We are nearing the end of our coverage of the election results, thanks for joining us.

It was a day of seismic shifts (and not just around the council table - an earthquake was recorded in central Victoria).

If you've just joined us, you can scroll down to these key updates posted at the following times:

There's plenty of other posts to explore too, including the first shots fired in the race for the mayor's office, the triumphs of winning office, the fear of falling short and jelly slice (YUM!).

4.45pm - how the count was won

TWO victorious candidates say the secret to increasing their voter share has come down to hard work and a commitment to getting things done.

The Whipstick Ward's Andrea Metcalf increased her primary vote by 2108 votes from 2851 in 2016.

"I'm very happy with that. I think it's because we are out in the community all the time," she said, referring to herself, retiring councillor James Williams, defeated councillor James Pethybridge and Julie Hoskin, who held a seat until her 2018 resignation.

"We had listening posts every month spread across every community. I think that really helped.

"And I've got to say, it was the follow-through on stuff I did for people. I think that helped because I did lodge over 1000 customer requests, and I always went back to them."

Councillor-elect Metcalf said Whipstick councillors worked hard last term to make sure at least one elected representative addressed residents' concerns as they were raised.

"They need to know that if you say I'm going to do something you will," she said.

In the Eppalock Ward, Margaret O'Rourk went from scraping in during 2016 to the third council place deep into the election count to the first selected in 2020.

She picked up another 3248 votes, more than double her results four years ago.

"I was pretty delighted and, really, overwhelmed that the people of Eppalock Ward have supported me so well," councillor-elect O'Rourke said.

She suspected part of her success had been that she had been so hands-on.

Councillor-elect O'Rourke said she was looking forward to sitting down with new ward representatives Gregory Penna and Matthew Evans to begin planning how they would cover their patch.

"When you can work well together that's to the benefit of your community, so I'm looking forward to understanding what their goals are," she said.

4.15pm - candidate rules out challenging results

FORMER mayor Barry Lyons will not challenge the results of the election despite a Victorian Electoral Commission mistake that saw his photo left out of briefing material mailed to Lockwood Ward voters.

Mr Lyons immediately ruled out the prospect, despite the briefing material being a key way many voters get to know candidates in the lead up to local elections.

A spokesperson said the photograph was accidentally omitted during printing, even though it was submitted in time.

Mr Lyons said any challenge would simply be a matter of sour grapes.

"I got beat fair and square. It is what it is," he said.

Mr Lyons wished the next batch of councillors the best of luck and hoped they would get everything they wanted out of their exciting opportunity.

3.45pm - Thoughts turn to mayoral race

RESULTS were barely declared before councillors-elect's thoughts turned to mayoral runs.

The Bendigo Advertiser is aware of two candidates interested in nominating for mayoral or deputy mayoral positions - Jennifer Alden and Andrea Metcalf

Another, Margaret O'Rourke, is considering her options over the coming weeks.

She has already served four terms as mayor, all over the previous term of council.

It is by no means a full survey of every councillor's intentions. but the three councillors-elect are among four returning for another four years on council and who could mount a bid based on their experience.

Councillors-elect will be able to elect a mayor and deputy mayor the moment they are sworn in, if they so choose.

That will likely happen next week, though councillors are yet to compare schedules to see what will work for everyone (a number have to juggle work commitments).

It is unclear how soon after swearing in a mayor and deputy mayor would be chosen and a date for a vote would likely rely on discussions expected over the coming days, perhaps weeks.

The swearing in ceremony and mayoral votes are not the only orders of business that will come before the new council sooner rather than later.

City officers are preparing to launch councillor induction processes and to raise the matter of the first official council meeting's date.

There is one scheduled for the end of the month but that could change depending on councillors' feedback.

The councillors could consider a range of dates before Christmas.

3.30pm - inside the most complicated count of the 2020 Bendigo election

IT TOOK 22 separate counts to elect Eppalock Ward's three representatives.

Finding one winner was easy. Mayor Margaret O'Rourke won enough votes to reach the 5639 ballot quota (a proportion of the vote needed to get elected).

But there was no clear winner after that and the Victorian Electoral Commission's computers were deployed to find two other candidates.

Candidates with the least votes were gradually struck from the count and their preferences distributed.

Seven were struck off before Gregory Penna was elected, then another before Matthew Evans took the final spot.

Mr Evans said he had felt uncertain going into the count.

"It's been a surreal day. It was a real 50/50 feeling going in," he said.

Mr Evans had the third highest primary vote of anyone in Whipstick, but he was aware that might not have meant anything during the complicated allocation of preferences.

