Just 5km from Bendigo’s city centre – located between Eaglehawk and Ironbark – is California Gully.
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Named after the miners from the Californian gold diggings who rushed the area when gold was first discovered in 1852, there is a rich mining history in California Gully that is still visible today. In the 1870s, a large number of Cornish miners arrived and the official township was marked in the location of the White Horse Hotel and the church (once Methodist, now Uniting) behind the hotel.
In 1883, a school building was built on an elevated site to the west – known as Bell Topper Hill, a name that was derived from a number of English miners’ making a bonfire from their bell topper hats (that were quite unsuitable for the harsh Australian conditions). The school is on the Victorian Heritage Register, as is the church and the Mechanics Institute Hall.
Mining was a large employer for many years – the North Johnson group mined from 1861 right through to 1920 and the mine site was on the Eaglehawk tram line until the lines closed in 1973. In 1971, the Stafford Ellinson menswear factory opened, employing over 300 people until it’s closure in 2002. Today, California Gully’s biggest employer is St Lawrence Court, an aged care centre opened by the Anglican church in 1968.
There is a number of original homes within California Gully – including mudbrick miner’s cottages and Victorian-era builds with ornate brickwork and decorative iron fretwork. The large allotments off Eaglehawk Road ensure that much of the character and charm of the area remains, even as new buildings have been constructed.
With shops, two recreation reserves, dog park and splash park, this area continues to expand into Eaglehawk and towards Maiden Gully in the west.
White Hills at a glance
Information based on 2021 Census results
Population: 4,476
Male: 46.5%
Female: 53.5%
Median age: 39
Families: 1,145
Private dwellings: 1,981
Average people per household: 2.3
Median monthly mortgage repayments: $1,200
Median weekly rent: $251