Bendigo
Bendigo has a few examples of terraced houses scattered around the inner city. Like other Victorian cities at the time, the Victorian Gold Rush created an immediate demand for housing, pushing up land values in Bendigo. Unlike larger cities, there has never been a prevalent style among Bendigo’s terraces.
It is a small coincidence that the oldest building remaining in Bendigo, “Specimen Cottage”, is actually a row of two sandstone houses completed in 1861.
Distribution
Terrace houses can be found within 1 kilometre of Bendigo’s city centre, however they are suprisingly rare along the major thoroughfares, so to find them you need to wander along the periphery of the CBD.
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data (2006), postcode 3550 which includes Bendigo CBD and inner suburbs consists of around 11% terrace or semi-detached housing.
Significant clusters can be found in Barnard Street, Hargreaves Street, View Street and Mundy Street and Ashley Street in suburban Ironbark.
The majority of Bendigo’s terraces are single storey, however there are some impressive double storeys and only a couple of rows.
Regional Variation
There does not appear to be a singular Bendigo style of terrace house, however in general, the styles of terrace houses in Bendigo tend to follow those of Melbourne and other regional Victorian cities.
History
The first terrace in Bendigo, known as “Specimen Cottage” was built in two stages at 178-180 Hargreaves Street was built by stonemason James Brierly beginning in 1856 1.
Terrace houses were built from this time until early in the 20th Century. However Bendigo’s growth slowed and suburban expansion began as the terrace fell out of favour.
Since the 1990s, several new medium density developments in Bendigo have featured terrace style housing with nostalgia seeing the replica Victorian terrace being a favoured style over contemporary styles to maintain a sympathy with the heritage character of the city.
Significant Bendigo Terrace Houses
References
- Heritage Victoria file H1615 ↩
