Bendigo Heritage Attractions
Bendigo Heritage Attractions is the trading name of The Bendigo Trust which was established in 1970 as a response to the Bendigo City Council’s plan to restore, conserve and manage the Central Deborah Gold Mine.
Since then, Bendigo Heritage Attractions has continued to run the Central Deborah Gold Mine, while overseeing some of Bendigo's other cherished historic assets, including:
- Bendigo Tramways, which had operated in Bendigo since 1890; and
- The Bendigo Joss House Temple, a Chinese place of worship, constructed in the late 1860s.
Bendigo Heritage Attractions also has some responsibility for the Bendigo Gasworks, closed in 1973, and Victoria Hill, the site of some of the earliest gold workings in Bendigo from the 1850s.
Interestingly, Bendigo Heritage Attractions was also responsible for the establishment of Bendigo's first Visitor Information Centre, a service now provided by Bendigo Tourism, and from September 2002 - July 2015, Bendigo Heritage Attractions took responsibility for the Discovery Science & Technology Centre, one of the premier regional science centres in the country, and the oldest centre outside a metropolitan area.
City of Greater Bendigo
Bendigo Heritage Attractions works closely with the City of Greater Bendigo in the running of all of its tourism sites. While Bendigo Heritage Attractions oversees the daily operations of these attractions, it is the City of Greater Bendigo who owns many of the physical assets.
Our People
The key to Central Deborah Gold Mine's success as a tourist destination has always been the passion of our staff, which includes some of the grandchildren and relatives of the original Central Deborah miners.
We rave about the fact that Central Deborah Gold Mine is a 'real' gold mine that operated throughout the gold rush and not a replica. Even though the mine is now running as a tourist operation, we still have real miners on site, taking care of and ensuring the integrity of the underground workings and surface machinery, whilst also maintaining the authenticity of the site and ensuring that it remains in good condition.
All of the staff at Central Deborah Gold Mine are acutely aware that we are doing more than just relaying the history of the mine itself, but are storytellers of Bendigo's origins. Our strength is in our people and many of our visitors' final comments refer to how much they enjoyed the help of our reception staff and the company of the tour guides.
Accreditation
Central Deborah Gold Mine was awarded the T-QUAL tick by the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program after demonstrating that we are committed to exceeding consumer expectations with great customer service and the highest standards of business practise.
