ref>Reid, M. (1995, September). Burkes Flat—a salinity treatment success story. In Murray-Darling Basin Groundwater Workshop’. Wagga Wagga, NSW (unpublished)</ref> A relatively small [[eucalyptus]] oil industry operates there.<ref>McCartney, W. T. (2003). An introductory overview of the essential oil industry in Australia. In Proceedings of International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades international conference’.(Ed. C Green)[CD-ROM](IFEAT: London).</ref><ref>Goodger, J. Q., Heskes, A. M., King, D. J., Gleadow, R. M., & Woodrow, I. E. (2008). Micropropagation of Eucalyptus polybractea selected for key essential oil traits. Functional Plant Biology, 35(3), 247-251.</ref>

Bendigo provides services (including a large livestock exchange) to a large agricultural and grazing area on the Murray plains to its north.

===Gold mining===
One of the major revolutions in gold mining (during the Victorian gold rush) came when fields such as Bendigo, but also [[Ballarat, Victoria|Ballarat]], [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]] and the goldfields close to Mount Alexander, turned out to have large gold deposits below the superficial alluvial deposits that had been (partially) mined out. Gold at Bendigo was found in quartz reef systems, hosted within highly deformed mudstones and sandstones or were washed away into channels of ancient rivers. Tunnels as deep as {{convert|900|m|ft|abbr=off}} ([[Stawell, Victoria|Stawell]]) were possible.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VT2FzwEACAAJ |title = Gold, Gems and Pearls in Ceylon and Southern India | first=AMJ | last=Ferguson |date = 27 October 2022 | publisher=London, [[John Haddon & Co]]. | page = 283 |isbn = 978-1-01-679788-7 }} URL: [http://www.farlang.com/gemstones/ferguson-gold-gems-pearls/page_292 Gold, Gems, Pearls Ceylon, Australian Gold Fields Discussion]</ref>

Until overtaken in the 1890s by the Western Australia goldfields, Bendigo was the most productive Australian gold area, with a total production over 622 tonnes (20 million ounces).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Craig |date=2023-04-28 |title=Things to Do In Bendigo In 2023 {{!}} Your Ultimate Guide |url=https://finderhub.com.au/things-to-do-in-bendigo/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Finder Hub |language=en-US}}</ref>

Over the 100-odd year period from 1851 to 1954, the 3,600-hectare area that made up the Bendigo gold field yielded 777 tonnes (25 million ounces) of gold.<ref name="post">{{cite web|url=http://home.comcast.net/~DLEStamps/Victoria_EarlyPostalCancelsIllustrated_SectionII_1851to1853.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102071906/http://home.comcast.net/~DLEStamps/Victoria_EarlyPostalCancelsIllustrated_SectionII_1851to1853.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-02|title=State of Victoria Early Postal Cancels (and History) Illustrated, Section II: 1851 to 1853|publisher=Home.comcast.net|access-date=31 March 2015}}</ref>

A large amount of gold remains in the Bendigo goldfields, estimated to be at least as much again as what has been removed. The decline in mining was partly due to the depth of mines and the presence of water in the deep mines.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}