Golden Dragon Museum

Golden Dragon Museum opened in Bendigo in 1991. It has a collection of some 30,000 objects being the most significant holding of Chinese heritage and cultural material in Australia. The Museum averages 30,000 - 40,000 paid admissions each year and it is estimated that at least that number again visit the Dai Gum San Precinct bringing total annual attendance to some 70,000 - 80,000 people. 

The Precinct includes the Museum, Yi Yuan Gardens and Guan Yin Temple. Golden Dragon Museum is a living history of the Chinese people in Bendigo and of the Chinese diaspora across Australia more widely from the goldrush of the 1850s to the present day. The Museum in recent years has been going through a sustained period of revitalisation and growth across its offerings, programs and facilities. Amongst other awards, in 2022 the Museum won the AMaGA Victorian Museum and Galleries Award for small organisations. 

In 2023 it was a finalist in the Events and Tourism Award category of the Be.Bendigo Business Excellence Awards. The Museum houses Bendigo's three Imperial Processional Dragons which for the past 120+ years have paraded through the streets of Bendigo (and elsewhere) especially at Easter as part of the annual Bendigo Easter Festival. This engagement is unique and ensures that the Museum and its activities are embedded within the Bendigo community. 

The Museum prides itself on delivering a growing range of education and public programs which aim to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all types and from all backgrounds. Participation is a key driver that motivates and guides the development of these programs. A recent highlight has been the opening of Emperor's Dragon Restaurant at the Museum. serving tasty Hawker-style food for lunch and dinner.