Darren Murphy"Bendigo's a great place to bring up kids. You get the country style community feeling.

‘We wanted to be not too far away from Melbourne but also not too far away from family either. We found our dream home here and have made heaps of friends. Our Buddhist nun neighbour, Tenzin, is like a grandma to our kids. We love her.

There's no such thing as peak hour traffic in Bendigo. We can get anywhere in Bendigo in 10 minutes. We love Rosalind Park and the gardens, especially when the tulips are out. The playground at Lake Weeroona is always a hit and we often have a picnic or fish and chips there. We also have a lot of fun discovering different barbeque or picnic spots in the bush or surrounding small towns.

We love the different events. The Autumn Moon Festival in the Chinese Gardens is amazing. We always have friends come to visit for the Bendigo Easter Festival, there are millions of different things to do here.'

– Darren Murphy

Darren and Nicole Murphy found their dream home in Bendigo after spells living in Melbourne, overseas and Castlemaine. The couple have since bought one of Bendigo's iconic businesses: Bendigo Wholefoods. Darren, who has a background in hospitality and business mentoring, runs the shop while Nicole helps out when she can, juggling her job as a Podiatrist and caring for children Tessa and Alex.


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It's no coincidence that the most revolutionary advance in Australian banking history originated in the City of Greater Bendigo; or that two recent National Business Women of the Year come from the same city.

Nor should it come as a surprise that Greater Bendigo's population has exceeded 100,000 - making it one of Victoria's fastest growing regional municipalities.

Bendigo has been a major business and industry centre since the gold rushin the 1850s.  Today, Bendigo's business and manufacturing industry is comprised of multi-national, national and small to medium enterprises.

The diversity of Bendigo's business is vast with an increase in the manufacturing sector, growth in retail to cater for the expanding population, business, finance and education. Whilst manufacturing is Bendigo's largest industry by economic output there has been substantial growth in all business sectors.

Gold mining, defence equipment, engineering and food manufacturing are other areas where industry has flourished in Bendigo.

For example, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is Bendigo's largest business and has grown to become a major player in Australia's finance industry. Headquartered in Bendigo, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is well established Australia wide with over 3000 staff and over 1 million customers.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is just one of the many local businesses enjoying success nationally and internationally. Other businesses include Jimmy Possum, Keech Castings, Fernwood, Myer, Hazeldenes and GPS Ag.

Many businesses have experienced the competitive advantages of establishing their business in Bendigo. The City of Greater Bendigo through its Economic Development Unit has a genuine interest in encouraging business development and growth in Bendigo. The Unit not only supports existing local business but also helps new business establish themselves in the region through local business relationships and initiatives.

For further information about Business in Bendigo contact the Economic Development Unit via edu@bendigo.vic.gov.au or on 03 5434 6137.