Dai Gum San - Bendigo
The $4.65 million Dai Gum San (Big Gold Mountain) project celebrates Bendigo’s Chinese heritage during Victoria’s gold rush era.
Opened in August 2010, the revitalised Chinese Precinct is helping Bendigo enter a new era of prosperity by allowing it to draw more job-creating tourism to the area to experience its cultural heritage and unique Chinese history.
Bendigo has a proud Chinese heritage and the prosperity of the Gold Rush era gave Bendigo the head-start it needed to become one of Victoria’s main regional centres.
That prosperity continues today with fantastic projects such as the Chinese Precinct providing more job-creating and economy-boosting tourism for Bendigo by allowing it to host night markets, cultural events and complement existing attractions.
The Dai Gum San space is Bendigo’s equivalent of Melbourne’s Federation Square and is expected to become Bendigo’s main outdoor gathering space for events such as the Awakening of the Dragon, Chinese New Year and regular outdoor markets and other activities.
Highlight events over the first year of operation included the Birds of Tokyo concert that attracted 1000 people, the Bendigo Easter Festival Celebrations which drew 8000 patrons and the Bendigo Health Fun Run for 2000 participants.
The project included limited decking of the Bendigo Creek, near the Golden Dragon Museum, to create an upper and lower plaza.
It also includes contemporary landmarks, paving and plantings influenced by Chinese landscapes and Bendigo’s gold-rush heritage.
There is also paving depicting China’s Pearl River Delta, Chinese calligraphy, and a giant lotus flower with seating to allow visitors to step between the upper and lower areas.
Harcourt granite, bamboo gardens between the existing Chinese gardens and temple, Chinese lantern lighting and large poles for event lighting are also included.
The Victorian Government, through Regional Development Victoria, contributed $1.6 million to the project.
Figures from the City of Greater Bendigo predict visitors to the Chinese precinct will grow from 18,100 in 2009 to 39,900 in 2014, with 40 per cent of those visitors expected from outside the Bendigo region.
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