Bendigo: A hidden gem with deep roots and big plans
Many locals don’t know that Bendigo ties together villages like Southport, Anerley and Pumula – all once part of an old gold prospector’s dream.
What and where is Bendigo? It’s a fair question – even long-time locals sometimes wonder about this stretch of coastal countryside that quietly threads together several familiar suburbs along the lower South Coast.
To find the answer, you have to look back more than a century. “In the 1870s, an Australian chap named Charles Knox came to the South Coast looking for gold in Umzinto,” says Joan Gallagher, secretary of the Bendigo Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association (BRRA) and chairperson of the Bendigo Conservancy.
“He didn’t strike gold, but he did name his farm Bendigo – after the famous gold town in Australia.”
Years later, around 1911, Sabronanthu Naidoo bought the farm, then sold it to TG Smith & Leuchars. They renamed it Bendigo Estates and began subdividing the land in 1917 – one of these subdivisions became Sunwich Port.
“In 1931, Jack Clarens took over the rest, and with town planner Harold Porter, established the township of Southport,” says Gallagher.
“They even set aside a small patch of land for conservation – today that’s the Bendigo Nature Reserve.”
The reserve, formally proclaimed as a Site of Conservation Significance in 2005 by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife remains a precious green lung for the area and is managed by the Bendigo Conservancy.
So where exactly is Bendigo? Today, it falls within Ray Nkonyeni Municipality’s Ward 16, stretching from the Mtentweni river in the south to the Injabili river in the north, and as far inland as the N2. It includes Sea Park, Southport, Anerley, Sunwich Port, Melville and Pumula – originally small villages each with their own ‘town boards’ under the old Hibiscus Municipality.
More recently, Pumula and ‘lower’ Melville have started their own independent residents’ and ratepayers’ groups.
“The remaining area from Sea Park to the Koshwana River is represented by the Bendigo Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association,” explains Gallagher.
“We meet on the second Monday of every month. It’s a great way for residents to stay informed and involved in looking after this special place.”
For more information, or to get involved, contact Gallagher on 083 2667953.
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