Editing Bendigo (section)

===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}}