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A Bendigo woman is sharing 26 slices of life in her central Victorian city by joining an international blogging challenge.
The Blogging A to Z Challenge began in 2010 when a Los Angeles writer asked readers to pen an online post starting with each letter of the alphabet during April.
In 2016, more than 1700 bloggers have registered to participate, touching on topics like travel, craft and video games.
Bendigo resident Jennifer Jones is taking on the month-long writing challenge for the second consecutive year and is aiming to complete two different A to Z blogs; one details 26 Victorian towns while the other is an alphabetical guide to Bendigo.
Ms Jones has called the central Victorian city her home for nine years and said she still saw it with “visitors’ eyes”.
She hoped to expose international readers to Bendigo’s treasures.
“People overseas love Australia, and I wanted them to find out what they could do if they came here,” she said.
So far, Ms Jones has penned posts for letters A to I, with highlights including entries on the Alexandra Fountain, Easter festival and farmers’ market.
Ms Jones, a genealogist, began writing online eight years ago to share her family history with readers around the world.
Since then, she has become a prolific blogger, writing about her passion for fitness as well as Axedale history.
The hobby has even taken her to Salt Lake City as one of genealogy conference Rootstech’s official blog writers.
But she still does not consider herself a writer, saying the activity was more like keeping a diary.
“It gets everything in clear in my mind,” she said.
But no one is meant to read someone else’s journal, and audience interaction has been something Ms Jones has welcomed, especially on the topic of genealogy.
Blogging has allowed her to connect with family members from around the world keen to find out more about their Australian relatives.
Ms Jones encouraged other people to document their thoughts online, saying it was simple to get started.
“Don't stress about getting it perfect,” she said.
“Choose a platform and a look, then just get writing.”
Read Ms Jones’ blogs at http://nextphaseinfitness.com.au/ and https://jonesfamilyhistory.wordpress.com/.
Joss house, cycling Jones’ top picks
A passion for cycling and the city’s Chinese heritage has influenced blogger Jennifer Jones’ A to Z of Bendigo highlights.
“Bendigo is known for it’s cycling culture,” Ms Jones said in her letter H blog, for which she wrote about the town’s heritage cycling tours.
“[It is] what brought me to Bendigo.”
Among her favourite rides is the Mulga Bill bicycle trail dedicated to the protagonist of Banjo Patterson’s 1896 poem.
For the letter C, Ms Jones wrote a post about the “centre of Victoria”, found at the intersection of Pentlands and Hallidays Road in Mandurang.
Ms Jones discovered a plaque marking the site while on a bike ride shortly after moving from Shepparton.
“[I stopped] on the side of the road to mend a puncture,” she said.
“After that, I would often stop there for a quick breather when on a long ride.
“For some reason, I find this spot to be very peaceful.”
Ms Jones’ list also includes sites precious to the Chinese community in Bendigo.
Her global legion of followers have read about the role that dragon Sun Loong plays in the Easter parade, as well as the merits of visiting Bendigo’s Joss House Temple.
“Dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers are available (at the temple) to talk about the history,” she said.
Tell us your A to Z of Bendigo below. You can contribute one letter, or all 26. Think about a landmark, event of even a famous face that starts with each letter of the alphabet and we’ll share the most popular results with you.