Bendigo Town Hall

Bendigo Victoria

Sandhurst, as Bendigo was originally officially named, was announced as a municipality in 1855. In 1859 the Town Surveyor, George Fletcher, was appointed to design a Town Hall ro replace the rickety two roomed structure at View Point. Fletcher’s Town Hall was a red brick construction with a corrugated iron roof. It was vastly inadequate and unattractive and by 1871 when Bendigo was proclaimed a city was in a very poor state of repair and considered unsuitable for Bendigo's 'City' status. Fletcher's 1872 plans to extend the existing building into a two story building were widely rejected by the local community and William Charles Vahland was invited to submit his proposal.

Vahland's vision and plans for Bendigo's Town Hall were accepted and between 1878 and 1902 a series of works including the clock tower, offices, interior decoration, classical external facades and mansard roof were constructed in a style to celebrate Bendigo's golden history.

In recent years the town hall was saved from demolition in the early 1970's and, finally in 2001, a restoration effort began. This restoration included repairs to the roof and damp proofing. The Hargreaves Street balcony which had been demolished in 1926 was rebuilt and an extensive interior decoration program commenced to restore the original paint scheme and gold leaf.

In 2005 the first clock was installed in the tower at the Bendigo Town Hall. Vahland had made provision for the clock when he originally redesigned the town hall but it wasn't until the Rotary Club of Bendigo and the Bendigo Advertiser.