Your winter guide to Bendigo: From rosellas to roof-top bars, here’s what’s on

Bendigo’s winter calendar is in full swing, with more than 40 seasonal events running across the city through July and August, according to the City of Greater Bendigo’s events register.

The timing matters: this is the peak period for regional tourism in central Victoria, when visitor numbers to the Goldfields region jump 18 per cent compared with autumn, Tourism North East reported last week. Locals and day-trippers alike are looking for ways to beat the chill without staying home.

Ice, art and a new rooftop bar

The Bendigo Art Gallery’s winter blockbuster, “A World of Threads”, opened on June 27 and runs until August 30. Tickets are $28 for adults, $24 concession. Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said on Wednesday that weekend sessions were already selling out.

On Hargreaves Street, the Rosalind Park ice-skating rink returned for its sixth winter on July 4. Sessions cost $22 per person for 45 minutes, skate hire included. The rink is open daily 10am to 9pm, with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays until 10pm.

New this year: a pop-up winter bar called The Fire Pit has opened on the roof of the former Hotel Shamrock at 1 Williamson Street. It serves mulled wine and local ciders from 4pm Thursdays through Sundays. No booking required.

Wine trails, farmers markets and night markets

The Bendigo Wine District’s Winter Red Weekend is set for July 25-26. Nineteen cellar doors in the Heathcote and Bendigo regions will offer barrel samples and matched cheeses for a single $40 pass. The event has sold out in each of the past three years, according to the district’s coordinator.

The Bendigo Farmers Market on Nolan Street, held every second Saturday from 8am to 1pm, is running a winter produce series through July, featuring heirloom pumpkins, kale and locally roasted coffee from Creek Coffee Roasters. Stallholders accept cash and card.

The Love Your Local night market returns to View Street on Friday, August 7, from 5pm to 9pm. Forty-five stalls will line the street between Williamson Street and Pall Mall, with live acoustic music until 8pm. Entry is free.

For families, the Bendigo Discovery Centre on Bridge Street is offering “Winter Wonders” school-holiday workshops on Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 14 to July 24. Sessions run 10am to noon and cost $12 per child. Bookings are essential, and spots were still available as of Saturday afternoon.

Practical tip: parking is free after 6pm in all council car parks, including the McCrae Street multi-level. The Bendigo Tramways heritage tram runs a winter timetable with departures every 45 minutes from the Central Deborah Gold Mine, dropping passengers at the gallery, the rink and the night-market precinct. A day pass is $15 for adults, $10 for children.