# City of Greater Bendigo

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 sq mi) and, in August 2021, had a population of 121,470. It includes the city of Bendigo and the towns of Axedale, Elmore, Heathcote, Marong, Raywood and Strathfieldsaye. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the former City of Bendigo with the Borough of Eaglehawk, Shire of Strathfieldsaye, Shire of Huntly and parts of the Rural City of Marong and Shire of McIvor. 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.
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.

## Council
### Current composition

The council is composed of nine single member wards. The most recent election was held in October 2024.
The current council (elected in 2024) :
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes |
| Axedale | Independent Liberal | Shivali Chatley | |
| Eppalock | Independent | Aaron Spong | |
| Epsom | Independent | Andrea Metcalf | Mayor |
| Golden Square | Independent | Karen Corr | |
| Kennington | Independent Labor | Abhishek Awasthi | Deputy Mayor |
| Lake Weeroona | Independent | Thomas Prince | |
| Lockwood | Independent | John McIlrath | |
| 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:
* Axedale Ward
* Eppalock Ward
* Epsom Ward
* Golden Square Ward
* Kennington Ward
* Lake Weeroona Ward
* Lockwood Ward
* Ravenswood Ward
* Whipstick Ward

## Towns, Suburbs and localities

At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 121,470 up from 110,477 in the 2016 census
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Argyle | 215 | 272 |
| Ascot | 1,968 | 2,571 |
| Avonmore | 43 | 42 |
| Axe Creek | 352 | 452 |
| Axedale | 802 | 984 |
| Bagshot | 288 | 355 |
| Bagshot North | 30 | 39 |
| Barnadown | 17 | 12 |
| Bendigo | 5,512 | 5,652 |
| Big Hill | 261 | 281 |
| California Gully | 4,363 | 4,476 |
| Costerfield | 75 | 70 |
| Derrinal | 49 | 99 |
| Drummartin | 38 | 42 |
| Eaglehawk | 5,691 | 5,538 |
| Eaglehawk North | 5 | 13 |
| East Bendigo | 2,092 | 2,246 |
| Elmore | 776 | 847 |
| Emu Creek | 359 | 376 |
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Eppalock | 685 | 746 |
| Epsom | 4,325 | 5,014 |
| Flora Hill | 3,955 | 3,989 |
| Fosterville | 63 | 57 |
| Golden Gully | 211 | 213 |
| Golden Square | 8,820 | 9,220 |
| Goornong | 654 | 718 |
| Harcourt North^ | 265 | 291 |
| Heathcote | 2,793 | 2,962 |
| Hunter | 44 | 23 |
| Huntly | 2,379 | 3,585 |
| Huntly North | 43 | 46 |
| Ironbark | 1,095 | 1,163 |
| Jackass Flat | 1,141 | 1,907 |
| Junortoun | 3,201 | 3,862 |
| Kamarooka^ | 92 | 89 |
| Kangaroo Flat | 10,394 | 11,328 |
| Kennington | 5,649 | 5,880 |
| Kimbolton | 73 | 96 |
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Knowsley | 160 | 168 |
| Ladys Pass | 111 | 118 |
| Leichardt^ | 125 | 167 |
| Lockwood | 754 | 806 |
| Lockwood South^ | 961 | 1,052 |
| Long Gully | 3,383 | 3,420 |
| Longlea | 506 | 570 |
| Maiden Gully | 4,992 | 5,407 |
| Mandurang | 641 | 753 |
| Mandurang South | 247 | 280 |
| Marong^ | 1,416 | 2,005 |
| Mia Mia^ | 178 | 213 |
| Mount Camel | 106 | 136 |
| Myers Flat | 459 | 545 |
| Myrtle Creek^ | 67 | 68 |
| Neilborough | 290 | 379 |
| North Bendigo | 4,059 | 4,277 |
Population :
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Quarry Hill | 2,339 | 2,365 |
| Ravenswood^ | 436 | 443 |
| Raywood^ | 318 | 329 |
| Redcastle^ | 68 | 67 |
| Redesdale^ | 240 | 299 |
| Sailors Gully | 711 | 743 |
| Sebastian^ | 217 | 251 |
| Sedgwick | 546 | 614 |
| Shelbourne^ | 452 | 423 |
| Spring Gully | 3,000 | 3,092 |
| Strathdale | 5,663 | 5,756 |
| Strathfieldsaye | 5,428 | 6,850 |
| Toolleen^ | 182 | 221 |
| Wellsford | 126 | 144 |
| West Bendigo | 375 | 378 |
| Whipstick | 10 | 18 |
| White Hills | 3,219 | 3,620 |
| Wilsons Hill | 77 | 88 |
| Woodvale | 449 | 556 |
^ – Territory divided with another LGA