But on arriving yesterday she said it was wonderful to walk in and see the very beautiful mix of the old and the new.

"We'd seen plans and pictures but it was difficult to visualise," Ms Stevens said.

"I'm very impressed by Bendigo. I find it extraordinary that it's such a wonderfully preserved - in the best sense of the word - 19th century city."

Ms Stevens arrived in Bendigo yesterday ahead of Sunday's exhibition's launch.

The Genius and Ambition: Royal Academy of Arts London 1768-1918 exhibition features more than 100 artworks that have been transported to Bendigo.

Thirty significant works by Australian artists who exhibited at the Royal Academy have also been included.

"It's a task but have a fantastic team that have worked very hard," Ms Stevens said.

"What is marvellous is the opportunity Bendigo has given us to present these major works from the Academy in exhibition form and make it available to the Australian public."

Ms Stevens said the Royal Academy was intrigued with the possibility of exhibiting in Bendigo.

"(Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan) asked whether it was possible to do something based around the Royal Academy's collections and to have it specifically in Bendigo," Ms Stevens said.

"It gave us an opportunity to think how we would tell the story of the Royal Academy through the collections and a 150-year period but also bring in an Australian dimension. For us, it was certainly interesting."

Ms Stevens said while it was difficult to select just a fraction of works from the Royal Academy, one she was excited to see on display was some oil sketches by Sir George Clausen.

"He made these extraordinary fresh little oil sketches on small-scale panels," she said. "They're miraculous and it's marvellous to see them in an exhibition."