City of Greater Bendigo
Local government area in Victoria, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 mi2) and, in August 2021, had a population of 121,470.[1] It includes the city of Bendigo and the towns of Axedale, Elmore, Heathcote, Marong, Raywood and Strathfieldsaye. It is the state's third largest economy base and is considered a service and infrastructure centre for north central Victoria. The city is surrounded by 40,000 hectares of regional, state and national parkland.[4]
City of Greater Bendigo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location in Victoria | |||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Loddon Mallee | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1994 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Bendigo | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Thomas Prince | ||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 121,470 (2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 40/km2 (105/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Gazetted | 7 April 1994[3] | ||||||||||||
| Website | City of Greater Bendigo | ||||||||||||
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The city is governed and administered by the Greater Bendigo City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Bendigo, it also has service centres located in Heathcote, Huntly, Marong and a couple of other locations within Bendigo. The city is named after the main urban settlement lying in the centre-west of the LGA, that is Bendigo, which is also the LGA's most populous urban area with a population of 99,122.[5]
History
The City of Greater Bendigo was formed on 7 April 1994, initially from the amalgamation of the former City of Bendigo with the Borough of Eaglehawk, the Shire of Strathfieldsaye, the Shire of Huntly and the Rural City of Marong.[3]
In November 1994, the city gained the Heathcote district and the Lake Eppalock hinterland from the Shire of McIvor.[6] In January 1995, the rural western flank of the city (part of the former Rural City of Marong) was moved into the new Shire of Loddon, while the city gained the Redesdale district from the Shire of Metcalfe.[7][8]
Council
Current composition
The council is composed of nine single member wards.[9] The most recent election was held in October 2024.
Lockwood Ward has been vacant since 17 November 2025 when John McIlrath, who was elected at the 2024 election, resigned. He was succeeded by current councillor Donna Nicholas after a by-election held in March 2026.[10][11]
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axedale | Independent Liberal | Shivali Chatley | ||
| Eppalock | Independent | Aaron Spong | ||
| Epsom | Independent | Andrea Metcalf | ||
| Golden Square | Independent | Karen Corr | Deputy Mayor | |
| Kennington | Independent Labor | Abhishek Awasthi | ||
| Lake Weeroona | Independent | Thomas Prince | Mayor | |
| Lockwood | Independent | Donna Nicholas | ||
| Ravenswood | Independent Labor | Damien Hurrell | ||
| Whipstick | Victorian Socialists | Owen Cosgriff | ||
List of mayors
Administration and governance
The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Bendigo Town Hall offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre on Lyttleton Terrace in Bendigo and its service centres in Heathcote, Huntly and Marong and also on Hopetoun Street and St Andrews Avenue in Bendigo.
2023 council election review
In the lead up to the 2024 Victorian local elections, The Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a review into the electoral structure of multiple Victorian councils, including the City of Greater Bendigo, The review found that the city should adopt nine single-councillor wards at the election, namely:
Towns, suburbs and localities
At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 121,470 up from 110,477 in the 2016 census[13]
^ – Territory divided with another LGA
