BENDIGO

city, central Victoria, Australia, in the central upland area of the state; it is about 93 miles (150 km) northwest of Melbourne by road. Founded as a sheep run in 1840, the city's official name was Sandhurst until 1891, when it was formally changed to honour a local prizefighter who compared his own prowess to that of the English pugilist known as Bendigo. An important gold discovery on Bendigo Creek (1851) brought rapid growth and created an impressive city with fine examples of Victorian architecture and tree-lined streets. Mining ceased in 1955. Bendigo is now the commercial focus of a region that produces livestock, fruit, poultry, wheat, dairy products, vegetables, and wool. Its livestock market, one of the largest in Australia, handles more than 1,000,000 sheep each year. Diversified industries include iron, clothing, ceramics, armaments, hardboard manufacture, and food processing. Tourism is also important; the city's attractions include Rosalind Park and the Bendigo Art Gallery. The Bendigo Pottery, located northeast of Bendigo in Epsom, is the oldest pottery works in Australia. A rail centre, the city is also the junction of the Calder, Loddon Valley, Eppalock, and Midland highways. Declared a municipal district in 1855 and a shire in 1863, Bendigo became a city in 1871. Cultural resources include the Bendigo College of Advanced Education; the city also has two cathedrals. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 30,133. born Oct. 11, 1811, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Eng. died Aug. 23, 1880, Beeston, Nottinghamshire byname of William Thompson English pugilist and tavern keeper who became a noted Methodist evangelist and who is one of the very few athletes whose name is borne by a city-Bendigo, Vic., Australia. His nickname apparently is a corruption of the Old Testament name Abednego; Thompson was one of triplets, the other two being nicknamed Shadrach and Meshach. In the course of his pugilistic career (1832-50) Bendigo lost only one fight, a defeat by Benjamin Caunt in 1838; Caunt, however, outweighed him by more than 40 pounds (18 kg). In 1839 Bendigo won the English championship by beating James ("Deaf") Burke. Bendigo retired and then rewon the honour from Caunt in 1845. His last fight, won by a foul, was in 1850. Because fistfighting was a breach of the peace, Bendigo was arrested after most of his fights; his religious activity was inspired by a prison chaplain's sermon. The language of his own sermons was described as quaint. He was so highly regarded in Nottingham that a monument to him was dedicated in 1891. The city of Bendigo is believed to have been named after an admirer of the pugilist who adopted the nickname to advertise his own pretensions as a boxer.