Send flowers to Bendigo Hospital, formerly Bendigo Base
A Bendigo florist makes up the bouquet and takes it to Bendigo Hospital on Barnard Street. Ring the ward before you order; intensive care and some other wards take no flowers.
Bendigo Hospital is the largest regional hospital in Victoria, with about 778 beds, and locals still call it the Base. It is run by Bendigo Health at 100 Barnard Street, Bendigo 3550, with vehicle access via Mercy Street; patients and staff moved into the new hospital in January 2017, the latest chapter of a hospital founded in 1853 as the Bendigo Gold District General Hospital. Services cover emergency, intensive care, maternity and children's services, surgery, mental health and the Bendigo Cancer Centre, where Peter Mac also runs radiation therapy. Patients come from across the Loddon Mallee, so plenty of the flowers that arrive here are sent by family hours away.
Visiting hours and when the florist can come
Bendigo Health publishes general visiting hours of 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm, with next of kin and significant others welcome from 8am to 8pm. Individual wards may set different hours and restrictions, and visitors are told when a mask is needed. Florists deliver during the day, so a morning order normally reaches the ward in one of the two visiting blocks; a late-afternoon order may wait until the next morning. If the ward cannot take flowers at the door, they are left with the main reception on Barnard Street.
Ask the ward about flowers
Bendigo Health does not publish a flower policy we can quote, so the general rule for Victorian public hospitals applies: intensive care and coronary care refuse fresh flowers, the cancer centre's inpatient beds may refuse them or ask for no lilies, and mental health units often do not allow glass. Medical, surgical and maternity wards normally accept a compact arrangement. A quick call confirms all of that and whether the patient is still there; it also tells you if they have moved to rehabilitation or aged care on another Bendigo Health site, which needs a different address.
Order details for a big regional hospital
Use the hospital's current name, Bendigo Hospital, 100 Barnard Street, rather than Bendigo Base, then the ward, the patient's full name and the bed or room if you know it, and add the word "patient". In a shared bay choose flowers that arrive in their own water and sit on a locker: bright gerberas, tulips, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria or a small native bunch, with little scent. For a new baby in the women's and children's unit, a small posy beside the cot does the job better than a tall vase.
Sending from Melbourne or interstate
Bendigo is on Victorian time, with daylight saving from October to April. Order before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Bendigo time, for a same-day attempt Monday to Saturday; there is no Sunday delivery. Same day is never guaranteed at a hospital because the ward decides when flowers come up. Bouquets start at around AUD 75, with the delivery fee shown at checkout and a card included. If the patient is going home to Kangaroo Flat, Strathdale, Eaglehawk or a farm outside town within a day, send the flowers there, and for a rural address give a mobile number the driver can ring.
Did you know? Bendigo Hospital, founded in 1853, is Victoria's largest regional hospital with about 778 beds; patients moved into the new hospital at 100 Barnard Street in January 2017.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to Bendigo Hospital
Can I send flowers to Bendigo Hospital?
Yes, to most wards, during visiting hours of 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm. Ring the ward first, as intensive care and coronary care refuse fresh flowers and the cancer centre may restrict them. Give the full name Bendigo Hospital, 100 Barnard Street, the ward and the patient's full name; reception takes the bouquet if the ward is busy.
Is Bendigo Base Hospital the same place?
Yes. Bendigo Base Hospital is the old name still used locally; the hospital is now Bendigo Hospital, run by Bendigo Health, and the new building at 100 Barnard Street opened to patients in January 2017. Use the current name and the Barnard Street address on your order, with access via Mercy Street for the driver.
What should I send to a patient in a shared ward in Bendigo?
A compact arrangement in its own water, low in scent and bright in colour, so it sits on the locker and bothers nobody in the next bed. Gerberas, tulips, chrysanthemums or a small native bunch all work well. Leave out lilies and potted plants, and if discharge is a day away, send to the home address instead.