"I'm aware of people under this voting system who were as low as seventh getting up," he said.

Mr Evans was busy at work when news broke that he had one.

"I got back to my desk and I'd recieved all these text messages and phone calls saying I was in, and I didn't even know the result," he said.

Regardless of whether he had won or lost, Mr Evans said that he had planned to celebrate the result with a coffee and jelly slice.

He is still to finish those snacks.

"The rest of the slice is back at the desk. I still have a few drops of coffee left. Hopefully it stays alright," Mr Evans said.

It is very much a meal to savour.

2.30pm - Whipstick Ward breakdown:

ANDREA Metcalf has her grip on the vote in Whipstick Ward, adding more than 2000 votes on her results from 2016.

She won 19.43 per cent of the vote in 2020, up from 13.21 per cent four years ago.

It's an even more impressive achievement when you consider she was facing off against 12 other candidates this time, as opposed to nine in 2016.

Malcolm Pethybridge has lost his place on council. He has failed to capitalise on his short stint on council (he was elected following the resignation of Julie Hoskin in 2018).

Fellow former councillor James Williams retired at this election.

They will be replaced by David Fagg, an educational and welfare officer, and Julie Sloan, an Animal Justice Party candidate and semi-retired nurse.

2.15pm - Eppalock Ward breakdown

GEORGE Flack has lost his seat on council.

The director of Flack Advisory arrived at the council table in 2016, representing Eppalock Ward.

Susie Hawke, who won her council seat in a 2019 countback triggered by another councillor's resignation, has failed to capitalise on that opportunity.

She has lost her seat.

Meanwhile, fellow ward councillor and mayor Margaret O'Rourke has had a commanding win.

She has retained her seat without the need for preferences.

Councillor-elect O'Rourke will be joined on Eppalock Ward by first-time candidates Gregory Penna and Matthew Evans.

Mr Penna is a long-time businessman keen to put his skills to use on the council.

Mr Evans is keen to use his youth (he is 23-years-old) to connect with new voters using more community consultation.

2pm - Two former councillors unsuccessful in reelection bid

BARRY Lyons has missed out in his bid to return to council chambers.

The Lockwood Ward candidate and former mayor was one of two councillors voters did not re-elect in 2016, along with Eppalock's Helen Leach.

Mr Lyons's campaign hit a bump when the Victorian Electoral Commission omitted his photo from a ballot pack sent to all voters in Lockwood.

A spokesperson said the photograph was accidentally omitted during printing, even though it was submitted in time.

It is unclear if it affected the final vote.

1.45pm - Lockwood Ward breakdown

COUNCIL stalwart Rod Fyffe has again carved out out a huge chunk of the ballot in a heavily contested field.

More than 7076 voters put a "1" next to his name, rather than seven other candidates vying for the ward.

It is the third time in a row that councillor-elect Fyffe has not relied on preferences to win his seat - an extraordinary result in Bendigo's multi-member election system.

Even the most successful candidates are usually hard-pressed to win without preferences because of the number of people who contest each seat and the difficulties of developing a big following.

Unlike in state and federal elections, Bendigo candidates tend to shun the brands that political parties bring.

Nearly all candidates in the past three elections have run as independents with no or minimal connections to political parties.

Rod Fyffe has proven independent candidates can harness a following to win without preferences.

The secret to his success might partly be about his iconic hairstyle, though it is more likely to be because he is a long serving civic leader and respected former school teacher.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Alden has retained her place on council. She picked up a healthy 4477 primary votes, the second highest behind councillor-elect Fyffe.

She had enough votes through preferences to reach the ward's 6140 vote quota for election.

Both she and counsillor-elect Fyffe will be joined by Vaughan Williams, who won 2857 first preferences.

Earlier

VOTERS have now elected nine councillors-elect tasked with representing Bendigo for the next four years.

The results are expected to officially be declared later this afternoon at a town hall ceremony but the Victorian Electoral Commission has just revealed the results of its count.

The announcement is the seventh and final for central Victorian councils, all of which conducted postal voting last month.

Read more: results for Macedon Ranges Shire, Loddon Shire, Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, Mount Alexander Shire and Buloke Shire.

It marks the end of a two week counting process hampered by delays to ensure COVID-19 could not spread among election officials.

They were also slowed by a surge in voter turn-out. 85.67 per cent of Bendigo's eligible voters cast their ballots, up more than 10 per cent on 2016's count.

We will bring you more on these results ASAP, so keep refreshing this page. In the meantime, you can read our guide to the candidates who battled for a place on the council table and see some of those whose results we think are worth keeping an eye on.

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