Bendigo Library Redevelopment

The Bendigo Library is beginning a new chapter of its life with a major refurbishment.

Building works are expected to be completed in early 2014. The City of Greater Bendigo has information and updates on the building works.

The Bendigo Library, Goldfields Research Centre and Bendigo Regional Archives Centre will close for 3 weeks in order to move to temporary sites.

Saturday 25 August - Monday 17 September

Goldfields Research Centre Temporary Location from Wednesday 19 September 2012

Please note: some services may be limited and resources may need to be ordered from storage.

Please contact the Goldfields Research Centre before your visit.

202 Hargreaves St, Bendigo (Old Tea Rose Bakery site)

Phone: 03 5449 2794

Email: goldfields@ncgrl.vic.gov.au

Opening Hours

Monday Closed

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Thursday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Saturday 10.00am - 1.00pm

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre Temporary Location from Wednesday 19 September 2012

Please note: records will need to be ordered from storage for viewing at the Hargreaves St. reading room.

Please contact the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre before your visit.

202 Hargreaves St, Bendigo (Old Tea Rose Bakery site)

Phone: 03 5449 2794

Email: brac@ncgrl.vic.gov.au

Wednesday 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Thursday 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Follow the progress on the library website.

Petitions of the People

Petitions from the Nineteenth Century Correspondence

to the City of Sandhurst (Bendigo)

VPRS 16936 P1 (1856-1899)

Selected from Bendigo Council’s Inwards Correspondence (VPRS 16936) “Petitions of the People” allows a rare insight into life from 1856 to 1899, a period when this gold mining tent town grew into a thriving Victorian city.

A signature on a petition may be the only tangible evidence that an ancestor lived in Bendigo, practiced a particular trade or profession or felt strongly about a local issue.

The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre (BRAC) was successful in receiving funding from the Victorian Government in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Melbourne.

As BRAC’s contribution to this 175th birthday, more than 200 petitions will be digitised. The first twenty petitions available cover three significant themes: Occupations, Women and the Post Office Clock, and more than 1000 names.

Search for a name and links to the Petitions

More petitions will be added to the collection as they are ready.

If you can help us correct unknown or misspelt names, please email brac@ncgrl.vic.gov.au

More information about the petitions

Find your ancestor - More names to search!!

Browse the 10,977 names of Bendigo and district Petitioners to see if an ancestor of yours was community-minded.

In addition to our initial 20 petitions we have indexed and digitised a further 253 petitions, and now have a total of 10,977 names listed. While there appear to be spelling or typographical errors in the typed lists of petitioners’ names, this is not the case.  A conscious decision was made to leave spelling exactly the way the author used it. The question mark entries mean the writer’s hand was illegible, even after trying to cross-reference the address and occupation details to other sources like VPRS 16267  Bendigo Rate Books, Sands and McDougall Street Directories, and the Bendigo Council Voters’ Rolls (1896-1914). 

Start your search by looking at the below list of names. The names from the first 20 petitions released appear in red and are fully available online. For any name that appears in black, contact BRAC for a copy of the full digitised petition and its transcription. You will need to provide the Surname and its reference, which appears in the left-hand column, for example Aitken Infrastructure 18710816.

To obtain your own copy, you can email BRAC staff at brac@ncgrl.vic.gov.au and ask for a copy of the petition to be emailed to you. Alternatively you can visit BRAC in person to collect your copy, or phone 54 492703, provide the petition’s details and a copy will be mailed to you.

Download the latest list in PDF format

Download the latest list in Microsoft Word Format

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre

Preserving our community's history

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre is a unique partnership between Public Record Office Victoria, City of Greater Bendigo and Goldfields Library Corporation.

BRAC aims to permanently preserve regional community records in their place of origin, and make them accessible to all researchers.

Contact Us

BRAC
Goldfields Regional Library
PO Box 887
Bendigo Vic 3550
Telephone: (03) 5449 2700
Email: brac@ncgrl.vic.gov.au

BRAC Collection

BRAC is an approved Place of Deposit (POD) for local and regional government records and certified by Public Record Office Victoria to hold permanent records.

BRAC houses the extensive public records of the five Local Government bodies that have become the City of Greater Bendigo:- Bendigo (Sandhurst), Eaglehawk, Huntly, Marong and Strathfieldsaye. Many McIvor Shire records will be included.

Records from other Local Government authorities in the region will be collected.

Private records created by local organisations and individuals will also be collected and preserved.

The BRAC collection will reflect the history of Local Government administration, local events, individuals, institutions and organisations in the Bendigo region.

Local Government Records will become available as they are processed.

BRAC Guide No. 3 - Guide to Bendigo and District Rate Records

BRAC Guide No. 4 - Records available as of February 2012

Access to the Records

Access to records is through the PROV catalogue: www.access.prov.vic.gov.au

To use the records researchers will need to be registered users with Public Record Office Victoria. Register Here

The Goldfields Research Centre, first floor Bendigo Library contains many print, local database and microfilm resources for family and local history research.