Bendigo Hotel Collingwood

Bendigo Hotel is a long-standing Collingwood pub with a strong live music identity. Known locally as The Bendi, it combines a bar, brewery presence, bandroom and relaxed pub spaces under the ownership of The Mill Brewery. The venue’s rotating taps focus on Mill Brewery beers and other local pours, making it a useful stop for anyone keen to explore independent beer while staying close to Johnston Street.

The layout gives the pub several different moods. The front bar has a warm, dive-bar feel, while the lounge includes a fireplace, pool table and Altered Beast arcade machine. There is also a sunny beer garden for an outdoor drink, plus a dining room that changes into the bandroom at night. Dogs are welcome, and the mix of seating and activities makes the venue suitable for a casual catch-up, a game of pool or a solo drink before a show. Its late weekend trading also caters to those looking to stay out after the music starts.

Live performance is central to the Bendigo Hotel’s current chapter. The bandroom has hosted local and touring acts across a broad range of styles, from garage rock to death metal, and the venue has invested in a QSC L-Class Line Array sound system developed with TAG and Pink Noise. That setup is intended to handle everything from stripped-back performances to heavier, louder shows. Local booking agent Kit Atkinson of Social State Entertainment leads the music programming, helping maintain the pub’s role in Collingwood’s live scene.

There is plenty of history behind the current operation. The hotel first opened in 1871 as The Collingwood Arms, was acquired by Carlton Brewery in 1887, and was rebuilt in 1911 in an Edwardian Queen Anne style. Much of that architecture remains, including its brick frontage, Art Nouveau details and corner oriel towers. The building’s bandroom has also changed purpose over time, including a period as the Manhattan Room before becoming a stage for bands in 2010.

Today, The Mill Brewery’s move into the Bendigo Hotel connects two Collingwood stories: an established pub and a local independent brewery. Come for a Mill beer, a pool game, the garden or a gig; the venue is best suited to adults seeking an informal pub atmosphere with music at its centre.