I had coffee last week with a software developer who moved to Bendigo from South Yarra in 2022. He’s now earning more than he did in Melbourne, owns a house, and walks to a co-working space that costs a fraction of CBD rates.

“I thought I’d take a pay cut,” he told me. “Instead, I got a raise because suddenly I was competing nationally for roles, not just locally.”

This story is playing out across Bendigo—and it’s changing what a regional tech career looks like.

The Numbers

According to recent surveys, remote-capable employment in regional Victoria has increased 340% since 2019. Bendigo has been a particular beneficiary, with its established infrastructure, train connectivity to Melbourne, and growing tech community.

Local recruiters report that technology roles account for an increasing share of job placements, even though many of these positions are technically “based” in Melbourne, Sydney, or overseas.

Who’s Making It Work

I spoke with a dozen Bendigo residents working remotely in tech. The patterns were consistent:

The Melbourne Escapees: People who built careers in Melbourne, then realised they could keep those careers while enjoying regional life. They typically have established networks and reputations that make finding remote work easier.

The Returners: Those who grew up in regional Victoria, left for education or early career, then came back once remote work became viable. “I always wanted to come home,” one told me. “I just couldn’t until now.”

The Career Changers: People who retrained into tech specifically because remote opportunities made it viable. A former teacher told me she completed an online coding bootcamp and landed a junior developer role without ever relocating.

The Infrastructure Factor

Remote work requires reliable internet, and Bendigo has invested heavily here. The CBD and surrounding suburbs have solid NBN coverage, and several co-working spaces offer backup connections for critical meetings.

“I’ve had two outages in three years that affected actual work,” one remote worker said. “Compare that to Melbourne colleagues dealing with train strikes and traffic—connectivity isn’t the barrier people assume.”

The bigger challenge is finding work in the first place. Melbourne employers still often default to local candidates, even for remote roles.

Finding Remote Work

What strategies actually work?

Leverage your network: Most remote hires come through referrals. Your former colleagues in Melbourne are your best path to opportunities.

Target remote-first companies: Some companies have no offices at all. They’re structured around distributed work and don’t care where you live.

Start contracting: Contract and freelance work is often location-agnostic. Build a portfolio of remote clients, then leverage that into permanent roles.

Be visible: Contribute to open-source projects, write blog posts, speak at virtual meetups. When you’re not in the office, your online presence becomes your professional identity.

The Community Growing Here

Bendigo isn’t just a place where remote workers happen to live—it’s developing genuine tech community.

The monthly Bendigo Tech meetup regularly draws 30-40 people. Co-working spaces host events and workshops. There’s a growing cluster of people who can grab lunch and talk through problems.

“The isolation people worried about hasn’t materialised,” one participant told me. “If anything, I see more colleagues in person now than I did working in Melbourne—I just choose when.”

Challenges Remain

Not everything is rosy. Some honest feedback:

Career advancement: For senior roles, some companies still want occasional in-person presence. Fully remote careers can hit ceilings that hybrid arrangements don’t.

Salaries: While many remote roles pay Melbourne rates, some employers adjust for location. Know your worth and negotiate accordingly.

Loneliness: Remote work requires intentional community-building. Those thriving have deliberately cultivated local professional networks.

Partner employment: Tech workers can go remote, but partners in other industries may find limited local opportunities. This is often the deciding factor for families.

What Employers Get Wrong

Talking to remote workers, the same complaints come up repeatedly.

Poorly equipped for remote collaboration. Companies that claim to support remote work but run everything through hallway conversations and whiteboards.

Meeting-heavy cultures that assume everyone is in the same timezone and available synchronously.

Career paths that implicitly favour in-office presence for promotions.

The best remote experiences come from companies that designed for distributed work, not those that reluctantly permit it.

Making the Move

For those considering a shift to Bendigo:

Test the commute. Some roles require monthly in-person time. Do the drive or train journey before committing. It’s doable but not trivial.

Line up work first. The cost of living advantage is real, but not if you’re unemployed. Secure remote income before relocating.

Build local connections immediately. Attend the first meetup. Join a co-working space. Isolation compounds quickly if you don’t counter it.

Be patient with housing. Bendigo’s housing market has tightened as remote workers arrive. Finding the right place takes longer than it used to.

The remote work revolution is still early. Companies are still figuring out what works. Regional communities are still adapting to new residents with different expectations.

But the trajectory is clear. You can have a serious tech career in regional Victoria now. Bendigo is proof.

For those exploring the move, Regional Development Victoria provides resources about regional living and employment opportunities, and ABC News regularly covers regional tech and business stories.