Kangaroo Flat, Victoria

Kangaroo Flat is a suburb of the Greater City of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. It is located 5 kilometres (3 miles) South-West of the Bendigo CBD. Kangaroo Flat is neighbours with Golden Square, Big Hill, Lockwood, Maiden Gully and Mandurang. Kangaroo Flat derived its name from the large "mobs" (groups) of Eastern Grey Kangaroos encountered around gold miners' campsites and in the vast bush (forest) landscapes around Bendigo. Local residents refer to Kangaroo Flat simply as "The Flat".HistoryPrior to the gold rush the Bendigo district was part of a large sheep station known as "the Ravenswood Run". Discovery of gold deposits in the 1850s brought many miners to the region, looking to seek their fortune. People came from a number of overseas countries, such as England, Holland, Ireland, The United States of America, Germany and others. Large numbers came from Mainland China. Chinese miners conducted searches of alluvial and shallow mine-sites. Characteristically "round" Chinese digs are still able to be viewed in places such as Charcoal Gully, a bushland reserve located between Morrison and Thomas Streets to the southwest of Kangaroo Flat's town centre. This Chinese influence was at first resented by other diggers, many who came from European countries with little or no understanding of the Asian lifestyle. Concerted efforts by Chinese settlers to assist their adopted communities led to their being eventually embraced in the district.Bendigo and satellite towns, including Kangaroo Flat, Golden Square, Eaglehawk and White Hills, sprung up essentially as tent cities. These gave way to more permanent structures and the current street layout was established by the 1880s. The Post Office opened on 2 February 1857.