The Sacred Heart Cathedral is the principal Catholic church in the city of Bendigo and the Diocese of Sandhurst. It occupies a commanding position on a slope beside the main road leading into Bendigo from Melbourne.

The Cathedral was built in two stages. The first, comprising the nave and side aisles, was opened in September 1901. There was then a long interval until 1954 when work recommenced. The second stage was finally completed in 1977.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral is one of the largest churches in Australia and a major tourist attraction for the city of Bendigo. Its initial construction and final completion were made possible through the remarkable achievements of Rev. Dr. Henry Backhaus, the first priest on the Bendigo goldfields. In addition to his priestly role, he was very active in civic affairs and skilled in financial matters. Between his arrival in 1852 and his death thirty years later, he accumulated considerable property. This was left for the benefit of the church and enabled the Cathedral, among other things, to be built.

Until 1874, Bendigo was part of the diocese of Melbourne, but in that year the northern part of Victoria was separated and became the new Diocese of Sandhurst. An Irish priest. Dr. Martin Crane was appointed the first bishop. When he arrived in Bendigo the following year, he found a stone church dedicated to St. Kilian and this became his cathedral. However this church was in a very bad state of repair and had to be demolished in 1888. It was replaced by a large wooden structure which is in use today as a parish church.

In the early 1890's, there was a severe economic depression in Victoria and the banking system collapsed. In an attempt to alleviate the effects of high unemployment that existed in Bendigo in the mid 1890's, Bishop Crane embarked on a project to build a cathedral. He wanted this to be an impressive building and to occupy a prominent place among other major buildings recently completed in the city. No immediate funds were available, but a loan of £30,000 - perhaps $5 million in today's value - was obtained from Mr. George Lansell, a wealthy local mine owner. This was possible because funds from the Backhaus estate would become available for repayment in 1902. (Dr. Backhaus had specified in his will that income from his estate was to accumulate for twenty years after his death).