EAGLEHAWK Eaglehawk is a ‘close in’ satellite town of Bendigo. Not to be confused as a suburb of Bendigo, even though the connecting roads are built up all the way to Eaglehawk. The town secures this independence from the much earlier gold rush period. Joseph Crook discovered a gold nugget while searching for stray horses. This event sparked a gold rush in the area leading to the establishment of the township in 1852, the population quickly building up to 40,000. The Post Office opened on 1 August 1857. In 1862, the Borough of Eaglehawk was established, which included the nearby township of California Gully. After the alluvial goal was exhausted in 1893, reef mines were established, with 300 tonnes of gold extracted. Most of the mines had closed by the 1890s and by 1947 the population had decreased substantially to 4,090. In 1994 the Borough of Eaglehawk amalgamated with four other councils to become the city of Greater Bendigo. The Eaglehawk hotels are survivors of the gold rush period. The United Church and  the old Methodist Church. The Anglican is converted to an alternative religion. The Eaglehawk War Memorial is located in the centre of the town. There is no special reason to visit Eaglehawk, but if passing through a coffee may be in order. Heritage diary