67-462: Maiden Gully is a suburb of the regional city of Bendigo in central Victoria , Australia , located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the central business district along Calder Highway . At the 2016 census , Maiden Gully had a population of 4,992. Maiden Gully is surrounded by the Bendigo suburbs of Kangaroo Flat , Eaglehawk , California Gully , Long Gully , West Bendigo, Golden Square and
134-551: A humid subtropical / cold semi-arid transitional climate zone ( Cfa/BSk ), due to its location being on the boundary of the hot, sultry inland areas to the north and the cool, damp Southern Ocean to the south. Bendigo gets 109.9 clear days annually. The mean minimum temperature in January is 14.4 °C (57.9 °F) and the maximum 30.3 °C (86.5 °F), although temperatures above 35 °C (95.0 °F) are commonly reached. The highest temperature officially recorded
201-607: A bypass west of Bendigo. Calder Highway commences at the intersection with Silver City Highway in Curlwaa (officially a branch of Silver City Highway, yet sign-posted as Calder Highway) and crosses the Murray River into Victoria over the Abbotsford Bridge , then continues in a southeasterly direction as a two-lane, single carriageway rural highway through Merbein and intersects with Sturt Highway just outside
268-634: A plan of the Mount Alexander gold workings, and his order that he mark out a reserve at the junction of Golden Gully with Bendigo Creek, and the camp on the west side of the creek below the junction. In late August La Trobe wanted him to report urgently on the best reserves for agriculture in the district. By 26 November he had mapped Bendigo Creek and Myers Creek, and his survey of the Bendigo Valley and environs marked township reserves at Bullock Creek, Ravenswood and Happy Jack where settlement
335-425: A south-easterly direction past Elphinstone , Kyneton , Woodend and Gisborne , to reach the western suburban fringe of Melbourne. It continues in a south-easterly, and then easterly, direction past Calder Park Raceway and Keilor , before eventually terminating at an interchange with Tullamarine Freeway at Airport West . Within the urban section of Calder Freeway (between Kings Road and Tullamarine Freeway ),
402-506: A style that was soon adopted across the state of Victoria. Vahland also designed more than 80 buildings, including the Alexandra Fountain , arguably the most prominent monument in Bendigo, with its granite dolphins, unicorns, nymphs and allegorical figures. A tram network was established by 1890, some of which is still in operation as a tourism service currently. After a temporary drop in population, renewed growth occurred from
469-437: A tent city, the boomtown grew rapidly into a major urban centre with many grand public buildings. The municipality became a borough in 1863, officially known as Sandhurst until 1891, but always unofficially as Bendigo. The railway had reached Bendigo by 1862, stimulating rapid growth, with flour mills, woollen mills, tanneries, quarries, foundries, eucalyptus oil production, food production industries, and timber cutting. When
536-468: A tram line – was eventually bypassed by a freeway-standard road in 1972 to terminate at a junction with Lancefield Road (later upgraded to Tullamarine Freeway ), rejoining Calder Highway at the western end of Niddrie; the freeway-standard was extended further west to East Keilor (the future location of the Western Ring Road interchange) in 1975, and to Keilor by the early 1980s. However, it
603-587: A year it was noticed the plant was becoming scarce. Squatters in the area included: Donald Campbell at Bullock Creek in Ravenswood ; J & R Bakewell to the north of Bendigo; Heap & Gryce to the north-west; Archibald McDougall to the west; Joseph Raleigh and James Robinson along the Campaspe River to the south; and Thomas, Jones, and William Barnett to the east. The Ravenswood "Mount Alexander North run", occupied from c.1840 by Donald Campbell,
670-472: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bendigo Bendigo ( / ˈ b ɛ n d ɪ ɡ oʊ / BEN -dig-oh ) is a city in north-central Victoria , Australia , located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-west of Melbourne , the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a population of 103,818 making it Australia's 19th-largest city by population . Bendigo
737-827: Is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo , in North Central Victoria . South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway links to Melbourne , subsuming former alignments of Calder Highway; the Victorian Government completed the conversion to freeway standard from Melbourne to Bendigo on 20 April 2009. Calder Alternate Highway connects to Calder Highway at either end – just north of Ravenswood , and at Marong – and provides
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#1732783241727804-690: Is built on top of a wide bridge that spans the viaduct . The park elevates toward Camp Hill, which features a historic school and a lookout – a former mine poppet head . Further from the city is Lake Weeroona , a large, ornamental lake adjacent to the Bendigo Creek. The Bendigo Botanic Gardens , which opened in 1869, are further downstream. Major redevelopment of the gardens has taken place in recent years. The gardens are home to many native species of animals, including brushtailed and ring-tailed possums, ducks, coots, purple swamp hens, microbats (small insect-eating bats), several species of lizards, owls,
