New Census Figures Show Bendigo's Migrant Population Has Grown 34% in Six Years — But Services Are Struggling to Keep Pace

Bendigo now has more overseas-born residents than at any point in its recorded history. Data released through the Australian Bureau of Statistics and cross-referenced with City of Greater Bendigo planning documents shows the municipality's migrant-born population reached approximately 18,400 people by mid-2025 — a 34 percent increase from the 13,700 counted in the 2016 Census. The jump is the steepest six-year growth rate recorded for any regional Victorian city outside Geelong.

The timing matters. Victoria's Regional Migration Strategy, updated in late 2024, explicitly targets inland centres like Bendigo to absorb skilled worker overflow from Melbourne, where vacancy rates in healthcare and construction trades remain critically low. Bendigo Health's $700 million capital works expansion on Lucan Street — still mid-build — has become one of the region's largest employers of internationally qualified nurses and allied health professionals. La Trobe University's Edwards Road campus added more than 400 international student enrolments in 2025, many of whom choose to stay after graduation on graduate visas.

Where the New Arrivals Are Coming From — and Where They're Landing

India has overtaken the United Kingdom as Bendigo's largest source country for new arrivals, accounting for roughly 22 percent of recent migrant-born residents according to 2024-25 visa grant data compiled by the Department of Home Affairs. The Philippines and Nepal follow at 14 percent and 9 percent respectively. Chinese-born residents, a long-established community in Bendigo dating to the gold rush era, make up around 11 percent of the overseas-born population.

Settlement is not evenly spread. Kangaroo Flat and Strathdale are absorbing the highest concentrations of new arrivals, with Kangaroo Flat's Lansell Road corridor seeing a marked increase in multilingual signage and businesses — a rough but reliable indicator settlement agencies use when mapping community formation. The suburb's primary schools reported 17 different home languages among students in 2025, up from 11 in 2021.

The Multicultural Council of Bendigo and Loddon, which runs its main operations from View Street in the CBD, provided settlement case support to 1,240 individuals in the 2024-25 financial year. That figure represents a 28 percent increase on the previous year and has stretched the organisation's bilingual support staff, which currently numbers 14 full-time equivalent positions. A funding application to the federal government's Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program — known as SETS — is pending for the current budget cycle, with a decision expected before September 30.

Housing Costs Are Adding Pressure

Timing the migration surge against Bendigo's property market adds another layer of strain. The median weekly rent for a three-bedroom house in Greater Bendigo reached $430 in the March 2026 quarter, according to Real Estate Institute of Victoria data — up from $360 in March 2024. For newly arrived families on bridging visas or temporary skilled visas, who are often ineligible for Commonwealth Rent Assistance, that gap is acute. Anglicare Bendigo's emergency housing service on Arnold Street reported a 40 percent rise in presentations from recently arrived migrants between July 2025 and June 2026.

The City of Greater Bendigo's Multicultural Action Plan, adopted in 2023 and running through to 2027, allocated $480,000 over four years to community development grants and interpreter access programs. Settlement workers say the plan was designed for a more modest growth trajectory than what the city is now experiencing.

Practically speaking, newly arrived residents seeking support can contact the Multicultural Council at its View Street office, which operates a drop-in service on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The council's website lists community navigators who speak Hindi, Tagalog, Nepali and Mandarin. La Trobe's Edwards Road campus student services team also runs a monthly settlement information session open to the broader community, not just enrolled students — the next session is scheduled for July 15. Bendigo Health's Community Health team on Mercy Street runs a new-resident health registration clinic on the first Monday of each month, with interpreter booking available 48 hours in advance.