SANDHURST, DIOCESE OF. — It is situated in the State of Victoria (Australia) and was erected on 30 March 1874 with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, of which it was declared a suffragan.
The boundaries were defined on 10 May 1887. The present-day capital, formerly called S., is now Bendigo, from which the Anglican bishop takes his title. It has an area of 27,792 sq. km. with a population exceeding 185,000 inhabitants, of whom 35,833 are Catholic and the rest almost all Protestants of various denominations. There are 55 diocesan priests, 10 religious priests, 10 brothers, and 254 sisters. There are 30 parishes, 124 churches, and 39 stations. There are 29 primary schools, 16 secondary schools, and 1 orphanage.
BIBL.: P. Moran, History of Catholic Church in Australia, Sydney n.d., pp. 843-848; Australasian Catholic Directory, ibid. 1952, pp. 205-302.