871-606: Is currently banned. Bendigo was affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. A fire to the west of the city burned out 500 hectares (1,200 acres). The fire broke out at about 4.30 pm on the afternoon of 7 February, and burned through Long Gully and Eaglehawk, coming within 2 km (1.2 mi) of central Bendigo, before it was brought under control late on 8 February. It destroyed about 58 houses in Bendigo's western suburbs, and damaged an electricity transmission line, resulting in blackouts to substantial parts of
938-565: Is located next to the art gallery in View Street and hosts performing arts and live music. It also hosts the annual Bendigo Writers Festival which was founded in 2012. The Ulumbarra Theatre was opened on 16 April 2015. It was originally the Sandhurst/Old Bendigo Gaol. The new theatre which seats nearly 1,000 people sits within the walls and structure of the gaol and retains some original architectural features of
1005-416: Is now a performing-arts centre. Bendigo's Joss House , a historic temple, was built in the 1860s by Chinese miners and is the only surviving building of its kind in regional Victoria, which continues to be used as a place of worship. The historic Bendigo Tram Sheds and Power Station (1903) now house Bendigo's tramway museum . The Queen Elizabeth Oval still retains its ornate 1901 grandstand. The central city
1072-400: Is skirted by Rosalind Park , a Victorian-style garden featuring statuary and a large blue stone viaduct . The main entrance corner of the park is on the intersection known as Charing Cross , formerly the intersection of two main tram lines (now only one). It features a large statue of Queen Victoria . The Charing Cross junction features the large and ornate Alexandra Fountain (1881) and
1139-661: Is the Midland Highway, the section running through the CBD is also known as Pall Mall , while the main shopping area is centred around Hargreaves Mall. The contiguous urban area of Bendigo covers roughly 82 km of the local government area's 3048 km . Generally the suburbs occupy the catchment of the Bendigo Creek and its tributaries. Bendigo has several suburbs, some of which (such as Eaglehawk) were once independent satellite townships and many that extend into
1206-536: Is the fourth-largest inland city in Australia and the fourth-most populous city in Victoria . Bendigo is administered by the City of Greater Bendigo , formerly the City of Bendigo . The council area encompasses roughly 3,000 square kilometres, the city is surrounded by smaller towns such as Castlemaine , Heathcote , Kyneton , Maryborough , Elmore , Rochester , Goornong and Axedale . The traditional owners of
1273-596: The Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region Important Bird Area , identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for swift parrots and other woodland birds. A dozen species of insect-eating bats and the pollinating grey-headed flying fox inhabit the area. Bendigo has a relatively dry temperate climate with warm, variable summers and cool winters. Under the Köppen-Geiger classification , it lies on
1340-478: The Coliban River . The architect William Charles Vahland (1828–1915) left an important mark on Bendigo during this period. He is credited with the popular cottage design known as a Vahland House. The cottage design that has vastly been customised shares a common theme of a central door, a sash window either side, a central hallway that runs the entire length of the house and verandahs ordained in iron lace,
1407-506: The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace , the world's largest gem-quality jade Buddha statue. As of 2016 , Buddhism was followed by 1.4% of Bendigo people, and Islam by about 0.5%. In 2019, despite protests by several far-right and anti-Islam organisations, construction began on Bendigo's first mosque and Islamic community centre. The central area (CBD) of Bendigo consists of around 20 blocks of mixed-use area. The main street
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#17327832417271474-673: The Ravenswood run, earlier known as the Mount Alexander North run, in October 1851. The creek had been named "Bendigo Creek" after a local shepherd and employee of the Mount Alexander North run nicknamed for the English bare-knuckle prizefighter William Abednego "Bendigo" Thompson . The area was transformed in less than a year as tens of thousands of people arrived during the great gold rush in 1852. Widespread gold mining caused environmental devastation and permanent damage in
1541-616: The 1930s, as the city consolidated as a manufacturing and regional service centre, though gold mining continues. Recent growth has been most heavily concentrated in areas such as Epsom, Kangaroo Flat, Strathdale, and Strathfieldsaye. On 28 March 2013, the Dja Dja Wurrung people were formally recognised as the traditional owners for part of Central Victoria, including the land on which the City of Greater Bendigo sits. In 1994, under municipal reforms of Victoria's Kennett government ,
