Bendigo Regional Archives Centre

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

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..As her husband Charles stabled their horses in livery after a night out, Nelly Sistrom returned to their house which soon had the back door kicked in by two men who hit her over the head, causing a gush of blood. She yelled, ‘murder’, and the assailant fled, with her purse.

Shortly after, a raid was made on James McLeod’s confectionery shop in Mitchell street, with bags of lollies, jellies and part of a wedding cake were stolen. Charles heard in gossip at Smith’s wheelwright shop that the likely offenders were at a merry-go-round tent...

Did the police get their man? This tale of desperation is related in full on our website as part of our popular Such Sweet Sorrow series:

https://www.brac.vic.gov.au/such-sweet-sorrow-desperation

05/06/2026

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Going into the King's Birthday long weekend, lets take a look at some ephemera from the City of Bendigo 20th century inward correspondence collection - a couple of tickets to the Coronation Celebrations at what we now know as the Queen Elizabeth Oval. The event marked Edward VII's formal ascension to the throne in 1902.

04/06/2026

Another for the list of remarkable names to be found in the archives...

Eureka Colwell was called to give evidence at the inquest into the drowning death of his son at Costerfield in 1910:
VPRS 24/P0000, 1910/1054

03/06/2026

"...with Map Warper, us researchers are on warp speed (sorry for the pun) when searching for and accessing copies of historic maps and plans," says historian Abi Belfrage.

PROV's online Map Warper tool was first launched back in 2019. Since then, it has become an invaluable site for researchers to explore changes to Victoria’s landscape over time. Users of the tool can ‘rectify’ historic maps and plans (meaning to place them over present day map coordinates), or simply view the maps already rectified to enhance their research.

Over the next three weeks we will post a series of blogs exploring how Map Warper is used by professional historians and academics to delve into the history of specific places, landscapes and sites across Victoria.

In part one, Abi explains how her research has changed since the introduction of Map Warper: https://go.vic.gov.au/4e2u4WZ

03/06/2026

It's not just the huge Bendigo Health collection where you can discover information about the health of individuals and the community around the district, the City of Bendigo Inward Correspondence collection (VPRS 16269) also has many records relevant to local public health including reports from the municipal Health Inspector, Inspector for Nuisances, and reports of diseases such as typhoid and small pox...

This letter from the registrar records Dr Harry L Atkinson's visit to 17-year-old Elizabeth Lewis of Mollison Street, and her subsequent death of typhoid fever in November 1888.

29/05/2026

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Minute books and outward letter collections are a great tool for tracking social norms and changes, as evidenced in this letter sent from the Shire of McIvor in 1980 to Mr Bourchier of Bendigo who was concerned about R rated films and censorship standards... (VPRS 7015 P2/2)

Bendigo Historical Society

22/05/2026

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100 years ago, Councillor Jenkin opened the Buckley Street Yacht Fair - you can find out what events were happening across the district by reading reports from the Mayor, mayoress and various councilors in municipal Minute books, available at BRAC for Bendigo, Marong, Strathfieldsaye, Huntly, Swan Hill, Eaglehawk, Raywood & McIvor.

Lost Bendigo & District
Bendigo Historical Society

19/05/2026

We don't mind a terrible pun here at BRAC, and apparently neither did the wits at Williams' the Shoemen in the early 20th century, favouring rather awful wordplay in their sign offs... this is just one example, taken from the City of Bendigo Inward Correspondence collection:

15/05/2026

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Can anyone work out which building this is?

In 1946, this team of young ex-servicemen were painting 'one of the city's public buildings' as part of a rehabilitation class under Mr Goodall.

There are lots of records about the City's buildings in the plans, correspondence, minutes and reports collection at BRAC.

Bendigo Historical Society
Lost Bendigo & District