Bendigo, the fourth largest city in Victoria, is located in the centre of the state. It was founded in 1851 and became a city 20 years later in 1871. Officially the city was called Sandhurst after the town in the Unied Kingdom but it was changed to Bendigo in 1891.
Previously a centre for gold mining, Bendigo once more enjoys a rapidly growing economy based on tourism, commerce, education, manufacturing, mining and agriculture.
Bendigo is twinned to three international cities/towns: Penzance in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, Los Altos in California USA and Tianshui in the People's Republic of China