1608-600: The Bendigo CBD, an easy 10-minute drive away. The suburb has developed and changed immensely since the early 1990s. From the early to mid 1990s a general store operated with Fuel, Video/DVD hire and a takeaway store . Fuel at the store ceased to be available in the early 2000's. The Avondel Caravan Park is situated alongside the store. Maiden Gully's local amenities include the Maiden Gully Primary School, Post Office, Maiden Gully Cafe (previously
1675-752: The City of Bendigo was abolished and merged with the Borough of Eaglehawk, the Huntly and Strathfieldsaye shires, and the Rural City of Marong to form the larger City of Greater Bendigo. The population of the city increased from around 78,000 in 1991 to about 100,617 in 2012. Bendigo is currently one of the fastest-growing regional centres in Victoria. The city is surrounded by components of the Greater Bendigo National Park , as well as
1742-608: The Country Roads Board. North Western Highway was declared a State Highway on 1 July 1925, cobbled from a collection of roads from Melbourne through Kyneton , Castlemaine , Bendigo , Sea Lake and Ouyen to Mildura (for a total of 324 miles), subsuming the original declarations of Melbourne-Bendigo Road, Charlton-Bridgewater-Bendigo Road, Charlton-Wycheproof Road, Wycheproof-Sea Lake Road, Ouyen-Sea Lake Road and Ouyen-Mildura Road as Main Roads. North-Western Highway
1809-540: The General Store), Bendigo UFS Pharmacy, Local Bakery as well as an IGA Supermarket that opened in 2006. As of 2022, a Medical Clinic and a Childcare Centre were also operating. In 2015 Marist college Bendigo opened and now has over 1000 students. The school is a branch of the Marist brothers and is seen as one of the reasons for the big growth in the area. This article about a location in Victoria, Australia
1876-810: The Institute of Technology, and the Memorial Military Museum (1921), all in the Second Empire style. The architect William Vahland encouraged European artisans to emigrate to the Sandhurst goldfields and so create a "Vienna of the South". Bendigo's Sacred Heart Cathedral , a large sandstone church, is the third-largest cathedral in Australia and one of the largest cathedrals in the Southern Hemisphere . The main building
1943-746: The Melton Highway and the Western Ring Road is shown in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan as part of the F4 Freeway corridor, which extends past the Tullamarine Freeway and Bell Street to Templestowe . In 2008, VicRoads completed the widening of the Calder Freeway from the Western Ring Road to Melton Highway . The road was widened from 2 lanes each direction to 3 lanes in each direction. The speed limit
2010-460: The Ravenswood interchange and continues in southerly direction as a four-lane, dual-carriageway rural freeway which bypasses the towns along the highway's former alignment. Calder Freeway passes Harcourt - where the shared concurrency with Midland Highway ends, as it travels in a south-westerly direction to the major regional centres of Castlemaine , Ballarat , and Geelong - and continues in
2077-679: The States and Territories usually on a 50:50 basis. As a major road link between Melbourne, Bendigo, and the state's northwest, supporting the region's primary manufacturing and tourism industries, Calder Highway was declared a Road of National Importance between Melbourne and Bendigo in December 1996. The passing of the Road Management Act 2004 granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads : in 2004, VicRoads re-declared
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2144-476: The alluvial gold ran out, extraction of quartz-based gold continued in deep shafts using industrial systems. Selection in the future county of Bendigo (created in 1869) commenced under the Land Act of 1865, with most settlement occurring around Sandhurst and Eaglehawk . Bendigo was declared a city in 1871. Rapid population growth brought a water shortage, partially solved with a new viaduct that harnessed
2211-575: The annual Groovin' the Moo music festival. It is held at the Bendigo Showgrounds and is usually held in late April or early May. The festival regularly sells out and brings many Australian and international acts to the city. It also attracts thousands of people from around Victoria to the city for the weekend. The Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival has been taking place each November since 2011. With over 80 artists from all over Australia,
2278-478: The area are the Dja Dja Wurrung (Djaara) people. The discovery of gold on Bendigo Creek in 1851 transformed the area from a sheep station into one of colonial Australia's largest boomtowns . News of the finds intensified the Victorian gold rush , bringing an influx of migrants from around the world, particularly Europe and China. Bendigo became Eastern Australia's largest 19th-century gold-mining economy, and
