Dennis O'Hoy opens Bendigo Chinese museum at 88 to preserve legacy
An 88-year-old Bendigo icon is opening a museum exhibition celebrating Chinese miners who shaped the city.
Dennis O'Hoy, a descendant of Chinese immigrants, is helping launch Bridge Street Chinatown: Stories of Commerce and Community at Bendigo's Golden Dragon Museum. The exhibition runs from September 17, 2026 to March 14, 2027.
O'Hoy is known across Bendigo for saving the town's trams and town hall. Now he is racing to preserve Chinese heritage before his generation's knowledge is lost.
Chinese prospectors arrived after gold was discovered in 1851. By the 1860s, they made up nearly 20 per cent of the Bendigo goldfields population.
The exhibition tells the story of families, entrepreneurs, shops, community organisations and life in Bridge Street from the late 19th century to today.
- 88
- Dennis O'Hoy age
- 1851
- Gold discovered
- Nearly 20 per cent
- Chinese percentage of goldfields
- September 17, 2026 to March 14, 2027
- Exhibition dates
Why it mattersBendigo's Chinese community shaped the city; this museum keeps that story alive for younger generations.
AustraliaVictorians can now access a formal record of how Chinese immigration built a regional Australian city, with the exhibition running for six months.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 21 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
