Bendigo reaches 130,000 residents as regional migration trend continues

Bendigo has officially become a city of 130,000 residents after the latest population estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirmed the milestone, cementing its position as Victoria's fourth-largest city behind only Melbourne, Geelong, and Ballarat.

The population figure, which reflects significant growth driven by interstate and metropolitan migration during and after the pandemic, represents a 14 per cent increase over just five years. Greater Bendigo City Council CEO Craig Niemann said the trajectory showed no sign of slowing, with new housing approvals running at record levels and two new residential precincts opening for sales in the next quarter.

The council is managing growth-related pressures across multiple service areas, including schools, where four new primary campuses are under construction, and transport infrastructure, where several key intersections are operating at or near capacity during peak hours. An integrated transport strategy released last month identified 18 infrastructure projects needed to maintain acceptable service levels over the next decade.

Mayor Andrea Metcalf said the growth validated Bendigo's investment in cultural infrastructure, health services, and the university, which she argued had made the city genuinely competitive with capital cities for young families and professionals. "People are not just moving here and putting up with less. They're moving here because Bendigo has more to offer," she said.

The next major population milestone — 140,000 residents — is projected to be reached by 2028.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.