2345-493: The area of Bendigo, and although rare, the 2003 Bendigo tornado passed through Eaglehawk and other parts of the city, causing major damage to homes and businesses. Bendigo was in severe drought from 2006 to 2010, and during this time, the city had some of the harshest water restrictions in Australia, with no watering outside the household. Heavy rains from the middle to later months of 2010 filled most reservoirs to capacity and only wasteful water use (e.g. hosing down footpaths)
2412-488: The arrival by white settlers , who established the first of many vast sheep runs in 1837. The Djadjawurrung peoples experienced two waves of settlement and dispossession: from the south from 1837 and from the north from 1845. The marked decrease in Dja Dja Wurrung population was also due to the arrival of non-indigenous animals; they use their noses to ‘root up’ the nutritious moon-nar tuber (yam daisy); after just
2479-541: The benefit of the church which, in 1897, enabled the construction of Sacred Heart Cathedral . Completed in 1977, it is the largest church building in provincial Australia. As of 2016, Catholicism is still practised by 22% of the population. In the 2016 census, 36.2% reported having "no religion". The Sandhurst Methodist Circuit (1854) serviced five Wesleyan churches which had been built in previous years. There were several church schools, but they were attended by one-fifteenth of Bendigo's school children. The Chinese, who in
2546-513: The city's annual rainfall of 510.0 millimetres (20.08 in) falls between June and September as cold fronts. Snowfalls are rare; however, sleet occurs and rain commonly falls at temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) on account of the city's exposed location. Frosts are a common occurrence during the winter and spring, though hampered by the frequent cloud cover. A series of great floods occurred in Bendigo in 1859. Substantial flooding also occurred in 1903. Tornadoes have been seen around
2613-529: The city. One fatality from the fire occurred. Flash floods occurred across Bendigo during 2010, the first in March and the most severe at the beginning of September. The region also has had flooding events in October of 2022 and January of 2024. According to the 2016 census of population, 92,379 people were in Bendigo Urban Centre. According to the City of Greater Bendigo Community Profile,
2680-566: The completion of the Calder Freeway linking Melbourne and Bendigo in 2009, and the region's proximity to Melbourne, Bendigo has become one of the fastest-growing regional centres in Victoria. The traditional owners of the Mount Alexander , traditionally named Leanganook, area that includes Greater Bendigo , are the Dja Dja Wurrung (Djaara) people. They exploited the rich local hunting grounds from which they were displaced by
2747-455: The district, decimating and displacing the Dja Dja Wurrung and destroying the infrastructure they created over generations to maximise seasonal drainage patterns; the channels and weirs they built out of timber stakes, to slow receding summer flows, were wrecked; water holes where the people gathered in smaller groups during periods of scarce rainfall and from which they transported water in skin bags when moving, were muddied, polluted and drained;
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2814-609: The gaol. The venue hosts performing arts and live music. It also acts as a ceremonial and teaching space for local secondary schools and universities. The city hosts the Bendigo National Swap Meet for car parts every year in early November. It is regarded as the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere and attracts people from all over Australia and the world. The city hosts the Victorian leg of
2881-451: The major regional town of Mildura , where widens to a four-lane, dual-carriageway road through southern Mildura and Irymple , in the state's north-west. It narrows back to a two-lane single carriageway road and continues in a southerly direction, meeting Mallee Highway at Ouyen , then in a south-easterly direction through Sea Lake , Wycheproof , Charlton and meeting the northern end of Calder Alternative Highway at Marong eventually to
2948-769: The management, construction and care of the state's major roads from local municipalities. (Melbourne-) Bendigo Road was declared a Main Road over a period of months, from 30 December 1913 ( Castlemaine via Harcourt to Ravenswood ), to 30 November 1914 (from Keilor through Diggers Rest to Gisborne , and from Woodend through Kyneton and Elphinstone to Castlemaine ), to 20 September 1915 (from Ravenswood to Bendigo); (Ouyen-) Sea Lake Road from Ouyen to Mittyack , (Ouyen-) Mildura Road from Ouyen to Hattah , and Wycheproof-Sea Lake Road from Wycheproof to Sea Lake were declared Main Roads on 14 December 1914; and (Charlton-)Wycheproof Road between Charlton and Wycheproof
3015-539: The mid-19th century constituted 20% of Bendigo's population, built the heritage-listed Bendigo Joss House Temple dedicated to Kwan Tai or Lord Guan , where they practised syncretic beliefs involving ancestor worship and the three main religions of China: Buddhism , Taoism and Confucianism . Bendigo is also home to the largest stūpa in the Western world, the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion , which houses
3082-516: The not-for-profit festival is hosted in many of the venues around Bendigo, and is headlined by a large, family-friendly, free concert held in Rosalind Park . The Bendigo Easter Festival is held each year and attracts tens of thousands of tourists to the city over the Easter long weekend. Attractions include parades, exhibitions, and a street carnival. Calder Highway Calder Highway
3149-661: The outer-rural suburbs of Lockwood, Marong and Myers Flat. Maiden Gully has experienced enormous growth in recent years, with growth mainly centred to the north of the Calder Highway in the Robin Hill Estate, and to the Southwest of the Calder Highway. In addition to this, there remains a small pocket of semi-rural acreages to the west of Monsants Road. Maiden Gully is very popular suburb of Greater Bendigo with families due to its rural feel, with easy access to
3216-459: The population estimate for 2019 for this area was 118,093 (0.39 persons per hectare ). In the 19th century, Catholicism was the predominant Christian tradition in Bendigo. Catholic priest and pioneer George Henry Backhaus established a site in 1852 for the first Masses at Golden Square and, by the end of the year, he was camping at the site of Bendigo's first church, St Kilian's Church, completed in 1858. A wealthy man, Backhaus left his estate for
3283-411: The road as Calder Alternative Highway (Arterial #6200) between Ravenswood and Marong , and in 2011 as Calder Highway (Arterial #6530) between the border with New South Wales at Yelta and the interchange with Calder Alternate Highway and Ravenswood Street in Ravenswood , and as Calder Freeway (Freeway #1530) between Ravenswood and Tullamarine Freeway , Airport West . The Calder Highway between
3350-463: The soaks they had dug between banks into sandy sediment to tap into the water table were likewise obliterated. Some of their waterholes in rock platforms of creeks that they found or enlarged, then covered with slabs to protect them from animals, may still remain, unidentified. Gold was officially discovered in the area in October 1851, just after the other significant goldfields in neighbouring Castlemaine , from where many diggers migrated, bringing
3417-752: The standard travel time, in each direction, is 10 minutes; 5 minutes between Kings Road and the Western Ring Road and 5 minutes between the Ring Road and Tullamarine Freeway . Between Red Cliffs and Wycheproof the highway has a speed limit of 110 km/h. The passing of the Country Roads Act of 1912 through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the establishment of the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads ) and their ability to declare Main Roads, taking responsibility for
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#17327832417273484-806: The surrounding bushland. As a legacy of the gold boom, Bendigo has many ornate buildings built in a late Victorian colonial style. Many buildings are on the Victorian Heritage Register and registered by the National Trust of Australia . Prominent buildings include the Bendigo Town Hall (1859, 1883–85), the Old Post Office , the Bendigo Law Courts (1892–96), the Shamrock Hotel (1897),
3551-465: The tawny frogmouth, and though not native to the area, a colony of endangered grey-headed flying foxes ( Pteropus poliocephalus ). The Bendigo Art Gallery is one of Australia's oldest and largest regional art galleries. In March 2012, it hosted a royal visit from Princess Charlene of Monaco at the opening of an exhibition about Grace Kelly . The Capital Theatre , originally the Masonic temple,
3618-493: The total population to 40,000 in less than a year. Many of these diggers were Chinese and their descendants still live in the region. During 1852, under the direction of Surveyor General of Victoria , Robert Hoddle , William Swan Urquhart was making a general survey of Mount Alexander and the surrounding ranges, and of the goldfields, and fixed the site of the township of 'Sandhurst', now Bendigo. On 13 July 1852 Hoddle passed on to Urquhart Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe's request for
3685-518: The wealth generated during this period is reflected today in the city's Victorian architectural heritage. From 1853 until 1891, Bendigo was officially named Sandhurst. Bendigo's boom period lasted until the early 20th century and after a temporary decline in population and employment, renewed growth occurred from the 1930s as the city consolidated as a manufacturing and regional service centre. Although gold mining continues, recent population growth has been most heavily concentrated in suburban areas. With
3752-514: The western suburbs of Bendigo , where it widens to a four-lane, dual-carriageway road as it weaves through the rural city, intersecting with Loddon Valley Highway and meeting with Midland Highway , where it narrows back to a single carriageway road and shares a concurrency through south-western Bendigo, widening again to a dual carriageway through Kangaroo Flat to eventually meet the southern end of Calder Alternative Highway at an interchange in Ravenswood . Calder Highway becomes Calder Freeway at
3819-612: Was 45.4 °C (113.7 °F), during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave . There is also a disputed recording of 47.4 °C (117.3 °F) (on 14 January 1862). Summers are also subject to cold weather: on 2 February 2005, the maximum temperature did not exceed 11.5 °C (52.7 °F) all day. The mean minimum temperature in July is 2.7 °C (36.9 °F) and winter minima below 0 °C (32 °F) are recorded on 26.1 nights per year on average. Mean maximum winter temperatures in July are 12.7 °C (54.9 °F). Most of
3886-459: Was acquired by brothers Stewart and Robert Gibson in 1848, with Frederick Fenton later replacing one of the Gibson brothers. After the discovery of gold in 1851, Fenton sold provisions to the miners and agisted their horses. Becoming the sole owner of the Ravenswood run in 1857, Fenton built its substantial homestead. Gold was officially discovered on Bendigo Creek at the north-eastern boundary of
3953-564: Was already taking place. His plan General Survey of the Bendigo Goldfields showing the proposed reserves for townships. Drawn by W.S. Urquhart, Melbourne, November 1852 recommended sites for national schools, churches, markets and other public purposes reserved from sale. In 1853, a massive protest called The Red Ribbon Rebellion was held over the cost of the licence fee for prospectors, though it passed off peacefully, due to good diplomacy by police and miners' leaders. From being
4020-475: Was completed between 1896 and 1908 and the spire between 1954 and 1977. Fortuna Villa is a large surviving Victorian mansion, built for Christopher Ballerstedt and later owned by George Lansell. Many other examples of Bendigo's classical architecture rank amongst the finest classical commercial buildings in Australia and include the Colonial Bank building (1887) and the former Masonic Hall (1873–74), which
4087-508: Was declared a Main Road on 28 May 1915; and Charlton-(Bridgewater-)Bendigo Road was declared a Main Road, between Bridgewater and Wedderburn to Charlton on 28 May 1915, and between Bendigo and Bridgewater on 20 September 1915. The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924 provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through
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#17327832417274154-413: Was later signed National Route 79 in 1955 ; when Midland Highway was allocated State Route 149 in 1986, it shared it as a concurrency along Calder Highway between Harcourt and Bendigo. With Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s this was altered to route A79 for the highway portion, and route M79 for the freeway portion into Melbourne (and the concurrency with Midland Highway
4221-506: Was not until the 1990s that work began to duplicate the rest of the highway to Bendigo. The Howard government broadened the criteria under which roads qualify for Commonwealth road funding by introducing Roads of National Importance program in the 1996–97 financial year where such declarations were based on the recognition that roads outside the National Highway system also provide social benefits, and were funded jointly with
4288-411: Was opened in 1972, over time stretching west to ultimately become a project to convert the road to freeway standard all the way to Bendigo; the freeway upgrade has made sections of the original Calder Highway redundant, either incorporated into the new freeway or acting as local access roads. Calder Alternative Highway was declared in 9 May 1983, along the former Ravenswood–Marong Road. Calder Highway
4355-556: Was reduced permanently from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. The 80 km/h limit applies northbound from Keilor Park Drive to Melton Highway, and southbound it applies from the Green Gully Road bridge to just prior to the Western Ring Road interchange. In October 2010, it was announced that as part of a year long trial, the speed limit on this section of freeway will be increased back to 100 km/h in off-peak times (8pm-5am), with 30 variable speed limits to be installed along
4422-670: Was renamed Calder Highway in 1928, after William Calder , chairman of the Country Roads Board from 1913–28. In the 1959/60 financial year, another section from Elphinstone to Harcourt was added as a deviation bypassing Castlemaine , along the former Elphinstone–Harcourt Road (already having been declared a Main Road by the Country Roads Board in 1937/38 financial year ); the previous alignments of Calder Highway from Elphinstone to Castlemaine, and Castlemaine to Harcourt, were subsumed into Pyrenees Highway and Midland Highway respectively. The first section of Calder Freeway in Melbourne
4489-693: Was replaced with route A300); the New South Wales section was left unallocated when they switched to the alphanumeric system in 2013. Calder Alternative Highway was signed Alternative National Route 79 between Ravenswood and Marong, and was later replaced by route A790. Originally, Calder Highway ran through northwestern Melbourne as an undivided highway, ultimately through Niddrie as Keilor Road and terminating in Essendon ; traffic continued south along Mount Alexander Road to reach central Melbourne. Keilor Road – already heavily congested and supporting
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